Exchanging a Foreign Driver's License for a Korean One 외국면허 교환발급

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1. 1

   Get an embassy certificate or Apostille for your license

   The other partyBefore you go to the test site

   This paper proves that your foreign license is real. It must be issued within 1 year before your application. It must be in Korean or English.

   • Option A: ask the embassy of your country in Korea, or the Korean embassy in your country, for a certificate in Korean or English
   • Option B: get an Apostille from the competent authority in your country (if your country is in the Apostille Convention), in Korean or English
   • If a copy of the license is attached to the Apostille, both the front and back must be included
   • Some embassies have stopped issuing this certificate (for example the UK, Finland, Netherlands, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, and the Korean embassy in China). If so, bring an Apostille instead
   • Check with your embassy first whether they issue it

   !If the certificate says the license was not verified, KOROAD may ask for more documents or reject your application. For Colombia, you must bring both the Apostille and the General Driver Report.

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2. 2

   Prepare the rest of your documents

   You do thisBefore your visit

   Get your entry and exit record and photos. Check the list of documents below. If your name or birth date is different on any document, bring an embassy certificate or other proof.

   • Certificate of Entry and Exit (출입국사실증명서) from your birth year to today. You can request it from Immigration (HiKorea or an immigration office)
   • 3 color photos taken within 6 months (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm)
   • Original passport that shows your entry and exit
   • Original foreign license and original Alien Registration Card

   Mark this step as doneKOROAD document list ↗
3. 3

   Apply at a Driver's License Test Site

   The agency does thisWeekdays. Apply by 17:00

   Go to any Driver's License Test Site (운전면허시험장) in Korea. Staff check your documents. Then you take the aptitude test (a physical check-up).

   • Apply in person. No one else can apply for you (except holders of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs ID card)
   • Pay for the physical check-up: KRW 7,000 for Class 1 (large or special), KRW 6,000 for others
   • Test sites in Mungyeong, Gangneung, Taebaek, Gwangyang, Chungju and Chuncheon have no on-site check-up. Do it at a nearby hospital first
   • The exchange takes time, so arrive early

   !Staff may ask for extra documents if something is missing or unclear. Bring everything you have.

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4. 4

   Written test (only if your license country is not recognized)

   The agency does thisSame visit, if needed

   A recognized country is one that gives its own license in exchange for a Korean license without a test. If your license is from a recognized country, you skip the written test. If not, you take a 40-question multiple-choice test.

   • Not recognized: aptitude test plus written test (40 questions, multiple choice)
   • The test can be taken in Korean, English, Chinese or Vietnamese
   • In the United States, Oregon and Idaho still need a written test
   • New Zealand: restricted license holders and full license holders under 2 years old need the written test
   • The written test is skipped for some visa holders even if the country is not recognized: A-1, A-2, A-3, D-7, D-8, D-9, E-1, E-3, E-4, E-7, F-4, and their spouse or child under 19 with no spouse

   !Check your country on the official list of recognized countries (KOROAD page, or the 22 Nov 2023 police notice) before you go.

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5. 5

   Receive your Korean license

   The agency does thisAfter you pass

   You get a Korean driver's license. Your foreign license is kept by the test site.

   • Issuance fee: KRW 10,000 (standard) or KRW 15,000 (mobile IC), in English or Korean
   • The kept foreign license is returned only if you leave Korea (show a flight ticket), cancel your Korean license, or ask for it to be sent to an embassy
   • If you do not collect it within 10 years after the exchange, it may be destroyed

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Documents checklist

Tick each document as you get it. Your list is saved on this device.

0 of 8 documents ready

• Original foreign driver's licenseYou
• Original passport showing entry and exit historyYou
• Original Alien Registration Card (or Overseas Korean Resident Card)Immigration Office
• 3 color photos, taken within 6 months (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm)Photo studio
• Embassy certificate or Apostille for the license (issued within 1 year, Korean or English)Embassy, or the competent authority in your country
• Certificate of Entry and Exit (출입국사실증명서), from birth year to todayImmigration Office or HiKorea
• Proof of staying 90 days or more in the license country (only if your nationality differs from the license country)School, employer, or immigration records of that country
• Fees: license KRW 10,000 or KRW 15,000 (mobile IC); physical check-up KRW 6,000 or KRW 7,000Pay at the test site

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