Passenger Transport Business License and Registration Procedure — Requirements and Grounds for Disqualification for Chartered Buses, Taxis and Buses

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm the business type and competent authority

   Decide whether the business falls under route passenger transport (city, intercity, village buses and others) or zone passenger transport (chartered buses, taxis and others). Depending on the business type, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the city mayor or provincial governor (si/do) is the licensing or registration authority, and in many cases the application is actually received by the city, county or district (si/gun/gu) office to which the authority is delegated.

2. 2. Check whether new entry is possible

   There are periods when new licenses or registrations are restricted, such as supply and demand adjustment for chartered buses or total volume control for taxis. In some cases the transfer and acquisition of an existing business is the realistic route instead of a new entry, so check this first.

3. 3. Check the grounds for disqualification and prepare the business plan

   A person cannot apply if they have been declared bankrupt and not yet reinstated, if a certain period has not passed since they were sentenced to actual imprisonment for violating the Act, or if 2 years have not passed since a license or registration was revoked. Prepare a business plan that covers the form of operation, the number of vehicles and the plan for securing transport employees.

4. 4. Secure the garage, office and vehicles

   Secure, by ownership or lease, a garage area that matches the number of vehicles, and prepare the office and the vehicles. You must register the vehicles and start transport within the period set in the license conditions.

5. 5. Regular obligations after the license

   After transport starts, obligations continue, such as reports of change to the business plan, management of transport employees, and reporting of transport performance and financial data. Missing a deadline can lead to a penalty surcharge or a business suspension disposition.

Required documents

• Passenger transport business license application form or registration application form
• Business plan (form of operation, number of vehicles, transport employee plan)
• Proof of ownership or lease of the garage, garage drawing
• Materials showing the right to use the office
• Vehicle securing plan or vehicle-related documents
• Certificate of registered matters of the corporation and articles of incorporation, or identification materials for an individual
• Materials for checking the executives' grounds for disqualification

Fees

The license application fee, regardless of business type, is a base of 14,000 won per application plus 2,000 won per vehicle, so it varies with the number of vehicles applied for. Agency service fees differ widely depending on the business type, whether it is a new entry or a transfer and acquisition, and the number of vehicles, so we review the business plan and inform you of the fee after a consultation.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Passenger Transport Service Act, Article 4
• Passenger Transport Service Act, Article 5-3
• Passenger Transport Service Act, Article 6
• Enforcement Decree of the Passenger Transport Service Act, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Passenger Transport Service Act, Article 25
• Enforcement Rule of the Passenger Transport Service Act, attached Table 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

• Before signing garage or vehicle contracts, first check whether new licenses or registrations are restricted in the area concerned.

Frequently asked questions