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New Registration

It is important to register your vehicle upon purchase. The car manufacturer, dealer, etc., are required by law to register vehicles at the purchaser’s request. Driving a brand new vehicle without registration can result in a sentence of up to 2 years or a fine of up to 5,000,000 won.

The Information and Administration Office

Each Gu (district) office

Required Documents for the Registration of New or Imported Vehicle

• Certified
  copy of your Alien Registration Card and passport
• Application for registration
• One vehicle certificate (for new vehicle)
• One import declaration document or import certificate (for imported
  vehicle)
• Proof of permission to drive the vehicle temporarily and temporary tag number
  (for those who get permission to drive)
• One ownership certificate (for those who cannot prove ownership with document
  3 or 4)
• Certificate of safety test (for safety tested vehicle)

Required Documents for Re-Registration

• Same documents as above, documents1-7
• One certificate of cancellation
• One certificate of new automobile test

Vehicle Registration Transfer

If you purchase a used vehicle from a car dealer, most of the time the dealer will apply for the registration for you. However, you can do it yourself. If you don’t apply for a registration transfer, then the previous owner can do it. You must register your used vehicle within a specified period of time (15 days for purchase, 20 days for donation, 3 months for inheritance, within 15 days for other situation) or you can be fined up to 500,000 won.

Information and Administration Office

Each district office Cada oficina del distrito

Required Documents for the Registration Transfer of a Used Vehicle

• One used vehicle transfer certificate (for purchase)
• Certificate of the owner’s seal stamp and legal seal from the previous owner. (For purchases only, you should write down that the usage of the certificate is for delivery reasons, and you should provide your name and resident registration number.)
  If you satisfy  one of the conditions described below, you do not need to attach a certificate of the previous owner’s seal stamp them:

※ If an automobile salesperson or an applicant of an automobile auction house sell or help find an automobile
※ If the transferor and the transferee make a direct deal, and the transferor personally confirms at the Gu (District) office whether the car has been transferred.

• One certificate of presentation (for donation)
• One car registration (except when the previous owner applied for it for you)

Cars imported as part of moving cargo

Foreigners entering Korea with the intent to reside for at least a year, or those accompanying a family member and planning a stay for at least 6 months are eligible to bring an automobile as part of their moving shipment.

• Must be recognized by customs as part of the moving cargo
• The vehicle must be a small- to medium–sized vehicle. Small vehicles and sedans are ideal, and trucks, mobile homes and other vehicles exceeding passenger space for ten are prohibited from being imported.
• Vehicles must have been used for at least three months prior to departure date.
• Must be registered under the applicant’s own name. Must provide vehicle registration and insurance documents as proof.
• Taxes and Tariffs: 2,000 cc or more (34.24%), 800 cc – 2,000 cc (26.52%), 800 cc or less (18.8%).

Korea Transportation Safety Authority - vehicle and emission inspection information

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National Institute of Environmental Research - information on gas and noise emissions

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Change of address

A change of address requires an application by you to alter your registration. Those who fail to register their new address within 15 days of their move (starts from the day of the move) will be fined up to 300,000 won. If the registered address of the automobile owner is also the base location for the use of the automobile, a registration of change in the base location of automobile use can be substituted with a report on the change of the owner’s place of residence.

Information and Administration Office

Each district office

Required Documents

• Copy of car registration
• One document (if the car is for business purposes, then you will need a certificate regarding the changes of the business, according to the laws of the Vehicle Transportation Service) to certify the purposes of  your address alteration (contents of changed address).
• Two registration number plates (for changes of the registration number)