🇰🇷 South Korea · Company Registration
Entity types, registration process, required documents, costs, and official registries.
Quick answer
Foreign-invested companies register with the court commercial registry (searchable via IROS) and report the investment under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act; a stock corporation (jusik hoesa) is common. A business registration certificate from the tax office follows.
Companies in South Korea register with the court commercial registry (searchable via IROS); foreign-invested companies also register the investment. A stock corporation (jusik hoesa) is common.
- Companies are entered in the court commercial registry (IROS).
- Foreign-invested companies register the investment under FDI rules.
- A business registration certificate from the tax office is also required.
Official authorities
- IROS (Internet Registry Office)
Court commercial registration and company search.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register a foreign-invested company?
You report the foreign investment (often via a bank or KOTRA), incorporate through the commercial registry, then obtain a business registration certificate from the tax office.
What company type is common?
The jusik hoesa (stock corporation) is most common; the yuhan hoesa (LLC) is a simpler alternative.
Is there a minimum investment for a D-8 visa?
The corporate-investor (D-8) visa requires a minimum foreign investment amount; verify the current threshold before applying.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Government of Korea — Korea's integrated government portal — policy, administrative services, e-government
- Korea Immigration Service (HiKorea) — Visas, residence status changes, work permits, and alien registration in Korea
- National Tax Service (NTS) — Korean income tax, corporate tax, VAT filing; annual comprehensive tax return for foreigners (May); foreign taxpayer incentive lookup