Living in Korea·5 min read
How to Book a Korean Immigration Office Appointment
Walking into a Korean immigration office without an appointment has become increasingly difficult. Most major immigration offices — particularly in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan — are severely oversubscribed, and walk-ins may wait 3–5 hours or be turned away entirely. Booking an appointment in advance is almost always the faster and less stressful option. This guide explains all the ways to book and how to optimise your chances of getting a timely slot.
Review & source basis
Reviewed against
James Chae, 행정사 (Korean Licensed Administrative Attorney). License No. 220-06-06463 · 대한행정사회 (Korean Administrative Agents Association). Reviewed against the HiKorea 사증·체류업무 자격별 안내 매뉴얼 and cross-checked with Ministry of Justice issuances.
Last reviewed
April 22, 2026
Source references
HiKorea — Korean visa & residency manual
Ministry of Justice Immigration Policy Bureau
Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인정책본부)
Filing caution
Who needs to book — and who doesn't
Appointment booking is required or strongly recommended for most tasks at major immigration offices: visa extensions, status changes, ARC registration, and address changes. However, some tasks do not require an appointment: picking up a completed ARC, submitting simple documents with a quick turnaround, and urgent emergency situations (tell the officer it is urgent when you arrive). In smaller regional offices outside Seoul, walk-ins are often accepted more readily.
How far in advance to book
Popular offices (Seoul Yangcheon-gu, Seoul Mapo, Gyeonggi Suwon, Busan) can be booked out 3–6 weeks in advance, especially for status changes and extensions. Book as early as possible — the system opens slots 4–6 weeks ahead. If your visa expires in less than 6 weeks and all slots are full, visit the office in person, explain the urgency, and ask for an emergency number (긴급번호). Officers have discretion to issue emergency queue numbers for imminent expiry situations.
Step-by-step process
01
Method 1: Book online via HiKorea
Log into hikorea.go.kr → Appointment → Book an Appointment. Select your nearest immigration office. Choose the service type (extension, status change, ARC registration, etc.). Select your preferred date and time from the available slots. Confirm and save your booking confirmation number. You will receive an SMS confirmation to your Korean phone number.
02
Method 2: Book by phone (1345)
Call 1345 (Korea Immigration Service helpline). English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other language support is available. Tell the operator you want to book an appointment (예약 하고 싶습니다). Provide your ARC number, the immigration office, and your preferred service. Note down the appointment confirmation number.
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Method 3: Kiosk booking at the immigration office
If you are already at the office, use the automated kiosk (무인발급기 or 예약 키오스크) near the entrance. Select your service type and insert your ARC. Same-day numbers are sometimes available early in the morning — arrive before 8:30am if you want to try this.
04
Prepare documents before your appointment
Use the time before your appointment to prepare all required documents. Immigration offices expect you to arrive with everything ready — officers will not hold your number if you need to go away and return with missing documents. Check the requirements on the HiKorea notice page or the 1345 helpline for your specific visa type and transaction.
Tips from 행정사s
Book for the earliest available date — if your plans change, cancelling is easy via HiKorea. Not booking and then scrambling is far more stressful.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings tend to have better availability than Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.
Some tasks — like reporting an address change or submitting additional documents for a pending application — can be done via HiKorea without an appointment at all.
The immigration office map on HiKorea shows all offices and their addresses. Choose the office for your area of residence — some transactions must be at your jurisdictional office.
For urgent cases: the 1345 helpline can sometimes arrange priority same-day appointments for imminent expiry situations — call early in the morning.
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Frequently asked questions
What if I miss my appointment?
Missing your appointment without cancelling forfeits the slot. You can usually cancel via HiKorea up to a few hours before the appointment. If you miss it, rebook immediately — availability for cancelled slots sometimes opens up on short notice.
Can someone else attend my immigration appointment on my behalf?
For most personal immigration matters (ARC issuance, status changes, extensions), you must attend in person. Representatives can submit documents in some limited cases (e.g., a company HR representative may submit employer documents), but the foreign national must generally be present for identity verification.
