Change of Residence Report and Fixed Date for Foreigners: Protect Your Deposit

Why your address report protects your deposit

Under Korea's Housing Lease Protection Act, a tenant who has moved in and filed a move-in report gains, from 00:00 the next day, the right to assert the lease against third parties such as a new owner or a creditor. This is called daehangnyeok (대항력, "opposability"). If the tenant also has a fixed date stamp (확정일자, hwakjeong-ilja) on the lease, they gain priority repayment rights (우선변제권): if the home is sold at auction, the deposit is repaid in order of that date, ahead of later creditors.

Foreigners are not part of the Korean resident registration system. Instead, the Immigration Act states that alien registration and the change of residence report (체류지 변경신고) take the place of resident registration and the move-in report. Courts have recognized the same effect for overseas Koreans' domestic residence reports. In other words, for a foreign tenant the address report is not just paperwork. It is the legal key to your deposit. If you never file it and the home goes to auction, you can end up behind creditors who came after you.

Deadline and how to file

• Deadline: registered foreigners must report within 15 days of moving in to the new address (Immigration Act, Article 36). Late reports can be fined, and after the deadline online filing may no longer be possible, so you would have to visit an office.
• More important than the deadline: your protection starts on the day you report, not the day you moved in. Do not treat 15 days as a grace period; file on move-in day.
• Where: the community service center (jumin center, 주민센터) or the city, county or district office for your new address; the immigration office with jurisdiction; or online through HiKorea. Some services are also available on Gov24.
• What to bring: your Alien Registration Card, passport and proof of your new address, such as the lease. Afterwards, check that the new address appears on the back of your card or in the records.
• Family members: each person living with you must file their own report.

Online filings can be received and processed on different dates. For a large deposit, the safest route is to visit the community service center in person and handle the address report and the fixed date stamp together, on the same day.

The fixed date stamp: your place in line

A fixed date stamp is an official date that a public office stamps on your lease. Combined with opposability, it gives you priority repayment rights, and it decides your place in line against other creditors of the same home.

• Where to get it: any community service center, a registry office, or a notary. You can also apply online at the Internet Registry Office, but you need a Korean identity verification method. The fee is small.
• When: as soon as you have a signed lease, even before moving in. Priority rights begin only once you have both opposability and the fixed date.
• Lease reporting system: in most urban areas, including the capital region and metropolitan cities, leases with a deposit above ₩60M or rent above ₩300,000 a month must be reported within 30 days of signing. Filing that report automatically gives you a fixed date.
• When you renew with a higher deposit, get a fixed date on the new contract for the increased amount.

Move-in day timeline

Because opposability starts at 00:00 the next day, a landlord who registers a bank mortgage on your move-in day can jump ahead of you. Add a clause such as "the landlord will not create any security interest until the day after the balance is paid."

Deposit return guarantees and fee support

A deposit return guarantee means a guarantor pays you back if the landlord cannot. According to current guidance, foreigners with alien registration or a domestic residence report can apply if they meet the general conditions. The main conditions are below; confirm the details with the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG).

• The deposit plus any senior debts must stay within a limit relative to the home's value (around 90% is the usual ceiling).
• Deposit cap: ₩700M in the capital region, ₩500M elsewhere.
• You must have filed the address report and obtained the fixed date.
• You must apply before half of the lease term has passed.
• The name on the lease must match your Alien Registration Card exactly.

If the guarantee fee worries you, check government support for programs such as the guarantee fee refund (up to ₩400,000). Age, income and deposit rules vary by local government, and some programs may not cover foreign residents. We compare guarantee products in the deposit guarantee guide.

Moving out or leaving Korea without losing protection

Opposability lasts only while you keep living there with your registered address unchanged. If your lease ends but the deposit has not been returned, moving your registered address elsewhere or leaving Korea can cost you your protection.

1. If the deposit has not been returned, first apply to the court for a lease registration order (임차권등기명령), and move only after the registration appears on the register. Once it does, you keep your priority even after moving.
2. If you must leave Korea, arrange in advance the account that will receive the deposit and a trusted representative with a power of attorney.
3. For disputes, you can get free consultation from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation or use the housing lease dispute mediation committee, and legal connect can find professionals who speak your language.

Common mistakes

• Waiting because "I have 15 days," while the landlord takes out a loan in the meantime.
• Getting the fixed date but forgetting the address report. You need both.
• A name mismatch between the card and the lease that delays the guarantee review.
• Moving your registered address to a new home before the old deposit is returned.

For the full renting process, see renting in Korea as a foreigner and our general guide to move-in reports and fixed dates.