If you are planning to stay in Korea for more than 3 months, well, you need to make an Alien Card. Without this card it will be impossible for you to obtain many other services that might be useful and even necessary for you long-term stay in Korea.
For example? You can't get a korean medical insurance (3 times cheaper than italian one), or obtain a korean simcard for you phone, and more, it may be almost impossible to open a bank account, and more.
Basically, being the Alien Card an ID card, granted to foreiners who got the visa, without this document you can't be recognized as a (temporary) korean citizen.
So, how can i make an Alien Card, and what do i need?
Maybe you're thinking that it will be an hard job but, trust me, it's not hard as it looks like.
First, don't worry: you don't need to make it as soon as u will arrive in Korea! If you got a visa you have 90days time to go to the Immigration Center, fill the request and receive the card.
(Maybe not everyone knows it but, if your plan is to stay in Korea less than 3 months, there's no need to make a Visa or Alien Card)
Second, let's see together which documents you need before go there.
1. Application Form: you can find it directly in the office but, if you feel more confortable to fill it home, you can download it from the website
2. Your passport
3. A copy of your passport
4. Photo 3.5x4.5
5. 20.000won (can change)
When you will fill the application form will be required your korean phone number and korean adress.
Well, don't worry! You can use a korean friend phone number or just skip this part.
About the adress... remember to ask to your house owner, or to check on the hostel, livingtel, goshiwon, school dormitory, etc. website. I was not ready with this information so, if you wanna finish as fast as possibile, i suggest you to prepare everything before :)
How long will it take to receive the Alien Card?
Usually where and how long it takes to receive it is different and can also be chosen by you.
Let me explain.
For me, for example, it tooks just 1 working week and i received it directly in my hostel.
For some of my friends, it tooks 15 days and they had to go there to take it personally.
Honestly i guess it may be because not many workers (even in the immigration center) can speak english, so understand the questions they are gonna ask you, in korean, if you have never studied korean before or even just for 3 months, is really hard. Luckily for me, i found a really kind girl who could speak english enough to ask me if i prefered to receive it "home" or not and so it was not as stressful and i thought it could be.
How to extend my Alien Card? What i need?
At one point of your stay, whatever visa you have, (besides the working holiday visa, at least if you don't get an official job) if you plan to stay longer, u must extend your Alien Card date.
Basically to extend will be almost same that make it, just you will need some different documents:
1. School certificate or application (you can request it to the office in your university. For the Yonsei KLI, for exemple, you can go to the 2 floor office and fill a document with your informations as (name, passport number, number of copy, etc) and pay 800won is u want a korean copy or 1200won if u like more an english one (if u need it to extend your visa there's no need to pay more for an english one, u are in Korea after all... XD)
2. A proof that you extend you accommodation period (i asked it to my hostel responsable and she was so kind to write it for me, Basically it's like a sponsorship letter in which thet say that you effectively are gonna stay there for more than 3 months.
3. Passport
4. Money. (i'm sorry, i paid with my credit card so i'm not sure how exactly was it but, next time, i will check)
That's all what you need!
Where is the immigration center?
If i'm not wrong, there are 3 immigration offices in Seoul.
Each office is responsable of a determined area of Seoul and so you need to check before in which area you are and which office is responsable for that area.
1. Mok-Dong
Adress: #319-2 Shinjeong 6-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul
Way to go there: take the green line (line number 2) direction Sinchon -> Hongdae, take off at Yeongdeungpo-office/엉등포구청 and transfer in the purple line (line number 5) and take of at Omokgyo/오목교 station. From the station is 10 min far by walk
2. Sejongno
Area: Jung-gu, Jongno-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seonngbuk-gu, Gangbuk-gu, dobong-gu, Nowon-gu e Eunpyeong-gu.
Adress: 2F, SK Hub Building, 89-4, Gyeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Way to go there: you can find this office inside the Unhyungung SK Hub building, second piano. Take the orange line (line number 3), take off at Anguk Station and go out at the exit 3.
3. Downtown office
This immigration office is located in Gwanghwamun Seoul Global Center 2,3F.
