Category: Living

Q: I have been working and living in Korea and will be looking to retire within the next five years (If I am lucky, I will be able to work a little longer than that). I was wondering if I could stay in Korea even after I retire. Thank you.

A: Visas are complicated.

Technically speaking, South Korea doesn’t offer retirement visas to foreign citizens, unfortunately.

The good thing is it seems like you have more than five years to prepare for your retirment.

So please consider these options:

If you are currently single, you could possibly find a partner who is Korean or an F-5 visa holder. I you marry this person, then your visa status is solved.

Or if you have Korean blood, say you are Korean-American, Korean-Canadian, etc, you are immediately eligible for a permanent residency.

Or if you own an apartment in Korea valued over $300,000, that would aid you in getting a visa.

Or if you invest a large sum of money such as $500,000 or more, you can become a perminant resident.

Or if you speak Korean really well and have published material as a scholar, that would also benefit you.

I think Busan Global Center is in the position for providing you with better information regarding Visa issues.

If you are interested, please contact the Busan Global Center where a consultant can help you free of charge or visit www.bfic.kr / or call 1577-7716.

Q: I am a foreign exchange student living in Daegu and I am planning on visiting Busan next weekend to see the beautiful cherry blossoms. I am interested in renting a scooter during my visit, but was wondering if I needed a driver’s license to drive one.

A: Welcome to Busan. In about 10 days, the beautiful cherry blossoms will bloom here in Busan and I believe that you will have a fabulous time here. To answer your question, yes, you do need a driver’s license to ride a scooter.

That rule applies everywhere in South Korea.

When I was in Jeju, I remembered seeing people who wanted to rent a scooter but were denied access to one since they did not carry the proper license.

Also, when you say a “scooter”, I wonder if you are refering to a standard scooter or an E-scooter.

A standard scooter looks like a motorcycle while an E-scooter looks like a pogo-stick.

Anyways, in order to drive either a scooter or an e-scooter, you will need a valid driver’s license, and you must always wear a helmet.

If you don’t follow these regulations, you will have to pay a fine up to 100,000 won.

Q: Okay. Here is the thing. It was my birthday last week and my mom sent me a birthday gift from back home. (She ordered the gift for me online, and it was delivered to South Korea). This week, I got a call from the customs office and they told me to pay customs tax in order to receive my package. Am I required to pay customs tax even if it’s just a gift from my mom?

A: Yes. I suppose so.

Correct me if I am wrong, but generally speaking, whether you are Korean or a foreigner, any items shipped to South Korea that is under 150,000 won (150$) are free of custom tax.

Well… Some items are exempt.

But if your purchase costs more than $150, you will be required to pay customs tax.

The actual tax rate varies depending on the items.

However, one thing that I want you to know is that the customs tax is not calculated per purchase.

Instead, they calculate the total value of goods that arrive at the port per day.

I mean, if you had purchased many small items, say… one item is about $100, another is $50 and the other item is about $100, since each item is under $150, you may think that you are tax free.

But if those three parcels arrived on the same day to the Incheon International Airport, then you would be required to pay the taxes for each parcel.

Here’s one more thing that you should be aware of.

Whether you are Korean or a foreigner living in Korea, if you receive items from abroad, or if you are an active shopper who buys from foreign shopping websites, you will be required to sign up for a customs ID number to simplify the process.

In Korean, it’s called “개인 통관 고유 번호”.

In English, It is called “PCCC”, meaning Personal Customs Clearance Code.

This personal customs clearance number consists of a 13 digit number starting with the letter P.

Once you get this number, it is tied to your ID number and your home address.

So I recommend getting your PCCC number soon.

You can also do it through your phone.

But if you are not good at Korean, you should probably get help from someone in-person.

Visit the website of Korean Customs Service aka 관세청.

You can find “개인 통관 고유 부호 발급”, meaning issuing your PCCC.

If you click it, two buttons will appear.

One is “조회” and the other is “신규발급”.

조회 means you have double checked if you already have a PCCC number.

신규발급 means that you are new and you are willing to get your own PCCC number.

Get your PCCC number.

I hope you paid customs tax and got your parcel.

I don’t want to scare you or anything, but there is a slight chance that you can be denied entry into the country next time you are at an airport, if you do not pay the customs taxes.

So you want to be mindful about paying the taxes when picking up packages to avoid any situations.

By the way, happy belated birthday!

Q: My husband is not Korean. But since he is a F-type visa holder, I think he can open his own business in Korea. He has been interested in opening a dessert shop here in Busan (Trust me, he’s really good). But I think opening a shop online is more suitable for us. Can we use our home address for our business?

A: I am afraid not.

If you want to start a business here in Korea, one of the first things to do is get a business registeration number (사업자 등록증).

It’s a business license and you need it for many reasons.

For example, you need it when you pay taxes.

You also need it when you want to advertise online.

In order to get your business registration number, you will have to visit the local tax office aka 세무서.

There you will fill out the 사업자 등록 신청서 form, meaning “application for business registration”.

You will be required to write the address of your business.

When it comes to business, there’s requirement for space.

For certain businesses, your home can be your workplace.

For example, if you translate professionally, and if you make profit from it, you can get a 사업자 등록증 (Business Registration) using your home address.

But when it comes to a restaurant and a dessert shop, you can’t bake at home and sell it online.

Then it’s illegal.

You must have an actual shop.

Whether you open the shop and let the customers come and pick up their dessert or.. you open the shop and you just sell your desserts online, it’s up to you.

Whether you sell it online or offline, you need to have an physical store.

That means, you can’t use your home address for business.

Hope that it helped. Anyways, good luck! And let us know if you open a shop.