Business Report Requirements for a Food Transportation Business — Refrigerated and Freezer Vehicles, Garage, Sanitation Education

Procedure

1. 1. Check whether a report is required

   No report is required where a manufacturer or seller transports its own products in its own vehicle, or where only room-temperature foods are transported. A report is made when you specialize in transporting foods prone to spoilage or deterioration. Operating without a report is subject to criminal punishment, so make the determination before starting.

2. 2. Check the vehicle structure

   The vehicle must be a food-only vehicle with a sealed cargo compartment that can maintain refrigeration (0 to 10°C) or freezing (-18°C or below). Loading ice boxes into an ordinary box truck is not accepted. For a used freezer box truck, check that the refrigerated or freezer structure is indicated on the motor vehicle registration certificate.

3. 3. Prepare the garage, vehicle washing facility and office

   A garage is accepted even if it is leased space in a nearby parking lot, and the vehicle washing facility can be replaced by use of an outside car wash. Whether a shared office is accepted as the office is interpreted differently by each local government, so check in advance.

4. 4. Report after completing sanitation education

   Complete food sanitation education before the report, and if you directly transport unpackaged food, undergo a health examination before starting business (a health examination is not required if you transport only fully packaged food). Report to the sanitation department of the city, county or district (si/gun/gu) office having jurisdiction over the office location. Processing usually takes about 3 days.

Required documents

• Business report form
• Certificate of completion of food sanitation education
• Motor vehicle registration certificate of the vehicle (indicating the refrigerated or freezer structure)
• Lease agreement for the garage and office, or materials showing the right to use them
• Contract for use of a vehicle washing facility (when using an outside facility)

Fees

The report fee is paid separately under local government ordinance. Agency fees in the industry are around several hundred thousand won and vary depending on whether a trucking transport business permit is prepared together and whether the vehicle or garage requirements need to be supplemented. We will inform you after consultation.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 21
• Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 25
• Food Sanitation Act, Article 37
• Food Sanitation Act, Article 41
• Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 49
• Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act, attached Table 14

Checked against the statutes on 2026-09-30

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Check whether a report is required and the vehicle structure before buying a vehicle and signing an office contract, so that you do not pay costs twice.

Frequently asked questions