Emigration Agency Business Registration — Corporate Capital of 100,000,000 Won, 300,000,000 Won Guarantee Insurance and Application Documents

Procedure

1. 1. Check whether the work requires registration

   Article 10(1) of the Emigration Act defines the emigration agency business as recruiting or placing emigrants, filing emigration reports on behalf of others, filing emigration entry visa applications on behalf of others, emigration consulting and guidance, and settlement support, when carried on as a business. A business that only provides investment or employment immigration consulting also falls under consulting and guidance, so first check whether registration is required. Operating without registration is punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50,000,000 won (Article 15(1)).

2. 2. Check corporate and officer registration requirements

   Only a corporation may register (Article 10-2(1)). A corporation cannot register if any officer is a person whose sentence of imprisonment without labor or heavier has not been completed or exempted, a person in a suspension period of such a sentence, or an officer at the time of revocation of a corporation whose registration was revoked within the last 3 years, so check the officer composition. Also confirm that the articles of incorporation include the emigration agency business as a purpose and that paid-in capital (basic property for non-profit corporations) is 100,000,000 won or more using the statement of financial position.

3. 3. Obtain guarantee insurance of 300,000,000 won or more

   The guarantee insurance must cover damages suffered by prospective emigrants when the emigration agency fails to perform a contract, and must be taken out with a guarantee insurer established under the Insurance Business Act for a period of 1 to 3 years, naming the Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency as the insured (Enforcement Rule of the same Act, Article 8(1) and (2)). The insured amount is 300,000,000 won or more, and if sales in the previous business year reach 1,000,000,000 won or more after registration, insurance of 500,000,000 won or more must be obtained within 6 months from the last day of the month in which that business year ended (Enforcement Decree, Article 16(3)).

4. 4. Prepare the registration application and submit it to the Overseas Koreans Agency

   Submit the emigration agency business registration application (Form No. 6) to the Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency with the articles of incorporation, statement of financial position, business plan, proof of guarantee insurance, and a document listing officers' names and resident registration numbers. The corporate register certificate is checked by the official in charge through shared administrative information. The Agency checks disqualification grounds and registration requirements and then issues an emigration agency business registration certificate (Form No. 7); the processing period is 20 days and there is no application fee.

5. 5. Posting, change registration and renewal of guarantee insurance after registration

   The registration certificate and details of placement and service fees must be posted at each place of business (Article 10(5)). If the representative or officers, trade name, head office location or articles of incorporation change, file a change registration application (Form No. 8) within 1 month from the date of the change; relocation of a place of business, establishment of a branch office, transfer or merger require a report, and suspension, resumption or closure require a report 15 days in advance. Renew the guarantee insurance before it expires, and submit proof within 10 days of renewal to have the registration certificate renewed.

Required documents

• Emigration agency business registration application (Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Form No. 6)
• Articles of incorporation (to confirm that the emigration agency business is included as a purpose)
• Statement of financial position (to confirm paid-in capital or basic property of a non-profit corporation of 100,000,000 won or more)
• Business plan
• Document confirming guarantee insurance (insured amount of 300,000,000 won or more, with the Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency as the insured)
• Document listing officers' names and resident registration numbers
• Corporate register certificate (checked by the official in charge through shared administrative information)
• In case of changes: emigration agency business change registration application (same Enforcement Rule, Form No. 8) and documents proving the change

Fees

Typically in the range of several hundred thousand won to around one million won across the industry, depending on the length of the business plan, the scope of reviewing corporate purposes and officer disqualification, and the extent of organizing guarantee insurance documents; quoted after consultation. There is no registration application fee at the Overseas Koreans Agency, and the guarantee insurance premium is separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Emigration Act, Article 2
• Emigration Act, Article 3
• Emigration Act, Article 10
• Emigration Act, Article 10-2
• Emigration Act, Article 10-3
• Emigration Act, Article 10-4
• Emigration Act, Article 10-5
• Emigration Act, Article 15
• Emigration Act, Article 16
• Enforcement Decree of the Emigration Act, Article 16
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Article 6
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Article 7
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Article 8
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Article 10
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Form No. 6
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Form No. 7
• Enforcement Rule of the Emigration Act, Form No. 8

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-14

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

• Recruiting or placing emigrants by deception or other improper means leads to revocation of registration and is punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50,000,000 won, and false or exaggerated advertising and collecting unfair placement or service fees are also prohibited acts (Emigration Act, Articles 10-4, 10-5 and 15).
• Failing to renew guarantee insurance before it expires means falling short of registration requirements and is grounds for revocation or suspension, so manage the expiry date together with the schedule for renewing the registration certificate within 10 days of re-subscription.

Frequently asked questions