Opening a bank account

Right now

1. 1Call first. Woori Bank's foreigner call center is 1599-2288, weekdays 09:00 to 18:00 (press 1 for English, 8 for Japanese). KB Kookmin's Global Customer Center is 1599-4477.
2. 2Bring your passport, your Alien Registration Card and a Korean phone number in your own name. Woori's English page accepts a passport or an ARC as ID, but confirm your own case on the call.
3. 3Ask for a debit card and online banking in the same visit.

What to have ready

• Passport: The original, not a copy.
• Alien Registration Card: A mobile one counts at six banks, see step 3.
• A Korean phone number: In your own name. LG U+ says its tourist SIM does not support banking identity checks, see the phone guide.
• Proof of residence: A lease, a dorm confirmation letter, or similar. Some branches ask for it.
• A certificate of employment or enrollment: Only if the branch asks for one.

Phrases you can copy and paste

Step by step

1. 1

   Call the foreigner line before you go

   Where:

   Woori 1599-2288, KB Kookmin Global Customer Center 1599-4477

   Woori Bank runs a dedicated foreigner call center on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00. After you dial, you pick a language by key: 1 for English, 2 for Chinese, 3 for Vietnamese, 8 for Japanese, and more. KB Kookmin's Global Customer Center is 1599-4477 in Korea and +82-2-6300-9999 from abroad. Ask which documents your branch wants for your situation. What foreigners need can differ by bank and even by branch, so also ask the branch you will actually walk into.

2. 2

   Gather your documents

   Woori's English page says a passport or an Alien Registration Card is accepted as ID. In practice, bring both, plus a Korean phone number in your own name and proof of where you live. Some branches also ask for a certificate of employment or enrollment.

3. 3

   Choose your bank first if you use a mobile ARC

   From 21 March 2025 a mobile Alien Registration Card is accepted for account opening at six banks: Shinhan, Hana, iM Bank, Busan Bank, Jeonbuk Bank and Jeju Bank. The Financial Services Commission listed all six for opening at a branch and only Jeonbuk for opening without one. It said it would extend the card to other banks, so check the current list before you rely on this. To qualify you must be 14 or older, registered as a foreigner, and own a smartphone in your own name.

4. 4

   Explain what the account is for

   Where:

   The bank counter

   Banks may ask why you are opening the account, because of anti-money-laundering rules. A simple answer like salary, living expenses or tuition is enough.

5. 5

   Apply for a debit card and online banking at the same time

   Coming back later for these usually means another visit. Doing it all at once is easier. Woori's flow ends with you receiving a passbook and a security card, so ask what else the branch hands over that day.

6. 6

   If the weekday is the problem, ask about Sunday branches

   KB Kookmin says it operates eight branches on Sundays for foreign workers and customers, with multilingual staff. Its foreign-customer page lists eight remittance centers, including one at Ojang-dong in Seoul. Call to confirm which ones open on Sunday, and whether that branch opens accounts, before you travel there.

Watch it happen

Videos other people made, picked because they show a part of this guide that words cannot. They are not our sources: the rules and figures above come from the official pages listed at the end.

• 

  모바일 외국인등록증으로 계좌개설 가능! [금융프렌즈]

  Channel: 금융위원회, Korean, with Korean subtitles only

  From the Financial Services Commission, the body that sets the rule. It covers opening an account with the mobile residence card, which removes a trip that used to be unavoidable.

  Open on YouTube

• 

  외국인 유학생들의 수다 #1(은행 계좌 개설 어렵지 않아요) [chatter of foreign students (open bank accounts)]

  Channel: 인천 연수구 · 연수TV, Korean, with auto-generated English subtitles

  Foreign students describe their own trips to the counter, which is the closest thing here to hearing what the teller will ask you.

  Open on YouTube

The Korean words

계좌개설gyejwa-gaeseol, account opening

The words on the counter sign and the app button.

체크카드chekeu-kadeu, debit card

A card that takes money straight from your account.

인터넷뱅킹inteonet-baeng-king, online banking

Banking on the web or in the app, set up separately from the account.

비대면 계좌개설bidaemyeon gyejwa-gaeseol, non-face-to-face account opening

Opening an account through an app instead of visiting a branch. Not every bank offers this to every foreigner.

모바일 외국인등록증mobail oegugin-deungnok-jeung, mobile Alien Registration Card

A digital version of the ARC that can be submitted through a smartphone app.

재직증명서jaejik-jeungmyeongseo, certificate of employment

Proof that you work somewhere. Often asked for when opening an account or handling visa paperwork.

Easy to miss

• ·A mobile ARC is issued from a card you already have, by tagging an IC card or scanning a QR code. It is not a way to open an account before your ARC exists.
• ·Only six banks accepted the mobile card at launch, and only Jeonbuk let you finish without a branch visit. Do not plan a whole-app account opening around a bank that is not on that list.
• ·Requirements differ by bank, and even by branch within the same bank. Ask the branch you will actually visit, not just the bank's main line.
• ·A bank's identity check runs through a Korean phone number, and LG U+ says its tourist SIM does not support identity verification for banking. Get a plan in your own name first.

You can skip this if

• If your company or school already told you which bank to use for your salary or dorm fees, follow that guidance first.

Where this comes from

• Press release on the mobile foreigner residence card for banking, Financial Services Commission (English)
• Press release on the mobile foreigner residence card, Financial Services Commission (which bank offers face-to-face and which non-face-to-face)
• Banking guide for foreign customers, Woori Bank (accepted ID, foreigner call center and its language keys)
• KB branches for foreign customers, KB Kookmin Bank (Global Customer Center, Sunday branches)
• How to get a mobile Alien Registration Card, Mobile ID (Ministry of the Interior and Safety)
• Financial Services Commission, on non-face-to-face account opening for foreigners
• HiKorea, Korea Immigration Service