Settling in Korea: The First 90 Days

Residence card → bank account → phone → hospital → sending money home → trash, address and utilities → driver's licence → what it all costs. 8 parts, in the order a new arrival needs them.

The first three months in Korea are a chain of paperwork where each step needs the one before it: no residence card, no bank account; no bank account, no phone contract; no phone, no app for anything. This course puts the chain in order with the 2026 rules, fees and deadlines, each with a source, and ends with an honest cost-of-living calculator for Seoul, Busan and the regions.

  1. 1 Korea's Residence Card (ARC) in 2026Stay over 90 days and you must register within 90 days of arrival (₩30,000). Now the Residence Card, with a mobile version since 2025. Deadlines and fines.
  2. 2 Opening a Korean Bank Account as a Foreigner (2026)With a Residence Card any major bank opens an account, but it starts limited (₩1M/day online) until you show a job. Toss takes foreigners; KakaoBank does not. Calculator
  3. 3 Getting a Korean Phone Number as a Foreigner (2026)A Korean number in your name unlocks bank apps and identity checks. Prepaid needs a passport; postpaid a Residence Card; MVNO plans ₩10,000–30,000 a month. Calculator
  4. 4 Going to the Doctor in Korea as a Foreigner (2026)Korea's system starts small: a clinic (의원) costs a few thousand won with NHIS at 30% co-pay; big hospitals charge 60% and need a referral. Costs and English. Calculator
  5. 5 Sending Money Home from Korea (2026)Foreign residents can remit US$50,000 a year with no paperwork, and unlimited Korean income with a payslip. The 2026 $100,000 reform is for Koreans only. Calculator
  6. 6 Trash, Recycling, Your Address and Utilities in Korea (2026)General waste goes only in your district's paid bag (Seoul 20L ₩490), food waste separately, recycling sorted. Fines, road-name addresses, utilities.
  7. 7 Driving in Korea as a Foreigner (2026)An IDP is valid one year from entry. To exchange: 5 countries swap outright, recognised countries skip the written test, others sit a 40-question exam. Calculator
  8. 8 Cost of Living in Korea for a Foreigner (2026)A single foreigner in Seoul spends about ₩1.5M a month before rent; a one-room averages ₩820,000. Busan and regional cities run 20–35% lower on rent. Calculator