Liquor Import License and Imported Food Import-Sales Business Registration in Korea

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   1. Check requirements and grounds for disqualification — The liquor import-export license is available to a person who has received a trade business code. The license may be refused if national or local taxes are in arrears, if the applicant was sentenced to imprisonment without labor or heavier for violating the Punishment of Tax Offenses Act, the Food Sanitation Act or the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control and 5 years have not passed, or if the applicant is bankrupt and not reinstated. For a corporation, its officers are reviewed against the same standards.

2. 02

   2. Secure an office and a warehouse — Importing liquor other than ethyl alcohol requires a warehouse of at least 22㎡; exporting only has no warehouse requirement. Registration with the regional MFDS office requires an independent office and a warehouse where imported food can be stored hygienically, and the warehouse may be located elsewhere or leased. If you do not sell directly to consumers, a separate storage warehouse may not be required.

3. 03

   3. Complete hygiene training and register the import-sales business — Before starting business, complete 4 hours of hygiene training at a designated training institution. After securing the facilities, submit the business registration application with the training certificate and a facility use contract (if the warehouse is leased or a shared office is used) to the competent regional MFDS office. The processing time is 3 days and the fee is 28,000 won.

4. 04

   4. Apply for the liquor import-export license at the tax office — On the liquor sales license application, enter liquor import-export business as the license type and state the warehouse area, then submit it to the tax office having jurisdiction over the place of sale. If you apply without a place of sale, state the reason and submit it to the tax office for your address. Under the official form the processing time is 40 days and the fee is 50,000 won, and you can also apply through Hometax.

5. 05

   5. Management after imports begin — Liquor brought in for sale is reported to the MFDS for each import. Business operators complete 3 hours of hygiene training every year and file a change registration within 30 days when important matters such as the business location change. When moving the place of sale, file a relocation report with the tax office of the new location.

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 one ordinary supplement.

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

Before signing a warehouse lease, check both that the area is at least 22㎡ and that its structure allows imported food to be stored hygienically. Selling or holding liquor without a tax payment certification label can lead to a sales suspension of up to 3 months.