Applying by proxy in Korea is possible for some immigration matters, but it is an exception rather than the normal route. The official guidance states that all applications must, by default, be made personally. Only certain people, in certain situations, may send someone else to file or collect an application in their place.
This guide explains who may act as your agent, which applications and receipts can be handled this way, and what your agent must bring. It also covers how eligible agents change with your status of stay, and when a proxy can be restricted.
At a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Default rule | All applications must, by default, be made personally |
| Who may use a proxy | People under 17 years of age, or people unable to apply personally due to illness or family or business related issues |
| Who may be the agent | People who meet the requirements in the Ministry of Justice’s Bulletin; the eligible agent depends on your status of stay |
| Core documents | A written power of attorney, identification for the agent, and a document that verifies the agent’s relationship with you |
| Collecting a result or card | The agent brings ID cards and the application reference certificate |
| When a proxy is restricted | When it is deemed necessary to make personal inquiries to you about your reasons for applying or your conditions of stay |
| Cost | The fee depends on your case, so check the current amount on the official page before you go |
Applying by Proxy in Korea: The Basic Rule
The starting point is simple. All applications must, by default, be made personally, which means the person who needs the permission is expected to go to the office and file it. Applying by proxy in Korea is an exception that applies only to specific situations.
The guidance allows an agent with a proxy request form to submit an application on your behalf in a limited set of cases.
- You are under 17 years of age.
- You cannot apply personally because of illness.
- You cannot apply personally because of family related issues.
- You cannot apply personally because of business related issues.
Being eligible to use a proxy is only half of the question. The person acting for you must also qualify as an agent under the Ministry of Justice’s Bulletin called "Policies on applications and proxy submissions of permission for engagement in activities beyond current visa status and others".
⚠️ Two tests must both be met: your situation must allow a proxy, and your chosen agent must be an eligible agent for your status of stay.
Which Applications a Proxy Can Submit or Collect
Not every immigration matter can be handled by someone else. The guidance names the applications and receipts that may be made by proxy, and they cover most of the everyday permissions that foreign residents need.
| Area | Applications and receipts that may be made by proxy |
|---|---|
| Work and activity | Permission for engagement in the activities beyond the current visa status; change of place of employment and additional permission; reporting employment of foreigners |
| Status of stay | Granting visa status; permission for change of status; permission for extension of stay |
| Travel and visa documents | Reentry permit; issuance of a certificate for Recognition of Visa Issuance |
| Registration | Foreigner registration; reporting change of foreigner registration details; receipt of foreigner registration card |
Both sides of the process appear on this list. An agent may file the application, and an agent may also carry out the receipt, for example collecting a foreigner registration card for you. If the matter you need is not listed above, treat personal attendance as the safe assumption and confirm your own case on the official page.
What Your Proxy Needs to Prepare
The documents fall into two groups: what the agent submits when applying, and what the agent brings when receiving a result. Prepare them before the visit, because an agent who is missing identification or proof of relationship cannot complete the task for you.
Documents to submit when applying
- A written power of attorney.
- Identification for the agent: a national identification card, driver’s license, passport, foreigner registration card, or other such form of identification.
- A document that verifies your relationship with the agent, such as a family register, resident registration, or a certificate of incumbency.
When the power of attorney may be omitted
Submission of the written power of attorney may be omitted in special circumstances. The guidance gives the following examples, and adds that other similar circumstances may apply.
- You are under 17 years of age.
- The proxy application was made by a family member.
- The proxy application was made by the head of an association or company.
- You are absent from Korea.
⚠️ The omission concerns the written power of attorney only. Still have the agent’s identification and the proof of your relationship ready, and confirm your own case on the official page.
Applying by Proxy in Korea by Visa Status
Who may act as your agent depends on your status of stay. The official guidance sets out a separate list for each status category, and the pattern is consistent: the people closest to your reason for being in Korea may act for you, such as your employer, your school, the organization that invited you, or your family.
| Your status of stay | Those eligible to act as an agent |
|---|---|
| Diplomacy (A-1) | Members of diplomatic missions or employees of the consul; your direct family members |
| Official Business (A-2), Conventions/Agreements (A-3) | Employees of the foreign government’s or international organization’s Korea based association (A-2), or of the involved association or organization (A-3); your direct family members |
| Temporary Journalism (C-1), Journalism (D-5) | Employees of local press bodies or of the local branch of foreign press bodies; employees of the local organization selected to carry out the duties of the foreign press body you belong to |
| Temporary Business (C-2) | Employees of a local branch office, subsidiary or supervising office of a foreign company; employees of a local organization in a transactional relationship with your organization |
| Temporary Visiting (C-3) | Employees of local organizations or branches related to your local activities; relatives residing locally, only when your purpose of entry is tourism, transit, recreational or visitation, under Civil Law Article 777 |
| Short-term Employment (C-4) and the E-1 to E-10 work statuses | Employees of a local organization in contract with your organization; employees of the organization you have been hired to work for; the employer who hired you; employees of training recommendation organizations |
| Cultural Arts (D-1) | Employees of organizations you have or will perform for; the professional who has or will instruct you; locally residing relatives; a personal reference, if one is available |
| Study Abroad (D-2) | Employees of the organization you have or will be educated from; the party or employees of the organization that paid your expenses |
| Industrial Training (D-3), General Training (D-4) | Employees of the organization that has or will train you; employees of the organization that recommended the training (D-3); those paying your training costs and living expenses (D-4) |
| Religious Affairs (D-6) | Employees of local branches of the foreign religious organization or social welfare group you belong to; employees of the local religious organization or social welfare group that invited you |
| Supervisory Intra-Company Transfer (D-7), Treaty Investment (D-8) | Employees of the local branch of the foreign organization you belong to (D-7), or of the foreign investment corporation you are or will be employed for (D-8); a person carrying out the establishment procedures in proxy |
| Treaty Trade (D-9) | Employees of the organization you manage, or of which you are an essential employee; employees of an organization you wish to work for to supervise or manage industrial setup and production |
| Family Visitation (F-1), Residency (F-2), Dependant Family (F-3) | Those willing to take care of you locally; those willing to invite you |
| Others (G-1) | The party who has invited or will invite you; the party medically treating you; a legal representative where persons are involved in legal suits; a guarantor where such a guarantor exists |
| Working Holiday (H-1) | Employees of the organization that has hired you; the person who has hired you |
Read your own row before you ask anyone to go for you. The lists are set per status, so the eligible agent for a student is not the same as the eligible agent for a worker or for a family visitor.
Step by Step: Filing and Collecting Through an Agent
The process follows the same shape as a personal application, with two extra checks: proving that you may use a proxy, and proving that your agent is an eligible agent.
- Confirm that your application is one of the matters that may be made by proxy.
- Confirm that your situation fits the exception, that is, you are under 17 or you are unable to apply personally due to illness or family or business related issues.
- Choose an agent from the list of those eligible to act for your own status of stay.
- Prepare the written power of attorney, unless your case is one where it may be omitted.
- Give your agent their identification and the document that verifies your relationship, such as a family register, resident registration, or certificate of incumbency.
- Have the agent submit the application with those documents, and keep the application reference certificate safe.
- When the result is ready, the agent brings ID cards and the application reference certificate to receive it.
When You Must Appear Yourself and Common Mistakes
A proxy can be restricted even when the application type allows one. Should it be deemed necessary to make personal inquiries to you, such as the reasons for applying or the status of your conditions of stay, proxy applications may be restricted. In those cases you must personally make the application.
There is also a serious consequence for dishonesty. Should the proxy make applications through false or other such unlawful means, the permissions may be cancelled or altered. More widely, a status of stay may be changed or cancelled where it was gained through false or wrongful means, where the conditions of the status have been breached, where a personal reference was withdrawn and no replacement was available, where the status can no longer be maintained through unavoidable circumstances, where there has been a great breach of the Immigration Act or other Acts, or where a person has directly disobeyed reasonable orders from an immigration officer.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a proxy is allowed for convenience, when the exception covers being under 17 or being unable to apply personally due to illness or family or business related issues.
- Sending a person who is not an eligible agent for your status of stay, or copying the agent list of a similar visa status instead of reading your own row.
- Leaving out the document that verifies your relationship with the agent.
- Assuming the power of attorney is never needed, when omission applies only in special circumstances.
- Sending an agent to collect a result without the application reference certificate.
- Letting an agent give information that is not accurate, which can lead to permissions being cancelled or altered.
Requirements can depend on your status of stay and on the office that handles your case, so the right person for your neighbour’s application may be the wrong person for yours. Check the current requirements on the official page before the visit, and ask the 1345 Immigration Contact Center if you are unsure.
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer apply for my visa extension for me?
For the work statuses from E-1 to E-10 and Short-term Employment (C-4), the eligible agents include employees of the local organization you have been hired to work for and the employer who hired you. Permission for extension of stay is also on the list of applications that may be made by proxy. Your situation must still fit the exception, and the office may require you to apply personally if it needs to ask you questions directly.
Do I always need a written power of attorney?
Not in every case. Submission of the written power of attorney may be omitted in special circumstances, such as when you are under 17 years of age, when the proxy application is made by a family member or by the head of an association or company, or when you are absent from Korea. In all other cases, prepare it.
Can a friend apply for me?
Only a person who meets the requirements in the Ministry of Justice’s Bulletin and who falls within the agent categories for your status of stay may act for you. Those categories centre on family members, employers, schools, inviting organizations, guarantors and similar parties, so check the list for your own status first.
Can someone collect my foreigner registration card for me?
Receipt of a foreigner registration card is one of the receipts that may be made by proxy. The agent needs ID cards and the application reference certificate at the receipt stage, and must still be a person eligible to act for your status of stay.
What happens if my proxy submits false information?
If the proxy makes applications through false or other such unlawful means, the permissions may be cancelled or altered. Separately, a status of stay may be changed or cancelled where it was gained through false or other wrongful means. Check every document before your agent submits it.
Before you send anyone to the office, check three things: that your application is one that may be made by proxy, that your situation fits the exception, and that your chosen agent appears in the list for your own status of stay. Then prepare the power of attorney, the agent’s identification and the proof of your relationship, and keep the application reference certificate for the receipt. Rules on applying by proxy in Korea can change, so confirm the current requirements on the official page or with the 1345 Immigration Contact Center before you go.
Last checked: October 23, 2026. Rules, fees and required documents in Korea change often, and some depend on your visa type and district office. Always confirm the current details on the official pages below before you go.