Everything you need to settle in Korea
Five things every new arrival has to sort out. Answer a few questions and find out where you stand — free, no sign-up.
Free · about a minute each · no account needed
Open a bank account
Find out whether you can open one today, what to bring, and which branch to visit.
Free checkGet a phone plan
Prepaid or postpaid, what a fair price looks like, and the documents a store will ask for.
Free checkLoans
What Korean banks actually look at, and how to recognise illegal private lending.
Free checkRent a home
How deposits work in Korea, and the two filings that protect yours.
Free checkFind a job
What your visa lets you do, and the permission a student visa needs first.
Free check
What changed in 2026
Rules move fast here. These are the changes that actually affect your first weeks — all reflected in our diagnosis.
Every rule in our engine carries a source and a verification date.
Facial verification at phone activation
From July 6, new SIM sign-ups (big-3 and budget MVNOs) are phasing in face-matching ID checks. Foreigners: max 2 new lines per 180 days.
KakaoBank opening to foreigners
Confirmed on its May earnings call. Until it ships, Toss Bank remains the only internet bank that accepts foreign residents.
Mobile ARC accepted almost everywhere
The mobile Alien Registration Card (모바일 신분증 app) is now legally equal to the plastic card and accepted at most major banks, including Toss.
ARC fee ₩35,000 · issuance 3–6 weeks
New IC-chip cards raised the fee from ₩30,000, and busy offices now take up to 5–6 weeks — plan your first month around it.
Why Welcom Korea?
Free guides tell you what banks are. We tell you what YOU should do — and hand you the tools to do it.
Personal, not generic
A D-2 student without an ARC and an E-7 engineer with one need completely different plans. Our diagnosis is built from your exact situation.
The stuff blogs skip
Transfer-limit accounts (한도계좌), FATCA tax IDs, phone-name matching — the details that actually get people turned away at the counter.
Sources you can check
Built on public policies from banks, NHIS, immigration and the Seoul Global Center. Re-verified July 2026, updated as rules change.
Simple pricing
The diagnosis is free. Pay only when you want your Bank Visit Kit.
Diagnosis
- Eligibility check
- Personalized roadmap
- Recommended banks
- Settlement guides (ARC · Phone · Insurance)
Bank Visit Kit
- Personalized document checklist (PDF)
- Bilingual bank-visit script (EN · 한국어)
- Branch guide & transfer-limit tips
- Sent to your email
- Visa/Master · PayPal (Alipay · WeChat soon)