A Korean residence registration copy follows you everywhere — lease contracts, benefit applications, HR paperwork. And most people believe “only you can request it.” That is not what the statute says. The fees are written directly into the ministerial rule too.
1. Who can request it. Not “only you.” The text says “the person or a member of the household” and allows delegation (Art. 29(2)). A household head's spouse and lineal relatives, and their spouses' lineal relatives, may also apply.
2. What does it cost. The fees sit in the ministerial rule itself — KRW 400 per copy, KRW 300 to inspect. Electronic issue via Government24 is free and a kiosk is half price (Enf. Rule art. 17(4)).
3. What to watch. Electronic and kiosk issue are limited to the person and household members (same article, (3)) — which means anything done on someone else's behalf has to go over the counter.
Can only I request it
Article 29(2) An application to inspect a resident registration record or to be issued a copy may be made by the person or a member of the household. Provided, that this shall not apply where there is a delegation by the person or a household member, or in any of the following cases:
1. Where the State or a local government requires it for official duties
2. Where it is required for litigation, non-contentious cases or auction purposes under relevant statutes
3. Where another statute provides a basis for requesting resident registration data
4. Where another statute obliges a person other than the individual or a household member to submit a copy
5. Where an application is made by any of the following:
(a) the household head’s spouse (b) the household head’s lineal blood relative (c) the lineal blood relative of the household head’s spouse
(d) the spouse of the household head’s lineal blood relative (e) a household member’s spouse (abstract only) (f) a household member’s lineal blood relative (abstract only)
6. Where a person with a legitimate interest prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as a creditor-debtor relationship, applies (abstract only)
7. Other cases prescribed by Presidential Decree as necessary in the public interest
| Who | Allowed? | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| The person | Yes | Full copy and abstract |
| A household member | Yes | Full copy and abstract |
| Someone holding a delegation | Yes — “where there is a delegation” | Full copy and abstract |
| Household head’s spouse and lineal relatives, spouse’s lineal relatives, lineal relatives’ spouses | Yes (item 5(a)–(d)) | Full copy and abstract |
| A household member’s spouse or lineal relative | Yes (item 5(e), (f)) | Abstract only |
| Person with a legitimate interest (creditor etc.) | Yes (item 6) | Abstract only |
Our own article said “no proxy issue — only the person” and that does not match the text. The provision opens with “the person or a member of the household” and its proviso spells out “where there is a delegation.” Corrected in this rewrite.
There is a place where “only you” is right — paragraph (3) limits electronic issue and self-service kiosks to “the applicant’s own or a household member’s” record. Online is narrow; the counter is wide.
Item 5 reaches further than people expect — it includes the parents-in-law of the household head and the spouses of the head’s children.
But items 5(e), (f) and 6 are “abstract only” — the full copy, which shows the whole household, is opened more narrowly.
Counter, online or kiosk — what changes
Article 29(3) Inspection and issue under paragraph (1) shall be carried out using the resident registration information system. Provided, that where an electronic document or a self-service kiosk is used, this shall be limited to the issue of the applicant’s own or a household member’s copy. <amended 11 Jan 2022>
Article 29(5) Where an application is received from a person who is not the individual or a household member and the head of the issuing body judges that issue may infringe an individual’s privacy or be contrary to the public interest, the body may refuse to issue it. In such cases the reason shall be given to the applicant in writing.
| Route | Whose record | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic (online) | Yours or your household’s only | Free |
| Self-service kiosk | Yours or your household’s only | Half the fee |
| Counter (district or town office) | The full range in Article 29(2) | KRW 400 per copy / 500 for another person’s |
Paragraph (5) is the safeguard — an application from someone outside the household can be refused where privacy or the public interest is at stake, with written reasons. Meeting a listed condition does not guarantee issue.
What does it cost
Enforcement Rule Article 17(4) The fees under Article 29(1) … are as follows. Provided, that where a record is inspected or a copy issued as an electronic document it shall be free of charge, and where a copy is issued through a self-service kiosk the fee shall be one half of that amount.
1. Inspection of a resident registration record or move-in confirmation: KRW 300 per view
2. Issue of a copy or abstract or a move-in confirmation: KRW 400 per document. Provided, that issue of another person’s copy or abstract under Article 29(2)2 and 6 … shall be KRW 500.
- Our article said kiosk fees “vary by machine and municipality” — the rule fixes them at “one half.” Corrected here.
- Inspection (300) and issue (400) are separate items — looking at a screen versus receiving a document.
- Another person’s record costs 500 (proviso to item 2) — the litigation or auction (item 2) and legitimate interest (item 6) cases.
- Rule Article 18 lists fourteen grounds for exemption — including basic livelihood recipients and registered independence and national merit holders and their surviving families — and its last item leaves room for exemption by municipal ordinance.
- Re-opened in the version in force (23 September 2026). The Enforcement Rule first opened here was a version marked “[in force 29 October 2026]”; the current version is [in force 28 April 2026], MOIS Ordinance No. 621, and article 17(4) (last amended 20 December 2024) and the ₩300/400/500 figures read the same.
Full copy or abstract — which do I need
The statute usually writes “copy or abstract” as one phrase, and splits them only at a few points, with “abstract only.” Those points tell you the difference.
- A household member’s spouse or lineal relative (Art. 29(2)5(e), (f)) → abstract only
- A person with a legitimate interest such as a creditor (same para., 6) → abstract only
- The domestic-violence protection provisions treat item 6 separately in paragraph (8)
In other words, the full copy shows the whole household and is opened more narrowly; the abstract is person-centred and slightly wider. That said, the contents cannot be checked against the text at all — looking on 18 September 2026, no provision in the Decree or the Rule «lists» what is recorded. That job belongs to the forms.
Enforcement Rule art. 15(1) — the full copy under Decree art. 47(10) and (11) follows form 18, and the abstract follows form 19. Provided that, where a copy is issued in a foreign script, the form and the items recorded shall be determined by the Minister of the Interior and Safety.
The only place the text says “items recorded” is that proviso, and only for foreign-script copies. For Korean copies the rule names a form number and stops — so “what appears on a full copy” cannot be transcribed from a provision. You read the form, or an actual issued copy.
That is an answer too. “We have not looked yet” and “we looked and there is no such provision” are different things — the first is homework, the second is structure.
| Where the statute says “abstract only” | Basis | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Application by a household member’s spouse or lineal relative | Art. 29(2)5(e), (f) | The full copy exposes the whole household, so it is opened more narrowly |
| Person with a legitimate interest (creditor etc.) | Same para., 6 | |
| Item 6 within the domestic-violence protections | Same art., (8) |
Can I stop someone else requesting mine
Article 29 carries its own protective procedure in paragraphs (6) to (9).
Article 29(6) A victim under the Act on Special Cases concerning the Punishment of Crimes of Domestic Violence may, where the perpetrator’s registered address differs from their own, designate a person from among those falling under paragraph (2)5 and apply to have inspection or issue of the records of themselves, their household members and their lineal ascendants and descendants restricted … <inserted 1 Apr 2009, 20 Jul 2021>
Paragraphs (7) and (8) require the body to impose that restriction and give written reasons, and paragraph (8) permits restricting even an abstract otherwise available under paragraph (2)6. The procedure is in Decree art. 47-2 (checked 28 September 2026): a domestic violence victim applies to the mayor, county head or district head on the form set by Ministry of the Interior rule (1). Paragraph (2) sets the two cases in which the restriction may be lifted after the applicant’s death (an application by a household member with the consent of all co-resident relatives, or a statutory duty to submit the document). If this applies to you, ask your local community service centre directly.
Who counts as a “legitimate interest” — Table 2
Item 6 (a legitimate interest such as a creditor-debtor relationship) in the table above is left by the Act to Presidential Decree. Opened on 18 September 2026: Decree art. 47(4) and Table 2 (amended 21 November 2023).
| Item | Who | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | An administrator of an absentee's property under Civil Act art. 22, or an interested party | — |
| 2 | A party to the creation, alteration or extinction of a right in real property or its equivalent | — |
| 3 | Financial institutions recovering overdue debt (banks, insurers, card companies, savings banks, credit unions, debt-collection agencies — listed exhaustively) | Debt over KRW 500,000 (telecoms: over 30,000) |
| 4 | Individuals and companies party to a debt (financial institutions under item 3 excluded) | Only where the debt has fallen due or the benefit of time has been lost For individuals, over KRW 500,000 |
Item 4 is the one most often reached for. A private creditor can obtain the debtor's abstract, but two conditions attach: the debt must already have fallen due (or the benefit of time been lost), and it must exceed KRW 500,000. A debt not yet payable does not open the record.
And items 3 and 4 are mutually exclusive — item 4 excludes the institutions listed in item 3 in its own bracket. Institutions use item 3's thresholds, and the fallen-due condition is not attached to item 3. Same word, creditor; different requirements.
“Other cases necessary in the public interest” (item 7) is narrowed by the same art. 47(4) to three: a public-purpose project, medical, research or statistical purposes recognised by the Minister, and cases clearly to the benefit of the person or their household, likewise recognised. “Public interest” looks open-ended and is three lines.
Questions that keep splitting opinion
Can I get a family member’s copy online?
The proviso to Article 29(3) limits electronic and kiosk issue to “the applicant’s own or a household member’s” record. A relative outside your household therefore reads as a counter matter, using item 5 as the basis.
Is there an expiry date?
Neither Article 29 nor Rule Articles 17 and 18 contains any validity period. Standards like “within three months” appear to be set by whoever receives the document, and are not confirmed in legislation, so this article states no period.
Can I submit a screenshot?
The statute says nothing about submission format. Paragraph (3) recognises “an electronic document” as an issue method, and nothing more. It depends on what the recipient requires; we do not assert an answer.
Can I hide the last digits of the resident number?
Not in article 29 — it is in Enforcement Rule article 13. The second sentence of art. 13(5) lets the office issue a copy “omitting part of the register’s contents” according to the applicant’s purpose — the sentence the on-screen display options rest on. For interested third parties (Act art. 29(2)6) the omission is mandatory: art. 13(11) requires an abstract to be issued with the back digits of the resident number, the household head’s name and relationship, past address changes and military service left out (checked 23 September 2026). Which boxes appear on screen is not set by the rule.
How do “household head” and “household member” work?
Article 29 uses both terms without defining them. Tax law defines a household as those “sharing a livelihood at the same address or residence” (Income Tax Act art. 88(6)), but whether the concepts match cannot be settled from the text, so we do not assert it. The tax concept is in our one-home exemption guide and the dependant test in our personal deduction guide.
Why does a lease need this document?
Because the requirements for opposing power are “delivery and resident registration” (Housing Lease Protection Act art. 3(1)) — the copy is how you prove the registration actually happened. The order is in our jeonse contract checklist, and reading the property register in our property register guide.
“Only you can request it” is true of the online service and the kiosk. At the counter, a household member, someone holding a delegation, and the household head's close relatives can all apply.
After a move the move-in report is due in 14 days — see move-in reports.
Sources
- Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center — statutory text — Resident Registration Act, Article 29 (Inspection and Issue of Copies). Source of paragraph (2)’s “the person or a household member … where there is a delegation” and its subparagraphs, paragraph (3) limiting electronic and kiosk issue, paragraph (5) on refusal with written reasons, and paragraphs (6) to (9) on restriction.
- Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center — statutory text — Same Act, Enforcement Rule Article 17 (Fees). Source of KRW 300 / 400 / 500 and “free electronically, half at a kiosk.” The same wording was confirmed in the version in force ([28 April 2026]) on 23 September 2026.
- Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center — statutory text — Same Rule, Article 18 (Reduction and Exemption of Fees). The fourteen exemption grounds and the ordinance-based exemption.
- Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center — statutory text — Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3 (Opposing Power). “Taken delivery of the housing and completed resident registration … from the day after” — why a lease needs this document.
Where to check further
- The delegation form and the documents that go with it. The provision stops at “where there is delegation” and prescribes no format — Government24's issuance guidance and the community service centre counter both carry a standard form.
- Who is exempt from the fee. The rule sets the amounts but exemptions fall to local ordinance — check with the city or district office where you are registered. If you are not sure which office that is, the government helpline (110) will route you; it is free and runs around the clock.
- How far an access-restriction request actually reaches. The statute records that the mechanism exists and no more — a community service centre or the government helpline (110) can explain the scope. The procedure for filing one is set out in the Government24 guidance.
Written as of August 2026. All quotations are the statutory text as published by the National Law Information Center, and what we could not confirm is listed separately above. The Enforcement Rule was re-matched on 23 September 2026 against the version in force since 28 April 2026. If you are charged a different fee, check with your local district office. This article is general information, not legal advice.
