THE Alien Registration Card (ARC) Horror Story

Updated: 11/05/2024

honestly, i wish this wasnt my first blog post, but i feel like it HAS to be lol. this was the most stressful experience i have had in korea BY FAR and i rlly hope this helps you out with obtaining your ARC.

first, if you have not already, make sure to book your appointment AT LEAST a month if you plan on receiving your ARC around the time you arrive in Korea. second, MAKE SURE YOU BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT AT THE RIGHT BRANCH.

Yonsei and Sogang - Seoul Southern Immigration Office Branch

Korea University - Sejongno Branch

Ok let's get into the story :)

my friends and I (2 Yonsei, 2 Korea University (KU) and 1 Sogang) wanted to start preparation early by making our ARC appointment about a month before we arrived in Korea for about two weeks after we arrived. We booked all of our appointments at the Seoul Sejongno Immigration Office Branch (you can prob tell where this is going).

the day comes (Thursday, September 5) and we come prepared and on time with all our necessary documents in hand.

• ID Photo

  • you can take this at a photobooth in the immigration office fro 10,000 KRW

  • you can also take this at a random ID photobooth which usually can be found in subway stations for 10,000 KRW

• Certificate of Enrollment

  • this document comes in the admission packet that Yonsei sends you

• Proof of Residence

  • keep in mind that i am unsure how to receive this document in person from Yonsei if you live off campus so please refer to another scholar's information on proof of residence if you will not be living on campus

  • SK Global provided copies for us, but if you do not retrieve it then you will have to print this from your student portal

• Passport

• Copy of Passport

• ARC Application

• 34,000 KRW in exact cash

ok let's continue with the story...

arriving there was simple and easy, but then my friend from Sogang's number was called. we wait for a few minutes before he comes back out looking baffled and tells us the lady told him he was at the wrong branch.

at this point we are all freaking out (especially the 2 Yonsei people) because Sogang students and Yonsei students are in the same part of Seoul meaning they would have the same designated branch. our KU friend was called in and is taken through the rest of the process. when it came to my turn, i was sent back out and told i was at the wrong branch. my other Yonsei friend was told the same thing...

keep in mind that we were already stressing and nervous because we were planning on buying tickets for our fav's concert in Korea for the first time and we had no idea what we were doing. we were planning on going to a PC cafe for the first time to do this which we were also nervous about because it was our first time and we didn't know what to expect.

after the initial freakout, we were relieved to find out that we still had enough time to apply through our universities. most universities in Seoul offer student group ARC applications through an application called HireVisa. we were relieved because students must apply for their ARC within 90 days of arriving in Korea, but all appointments were BOOKED when we looked.

although we were relieved, we were also disappointed because we were planning on going on trips outside of Korea to neighboring countries, but delaying our ARC appointment made us uncertain about when we would have it since it typically takes longer for students to receive their ARC through university group applications than if they make private appointments directly at the branch. (spoiler alert: we ended up obtaining our ARC's faster than our friends who had private appts a few weeks after our initially scheduled appt)

anyway..... the HireVisa process was quite long and tedious, but it was overall easy to go through and understand. you need all the same documents as you would need in person and it is 1,000 KRW less if that helps lol. i wish i wasn't so stressed and had a little bit more patience with it though.

i was also able to receive a Korean phone number (33K KRW/month) provided by HireVisa that was automatically linked to my ARC. you will have to link your Korean phone number to your ARC independently if you get one before you have your ARC. make sure your Korean phone number's plan allows you to do so before purchasing it. my friends had issues with this. keep in mind that i did not have a korean phone number before HireVisa provided me with one.

in the end, i almost died, but i got my arc on Thursday, October 17 and i am going to japan soon so im chillin :)

thanks for reading :)