Korea Customs Service

Moving to Korea

Customs Clearance for Moving Household Effects to Korea [for foreigners]

• Customs clearance for moving household effects to Korea is a procedure in which a person who enters the country for the purpose of relocating his or her residence to Korea reports the details of the goods to Customs and pays or is exempted from duties, if applicable, in accordance with the Customs Act.

Confirmation of the requirements and period of residence for the person

• Person who moves to Korea: A foreigner or overseas Koreans who intends to live in Korea for at least one year (6 months if accompanied by family members)
• Duration of residence: For foreigners, the period identified by the alien registration card issued by the immigration officer (VISA before the issuance of the card) or domestic employment contracts. For overseas permanent residents, the period is to be confirmed by employment contracts upon entering the country for employment or passport validity certificates issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade upon permanent return to Korea, etc.
• Short-term residents: Foreigners who wish to live in Korea for at least 3 months to less than 6 months (including overseas permanent residents)

Carry-in period for the unaccompanied household effects

• These items should be arrived in Korea within 6 months (referring to the date of entry of the ship or aircraft loading the goods) from the date of arrival of the person who moves to Korea. Provided, that the articles of the overseas Korean who renounces his/her permanent resident status after arrival, naturalized citizen, or people restored Korean nationality shall arrive in Korea within 6 months from any of the following dates:
  1. Person who renounces his/her overseas permanent resident status after arrival: date of renunciation of permanent resident status
  2. Naturalized citizen: Date of cancellation of foreign nationality or acquisition of Korean nationality
  3. Person who restored citizenship: Date of Korean nationality restoration or loss of foreign nationality

Goods subject to tax exemption

• Among the moving goods, goods used overseas for more than three months are subject to duty exemption unless they are subject to mandatory taxation
• For short-term residents, goods used for more than three months and generally recognized as personal effects in consideration of the reason for relocating his/her residence, occupation, his/her residential period, residence in Korea and other circumstances, are exempt from duties (excluding automobiles).

Goods subject to mandatory taxation

• Motor vehicles (excluding vehicles exported from Korea)
• Jewelry, pearls, tortoiseshell, corals, pumpkins, ivory, and goods made thereof with taxable prices of KRW 5 million or more per unit
• Goods used less than three months as household effects before entry
• Good beyond the scope of tax exemption shown at the table below

Customs clearance for importing vehicles to Korea

• Passenger cars or motorcycles
• Registered overseas under the name of the person who are moving to Korea or accompanying family members more than three months before entry
• 1 vehicle per household
• Duty exemption: vehicles exported from Korea (vehicle registration plate usually starting with letter "K")
• Dutiable value: (multiply the new vehicle’s value posted on Blue Book by the residual value percentage rate) + freight cost + insurance premium
• Estimated duties
  • Engine Capacity of 1,000CC or less: About 19% of the dutiable value
  • Engine Capacity of more than 1,000CC: About 24% of the dutiable value

Procedures after Customs clearance of the vehicle

• Initial Inspection → Self-Certification → Environment Certification → Vehicle Registration
  • ※ Exclude or omit Self Environment Certification for vehicles cleared as moving goods
  • Initial inspection and Self-Certification: Korea Transportation Safety Authority (☏1577-0990 / www.kotsa.or.kr)
  • Environment Certification: Environmental Certification Inspection Agency of Korea Environment Corporation (☏032-590-4000 / www.keco.or.kr)

Precautions for import declaration

• Moving-Goods Declaration shall be lodged in the name of the person who moves to Korea, and it is necessary to submit descriptions of declared items, packing list, bill of lading, alien registration card, VISA, domestic employment certificate, passport validity check, and documents related to automobiles, if any.

Attached are Moving-Goods Declaration Form (English) and Power of Attorney Form for customs clearance (English)

Contact information

• The website of the Korea Customs Service (https://www.customs.go.kr)
• Customer Support Center of Korea Customs Service (☏82-2-3438-5199)
• Customs offices
  • Seoul Customs, Household Goods Clearance Section (☏02-510-1189)
  • Incheon Port, Import Facilitation Section 3 (☏032-452-3271)
  • Daejeon Customs, Clearance Facilitation Section (☏042-717-2233)
  • Yongdang Customs, Clearance Facilitation Section (☏051-793-7132)