Real estate registration number for foreign nationals

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   1. Confirm whether a separate number is needed — A foreigner who has completed alien registration is assigned a real estate registration number based on the alien registration number at the time of registration, so no separate application is needed. Foreigners who have not completed alien registration are the applicants, and because only one number is assigned per foreigner, a person who received one before applies for a certificate instead of a new number. If a person lost Korean nationality by acquiring a foreign nationality but has not filed a report of loss of nationality, that report is handled first.

2. 02

   2. Confirm the immigration office to apply to — The registration number for a foreigner is assigned by the head of the immigration office with jurisdiction over the place of stay. An overseas resident with no place of stay in Korea is deemed to have the place of stay at the location of the Supreme Court, so the application goes to the office with jurisdiction over that area. For a foreign corporation, the number is assigned by the registrar of a registry office or by the mayor, county governor, or district head depending on whether a business office in Korea has been registered, so the place of application differs from individuals.

3. 03

   3. Prepare the application and attachments — On the application for assignment of a registration number (Form No. 5), enter the description of the real estate to be registered, the right to be registered, and nationality, name, sex, date of birth, and address, and attach a copy of the passport or certificate of nationality. When an applicant overseas entrusts the filing, a letter of authorization is obtained, and supplementation requests are common when the signature on it differs from the passport signature or the English spelling of the name differs between documents. A letter of authorization prepared abroad should be notarized in the home country with an apostille (or consular confirmation), and documents in a foreign language are attached with translations.

4. 04

   4. File and receive the certificate — The application is filed with the immigration office with jurisdiction and the 1,000 won fee is paid. The office assigns the number, enters it in the registration ledger, and issues the applicant a certificate of real estate registration number for foreigners (Form No. 7). This number and certificate are used in the inheritance or purchase registration documents.

5. 05

   5. Managing the number for later registrations and alien registration — A foreigner who already has a number and needs it for another property registration submits an application for issuance of the certificate (Form No. 9) with the same details and a passport copy to receive the certificate again. If a person who received a registration number later completes alien registration, the same number is assigned as the alien registration number unless the sex or date of birth has changed in the meantime.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Fees & official charges

Fees & official charges

Included in the basic fee — Initial document review, required-document guidance, basic form preparation, one filing support and responses to up to two supplement requests.

Conditional success fee — For this service, any conditional success fee may be separately agreed within the lawful service scope and stated in a written engagement agreement. No outcome is guaranteed.

Displayed amounts are starting estimates, not statutory or standard rates. The final fee is confirmed after consultation and document review in the engagement agreement. Government fees and actual expenses may change.

Basic documents

Basic documents

The alien registration card and the domestic residence report card have legal provisions substituting for a resident registration card, but the registration number certificate has no such provision, so if a sale or financial transactions are planned after registration, check whether alien registration or a domestic residence report is needed. A person who lost Korean nationality by acquiring a foreign nationality must file a report of loss of nationality with the Minister of Justice (Nationality Act, Article 16), so check first whether the loss of nationality is reflected in the family relationship register before applying for a registration number as a foreigner.