What you pay at the counter for a new Korean passport is not a single charge. There is the fee in the annex to the Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act, and separately the international exchange contribution under the Enforcement Decree of the Korea Foundation Act; the two together are what you actually pay. Validity is 10 years as a rule, 5 years for those under 18, and it shrinks to as little as 2 years if you keep losing passports. This follows the two annexes and the Passport Act as written.
1. A 10-year multiple-entry passport costs 40,000 won for 58 pages or 37,000 won for 26. Adults aged 18 or over also pay a 12,000 won contribution.
2. Under 18 means a 5-year passport — 35,000 won for 58 pages, 32,000 won for 26. From age 8 a 9,000 won contribution is added.
3. Losing passports shortens validity. Two losses in the 5 years before applying for reissue gives 5 years; three or more, or two within 1 year, gives 2 years (Decree art. 6(2) item 6).
The fee — annex to the Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act
| Type | Validity | Fee (in Korea) |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple-entry | Over 5 and up to 10 years | 26 pages 37,000 won · 58 pages 40,000 won |
| Multiple-entry | 5 years | 26 pages 32,000 won · 58 pages 35,000 won |
| Multiple-entry | Under 5 years | 17,000 won |
| Single-entry | Up to 1 year | 17,000 won |
| Emergency passport (non-electronic) | Up to 1 year | 50,000 won |
| Passport for the remaining validity | To the old passport’s expiry date | 27,000 won |
| Travel certificate | — | 25,000 won |
| Change of particulars | — | 5,000 won |
| Certificate of passport facts | — | 1,000 won |
The annex was amended on 10 February 2026. At an overseas mission the same figures are in US dollars (40 dollars in place of 40,000 won). An emergency passport costs 17,000 won where the Minister of Foreign Affairs accepts a humanitarian reason such as the death or serious illness or injury of a relative (note 4). The certificate of passport facts is free through an unmanned civil-service kiosk or the integrated online civil-service window (note 5).
The separate charge — the international exchange contribution
Table 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Korea Foundation Act lists two groups from whom the Foundation may collect the contribution.
- Applicants for a multiple-entry passport valid for 10 years (aged 18 or over only) — 12,000 won
- Applicants for a multiple-entry passport valid for 5 years (aged 8 or over only) — 9,000 won
So how much at the counter — our sums
| Who and what | Fee + contribution | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 18 or over · 10 years · 58 pages | 40,000 + 12,000 | 52,000 won |
| 18 or over · 10 years · 26 pages | 37,000 + 12,000 | 49,000 won |
| 8 to under 18 · 5 years · 58 pages | 35,000 + 9,000 | 44,000 won |
| 8 to under 18 · 5 years · 26 pages | 32,000 + 9,000 | 41,000 won |
| Under 8 · 5 years · 58 pages | 35,000 + 0 | 35,000 won |
| Under 8 · 5 years · 26 pages | 32,000 + 0 | 32,000 won |
The totals are our addition of the two tables. The “0” for under 8 is our reading of the words “aged 8 or over only” in the contribution table. We did not check that the amount quoted at the counter equals these totals, so look at the office’s own notice before applying. The page-count difference is 3,000 won.
Validity — Decree art. 6
| Who | Validity | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| General rule | 10 years | Art. 6(1) |
| Under 18 | 5 years | Art. 6(2) item 1 |
| 2 losses in the 5 years before applying for reissue | 5 years | Art. 6(2) item 6(a) |
| 3 or more losses in those 5 years | 2 years | Item 6(b) |
| 2 losses in the 1 year before applying | 2 years | Item 6(c) |
Article 5 of the Act says “up to 10 years” for an ordinary passport and leaves the figure to the Decree. Article 6(2) is worded as “may issue”, so the Minister has discretion. A loss caused by force majeure such as a natural disaster is not counted (proviso to item 6). Where someone who has lost a passport twice or more within 5 years applies for reissue on the same ground, the circumstances of the loss may be checked through the relevant bodies before issue, within 30 days of the application (Act art. 11(2)).
Reissue and “remaining validity” — Act art. 11
Reissue may be requested in three cases: the information recorded in the passport needs correcting or changing, the passport has been lost, or it has been damaged.
In that case you may choose a passport valid only to the old passport’s expiry date instead of a new 10-year one (Decree art. 6(3) item 1). That is the “passport for the remaining validity” in the annex, at 27,000 won. The same option exists when you apply because no blank visa pages are left (item 2).
On that arithmetic the 27,000 won option suits a name correction or damage with years still to run, and a new 10-year passport suits one near expiry (our view). The contribution table names only multiple-entry passports “valid for 10 years” and “valid for 5 years”, which reads as not applying here, but we do not state that as settled.
When a passport loses effect — Act art. 13
- When its validity ends
- When it is not collected within 6 months of issue
- When it is lost and the loss is reported
- For a passport handed in with a new application, when the new one is issued
- When it is altered, or transferred or lent to another person and used
Reporting a loss ends the passport’s effect, and the article gives no way to revive it. What happens if it turns up after the report was not checked, so looking once more before reporting is the safer course (our view).
Applying — Act art. 9, Decree art. 38
- The application must be made in person; an agent may apply for people specified by ministerial ordinance (Act art. 9(3)).
- A person under 18 applies with the consent of a legal representative (art. 9(4)).
- The fee is paid in cash, by proof of cash payment or by credit card and similar means (Decree art. 38(1)).
- The fee is not refunded, except where issue is refused or restricted or the fee was plainly paid in error (art. 38(3)).
- The fee may be waived for someone replacing a passport lost or damaged in a natural disaster, or where the passport was wrongly issued through no fault of the applicant (art. 38(2)).
Checklist
- ☐ The expiry date of your current passport — and the remaining validity your destination requires
- ☐ 58 pages or 26 (a 3,000 won difference)
- ☐ Under 18: a 5-year passport and a legal representative’s consent
- ☐ On reissue: remaining validity only, or a new 10 years
- ☐ Collect it within 6 months of issue
Questions that remain
Does a passport need 6 months left on it?
Neither the Passport Act nor its Decree says so. How much remaining validity is required on entry is decided by the country you are travelling to, so check that country’s entry requirements.
How long does issue take?
The provisions read here give no processing time; ask the receiving office. The only period in the text is the “within 30 days” for checking the circumstances of repeated losses.
Can a child have a 10-year passport?
Decree art. 6(2) item 1 provides for a 5-year passport for those under 18, and the contribution for a 10-year passport is stated as applying to “persons aged 18 or over only”.
Worth reading before a trip — the gap you pay when changing money is in exchange-rate spreads, tax on the way back in customs duty on overseas purchases, and packing in the travel packing guide.
Sources
- Passport Act [in force 28 August 2026] — original text (checked 8 October 2026). Article 5 (up to 10 years), article 9 (in person; under 18), article 11 (grounds for reissue; 30 days) and article 13 (loss of effect; 6 months).
- Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act [in force 1 March 2026] — original text. Article 6 (10 years, 5 years, 2 years, remaining validity), article 38 (payment, waiver, no refund), article 39 and the annex of fees (amended 10 February 2026).
- Enforcement Decree of the Korea Foundation Act [in force 2 January 2026] — original text. Article 5 and Table 1, persons and amounts for collection (12,000 won and 9,000 won; amended 4 June 2024).
- Not read. The ministerial ordinance (who may apply through an agent, photo specifications, application documents), processing times, the online application procedure, and how a loss is reported.
- Our sums and reading. The six fee-plus-contribution totals, the zero contribution under 8, and the basis for choosing “remaining validity”.
Where to check further
- The passport counter at a city, county or district office — the amount actually charged and the processing time.
- The entry requirements of your destination — remaining validity and visas.
Written on 8 October 2026. The amounts and periods follow the annexes and provisions at the Korea Law Information Center; the totals and commentary are ours.
