Move-In Report and Fixed Date in Korea: When Your Deposit Protection Starts
Why tenant protection starts at midnight the next day, where to get a fixed-date stamp, how the lease reporting system works and who qualifies for top-priority repayment. A step-by-step guide.
Written as of October 2026. Procedures and amount thresholds can change, so confirm on Gov24 and the National Law Information Center before acting. This is general information, not legal advice.
Three safeguards for your deposit
When you move in on jeonse (전세, a lease where you pay a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent) or on monthly rent with a sizeable deposit, Korea's Housing Lease Protection Act is what protects you. That protection does not appear automatically. You must complete a few steps.
| Right | How you get it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Opposability (대항력) | Take possession (move in) + move-in report | Lets you stay and claim your deposit even if the home is sold to a new owner |
| Priority repayment (우선변제권) | Opposability + fixed-date stamp | At auction, you are paid before creditors who rank after you |
| Top-priority repayment (최우선변제) | Small-deposit tenant + opposability before the auction is registered | A fixed amount is paid even before senior mortgages |
The key is to complete moving in, the move-in report and the fixed-date stamp with no gaps.
Opposability starts at 00:00 the next day
Opposability takes effect at 00:00 on the day after you have taken possession of the home and filed your move-in report. If you move in and report today, you are protected from midnight tonight.
The catch is that a mortgage takes effect on the same day it is filed at the registry. If the landlord takes out a loan and registers a mortgage on the afternoon of your final payment, that mortgage ranks ahead of you even if you reported your move-in the same day. So do three things together:
- Add a clause banning any new mortgage or other right until the day after the final payment.
- Re-check the property register right before paying. See how to read the property register.
- File the move-in report on moving day. Every day you wait is another day without protection.
The move-in report: Gov24 or a community center
Filing a move-in report (전입신고) within 14 days of moving is also a legal duty for residents. Filing late can bring a fine, but the bigger cost for a tenant is that protection starts later.
- Online: Korean citizens can file on Gov24. If you are joining an existing household, the head of household may need to confirm.
- In person: bring ID to the community center (주민센터) for your new address. Bring your lease too, and you can get the fixed-date stamp at the same visit.
Foreign residents: for registered foreigners, the report of change of residence (체류지 변경신고) has the same legal effect as a move-in report. Check the procedure on HiKorea, or ask at the community center. You can get a fixed-date stamp the same way Korean tenants do.
Protection lasts only while you keep living there and keep your registration at that address. If you move your registration elsewhere mid-lease, opposability ends at that moment, and if you move it back, it restarts from that new date. Any mortgage registered in between will rank ahead of you.
The fixed-date stamp: your place in the queue
A fixed-date stamp (확정일자) is an official stamp on your lease proving that the contract existed on that date. At auction, it decides your place in the repayment order.
- Where: community centers, registry offices or online through the Internet Registry Office. The fee is only a few hundred won.
- What to bring: the original lease (a scan for online applications) and ID.
- When: any time after signing. Getting it early costs you nothing.
The stamp itself is effective on the day you receive it, but priority repayment starts only when you have both opposability and the stamp. If you stamped the lease on the signing day and filed the move-in report on moving day, priority repayment starts at 00:00 the day after moving in.
The lease reporting system and the fixed date
Under the housing lease reporting system in force since June 2021, leases with a deposit over ₩60 million or monthly rent over ₩300,000 must be reported within 30 days of signing. It covers the whole Seoul metropolitan area, metropolitan cities, Sejong and city areas within provinces; county areas are excluded. Missing the deadline can lead to a fine.
The good news: reporting the lease automatically gives you a fixed date. If you file the lease report together with your move-in report on Gov24 or at the community center, the fixed date is handled in one go. If the lease is signed by both landlord and tenant, a report by either party counts as a joint report.
Top-priority repayment for small-deposit tenants
Tenants whose deposit is below a set threshold can recover a fixed amount at auction even before senior mortgages. Under the enforcement decree as amended in February 2023:
| Region | Deposit threshold | Top-priority amount |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul | Up to ₩165 million | Up to ₩55 million |
| Overcrowding control zones, Sejong, Yongin, Hwaseong, Gimpo | Up to ₩145 million | Up to ₩48 million |
| Metropolitan cities, Ansan, Gwangju (Gyeonggi), Paju, Icheon, Pyeongtaek | Up to ₩85 million | Up to ₩28 million |
| Other areas | Up to ₩75 million | Up to ₩25 million |
Important caveats:
- The threshold is judged by the decree in force when the senior mortgage was registered, not when you signed. An old mortgage may mean an older, lower threshold applies.
- You must move in and report before the auction commencement is registered, and you must file a claim for distribution before the court's deadline.
- Total top-priority payouts cannot exceed half the home's value (including land). In multi-family houses with many small tenants, the amount is shared.
Thresholds can be revised, so check the decree on the National Law Information Center before signing.
A moving-day routine
- Morning: re-check the register, then pay the balance to the owner's own account.
- After getting the keys: file the move-in report and lease report (fixed date granted automatically) on Gov24 or at the community center.
- Confirm the new address on your resident record and keep the stamped lease safe.
- Within days, apply for a deposit return guarantee: see the deposit guarantee guide.
- Check benefits such as guarantee fee refunds or youth rent support on our support finder.
If you must move out before getting your deposit back
If the lease has ended but your deposit has not been returned, moving your registration away can cost you opposability and priority. Instead, apply to the court for a lease registration order (임차권등기명령), confirm it appears on the property register, and only then move. For help with costs and procedures, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation offers consultations, and housing lease disputes can be taken to the mediation committee run through LH. Check your current contract's risk level with our jeonse safety check.
Frequently asked questions
Q. If I file the move-in report and get the fixed date on the same day, when am I protected?
Both opposability and priority repayment start at 00:00 the next day. Mortgages take effect the day they are filed, so a clause banning new mortgages until the day after the final payment is a smart safeguard.
Q. Do I still need a fixed date if I report the lease?
No separate step is needed. Once the lease report is accepted, a fixed date is granted automatically. Opposability still requires moving in and filing the move-in report.
Q. Are foreign residents protected the same way?
Yes. For registered foreigners, the report of change of residence works like a move-in report. The fixed-date stamp is obtained the same way as for Korean tenants.
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This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so confirm with official sources or a professional before you sign or apply.