Incorporated Association Establishment Procedure and Timeline — From the Inaugural General Meeting to Fulfilling Permit Conditions and Registration of Incorporation

Procedure

1. 1. Form the group of promoters and identify the competent authority

   Decide the purpose business and identify the competent authority that oversees that business. Depending on the field, such as welfare, sports or culture, a central government ministry or a city or province (si/do) holds the authority to grant the permit.

2. 2. Hold the inaugural general meeting

   Send the notice of the meeting to all members no later than 7 days before the meeting date. At the inaugural general meeting, resolve on adopting the articles of association, appointing executives, contributing property, the business plan and setting up the office, and prepare the minutes. Some authorities require the minutes to be notarized.

3. 3. Apply for the incorporation permit

   Submit the application form, articles of association, minutes, executives' documents, list of property and proof of contribution, business plan and income and expenditure budget, and list of members. An on-site inspection may follow receipt of the application, so put up the corporation's signboard at the office entrance.

4. 4. Fulfill the permit conditions and register the incorporation

   Once you receive the permit, you must complete registration of incorporation at the location of the principal office within 3 weeks. Permit conditions, such as submitting proof of transfer of the basic property and revising the articles of association, also have deadlines, so manage them with a schedule.

5. 5. Unique identification number certificate and follow-up reporting

   A corporation with no profit-making business receives a unique identification number certificate from the tax office instead of business registration. After the end of each business year, submit the business plan and budget, the business results and settlement of accounts, and the list of property to the competent authority.

Required documents

• Application for a permit to establish a corporation
• Articles of association
• Minutes of the inaugural general meeting (notarized, depending on the authority)
• Executives' letters of acceptance of office, certificates of seal impression and résumés
• List of property and proof of contribution
• Business plan, income and expenditure budget
• List of members

Fees

In most cases there is no fee for the incorporation permit application itself, and registration and license tax and other costs arise separately at the registration of incorporation. At Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office, the service fee for preparing documents to establish a non-profit corporation starts from 1,500,000 won (VAT excluded). We review the competent authority and the scope of documents and inform you of the fee after a consultation.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Civil Act, Article 32
• Civil Act, Article 38
• Civil Act, Article 49
• Civil Act, Article 71
• Rules on the Establishment and Supervision of Non-Profit Corporations under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, Article 3
• Rules on the Establishment and Supervision of Non-Profit Corporations under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, Article 7

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

• If the notice of the inaugural general meeting is not sent to all members at least 7 days in advance, the validity of the meeting may be called into question.

Frequently asked questions