Inheritance Administrative Procedures: Order and Deadlines — Death Report 1 Month, Safe Inheritance Inquiry 1 Year, Vehicle Transfer 6 Months

Procedure

1. 1. Death report (1 month from learning of the death)

   The death report must be filed by a cohabiting relative, and relatives, cohabitants or the person managing the place of death may also file it. It is submitted with a medical certificate or postmortem examination report to the city, district, town or township office of the deceased's place of family register, the reporter's address or current location, or the place of death, burial or cremation. If filed late, a fine of 10,000 won (less than 7 days) up to 50,000 won (6 months or more) is imposed depending on the delay.

2. 2. Property inquiry through the Safe Inheritance one-stop service (1 year from the last day of the month of death)

   Applying together with the death report at the community service center or through Government24 lets you check the deceased's financial transactions, land, vehicles, taxes and pension enrollment at once. Eligible applicants are first-order heirs (children and spouse), and if there are none, second-order heirs (parents and spouse). After the deadline, each institution must be queried separately.

3. 3. Prepare an inherited property list and deadline table from the results

   From the inquiry results, select items that require reports or applications to administrative agencies, such as vehicles, business permits and land in the deceased's name, and make a list. The starting points differ: the death report runs from learning of the death, vehicle transfer from the last day of the month in which inheritance commenced, and business succession from the date of succession, so write down the due date for each procedure. Also organize what the heirs agreed on regarding who takes over the vehicle or business.

4. 4. Inherited vehicle transfer registration (6 months from the last day of the month in which inheritance commenced)

   The heir taking over the vehicle submits a transfer registration application on Form No. 14 of the Enforcement Rule on Motor Vehicle Registration to the registration authority. The registration authority checks the family relationship certificate showing the inheritance through shared administrative information, and an agent filing the application attaches a letter of authorization and a copy of the grantor's ID. Late applications are subject to an administrative penalty of 100,000 won within 10 days, plus 10,000 won per day from the 11th day, up to 500,000 won at 50 days or more.

5. 5. Business operator status succession report (1 month from succession)

   If the deceased operated a business under the Food Sanitation Act, the heir succeeds to that status and submits a business operator status succession report on Form No. 49 to the permitting or reporting authority within 1 month. An heir who will close rather than continue the business may file the succession report together with a closure report, attaching only the business report certificate and documents proving heirship. The authority notifies whether the report is accepted within 3 days of receipt.

Required documents

• Death report (statutory form)
• Medical certificate or postmortem examination report (if not available, a document proving the death and the reason)
• Safe Inheritance one-stop service application (filed at the community service center or as a Government24 electronic application)
• Transfer registration application (Enforcement Rule on Motor Vehicle Registration, Form No. 14)
• Business operator status succession report (Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act, Form No. 49) and the business report, permit or registration certificate
• Heir's family relationship certificate (copy attached if the heir does not consent to shared administrative information)
• Heir's ID, and for filing by an agent, a letter of authorization and a copy of the grantor's ID

Fees

Typically tens of thousands to several hundred thousand won in the industry. We provide a quote after consultation based on the number of procedures (death report, vehicle transfer registration, business operator status succession report), the number and residence of heirs, and whether deadlines have passed.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Article 20
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Article 84
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Article 85
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Article 86
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Article 122
• Regulation on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, Appended Table 3
• Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 12
• Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 80
• Enforcement Decree of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Appended Table 3
• Motor Vehicle Registration Decree, Article 26
• Enforcement Rule on Motor Vehicle Registration, Article 33
• Food Sanitation Act, Article 39
• Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 48

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-13

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

• The starting points differ: the death report runs from learning of the death, vehicle transfer registration from the last day of the month in which inheritance commenced, and the Safe Inheritance inquiry from the last day of the month of death, so do not calculate the deadlines as one.
• Failing to apply for vehicle transfer registration without a justifiable reason may be punished by imprisonment of up to 2 years or a fine of up to 20,000,000 won under Article 80 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act.

Frequently asked questions