Food & Liquor
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Manufacturing and Processing Business Registration식품제조가공업 등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction over the premises (liquor manufacturing: Minister of Food and Drug Safety) | Corporations and individuals intending to run a business that manufactures or processes food (excluding grain milling, businesses holding a livestock product processing permit or a health functional food manufacturing permit, simple processing and the like) | View guide |
| HACCP CertificationHACCP 인증 | Certification bodies such as the Korea Agency of HACCP Accreditation and Services | Operators handling mandatory-HACCP foods designated by Ordinance of the Prime Minister (fish paste and fish sausage; frozen fish, mollusks and seasoned processed products; frozen pizza, dumplings and noodles; confectionery, candy, bread and rice cakes; ice confections; beverages; retort foods; kimchi; chocolates; fried, fresh, cooked and dried noodles; foods for special dietary uses; foods for special medical purposes; ready-to-eat foods; sundae), food manufacturing and processing sites with total revenue of KRW 10 billion or more in the previous year, and other operators applying voluntarily | View guide |
| Health functional food건강기능식품 | Si/gun/gu office (sales business report); Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety (manufacturing permit, import-sales registration) | Businesses that manufacture (specialized HFF manufacturing business or venture HFF manufacturing business, 건강기능식품전문제조업·벤처제조업), sell (HFF general sales business or HFF distribution sales business (own-brand), 건강기능식품일반판매업·유통전문판매업), import, or sell customised health functional food (건강기능식품) in Korea | View guide |
| General Restaurant Business Report일반음식점 영업신고 | the Mayor, Governor or head of the district (si/gun/gu) with jurisdiction | Businesses that cook and sell food where drinking alcohol is allowed incidentally with meals (if drinking is not allowed, it is a snack restaurant business) | View guide |
| Imported Food Import and Sales Business Registration수입식품 수입판매업 등록 | Head of the Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety | Anyone intending to run a business that imports and sells imported food and related products (imported food import and sales business) | View guide |
| Liquor Import License주류수입업 면허 | the head of the tax office with jurisdiction over the sales premises (or over your home/residence if you have no premises) | Individuals and companies intending to run a business exporting or importing alcohol (liquor import/export business) | View guide |
| Entertainment bar business permit유흥주점 영업허가 | the Mayor of the Special Self-Governing City, the Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or the head of the si/gun/gu (district head) | Entertainment bar businesses (entertainment staff and entertainment facilities, singing and dancing allowed) and karaoke bar businesses (singing allowed), the food service businesses that require a permit | View guide |
Lodging, Tourism & Travel
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign Tourist Urban Guesthouse Registration외국인관광 도시민박업 등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu where the home is located | Residents of an urban area under the National Land Planning and Utilization Act (국토의 계획 및 이용에 관한 법률), excluding rural and semi-rural areas, who provide lodging and meals to foreign tourists in the detached house, multi-household house, apartment, row house or multi-family house they live in | View guide |
| Hostel business registration호스텔업 등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu | Individuals and corporations that want to operate accommodation for independent travellers such as backpackers | View guide |
| Hanok stay business registration한옥체험업 등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu | Anyone who wants to offer tourists (domestic or foreign alike) a hanok equipped for overnight stays or for traditional culture experiences such as traditional games and crafts | View guide |
| Accommodation Business Report숙박업 영업신고 | Head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction over the premises | Businesses providing facilities, equipment and services where guests can sleep and stay (general accommodation and residential accommodation), excluding rural homestays, urban homestays for foreign tourists and hanok experience facilities | View guide |
| Residential lodging business report생활숙박업 신고 | the head of the si/gun/gu (for an autonomous district, the district head) | Lodging (residential) businesses that provide facility and equipment services, including cooking facilities, so that guests can sleep and stay: residential lodging facilities | View guide |
| Rural homestay (minbak) business report농어촌민박 신고 | the head of the si/gun/gu | Rural homestay businesses providing lodging, cooking facilities and breakfast in a detached house (detached house or multi-household house) that a resident of a rural or semi-rural area lives in and owns | View guide |
| Campground Business Registration야영장업 등록 | the Special Self-Governing City Mayor, Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or head of the si/gun/gu | General campground and auto campground businesses that let tourists use a site equipped with facilities and equipment suitable for camping and that provide camping conveniences (youth campgrounds are excluded) | View guide |
| Travel Agency Registration여행업 등록 | the head of the si/gun/gu (district head) | Individuals and companies intending to run a travel business (general travel agency, overseas and domestic travel agency, domestic travel agency) | View guide |
Construction, Real Estate & Development
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Use Change건축물 용도변경 | Mayor of a special self-governing city, Governor of a special self-governing province, or head of the si/gun/gu | Building owners and holders who want to change the use of a building that has received use approval (tenants apply with the building owner's consent) | View guide |
| Factory registration공장등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu (industrial complexes: the management agency) | Factory establishment approval (공장설립등의 승인) is needed to build, expand or change the business type of a factory with a factory building area (공장건축면적) of 500 square metres or more. Smaller factories can still apply for factory registration (공장등록), and can seek approval if they want the bundled permits | View guide |
| Construction Business Registration건설업 등록 | Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (applications filed with the city/province governor or the entrusted registration agency) | Construction businesses in trade types carrying out general works and in trade types carrying out specialty works (except those doing only minor construction works) | View guide |
| Real estate development business registration부동산개발업 등록 | the registration application goes to the agency entrusted with the si/do governor's registration work (the si/do governor is the registering authority) | Anyone who wants to carry on, as a business, real estate development of buildings of 3,000 square meters total floor area (5,000 square meters per year) or land of 5,000 square meters (10,000 square meters per year) or more for supply to others (excluding the state and local governments, local public enterprises, registered housing construction business operators carrying out housing construction projects and others) | View guide |
| Development activity and farmland conversion permits개발행위허가·농지전용허가 | Head of the si/gun etc. (development activity permit); farmland conversion report: head of the si/gun/gu | Constructing buildings or installing structures, changing the form and quality of land, extracting earth and stone, subdividing land, or stockpiling goods for 1 month or more in green, management or natural environment conservation areas / farmland conversion, i.e. using farmland for non-agricultural purposes | View guide |
Environment, Chemicals & Energy
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous chemical business permit유해화학물질 영업허가 | the head of the regional environmental office (permit application or report) | Hazardous chemical manufacturing, sales, storage, transport and use businesses (a permit applies to operating handling facilities at or above the lower threshold quantity or transporting more than 1 tonne at a time; a report applies at or above the lowest threshold quantity but below the lower threshold quantity) | View guide |
| Waste Treatment Business Permit폐기물처리업 허가 | the si/do governor or head of the regional environmental office for the planned facility site | Anyone who wants to collect and transport, recycle or dispose of waste as a business (excluding recyclers of household waste other than food waste and those who have filed a waste treatment report): collection and transport; intermediate, final and comprehensive disposal; and intermediate, final and comprehensive recycling businesses | View guide |
| Emission facility installation permit and report배출시설 설치허가·신고 | City/province governor (air emission facilities); wastewater discharge facilities require a separate permit or report under the Water Environment Conservation Act | Anyone installing an air pollutant emission facility (Clean Air Conservation Act) or a wastewater discharge facility (Water Environment Conservation Act) | View guide |
| Solar Power Generation Business Permit태양광 발전사업 허가 | the si/do governor for 3,000 kW or less; the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment above that | Individuals and corporations that want to run a power generation business (one type of electricity business) producing electricity with solar or other generating facilities | View guide |
Medical, Pharma, Cosmetics & Care
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics registration화장품 인허가 | Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety with jurisdiction over the responsible-seller premises | Cosmetics manufacturers (화장품제조업; own or contract manufacturing, or primary packaging), cosmetics responsible sellers (화장품책임판매업) that place contract-manufactured or imported cosmetics on the market, and customized cosmetics sellers (맞춤형화장품판매업) that mix or refill products | View guide |
| Cosmetics responsible seller registration화장품책임판매업 등록 | the head of the regional MFDS office (지방식품의약품안전청장) with jurisdiction over the responsible seller's business premises | Anyone who distributes and sells cosmetics they manufacture, have manufactured under contract or import, or who arranges and delivers cosmetics for e-commerce import-agency transactions | View guide |
| Cosmetics manufacturer registration화장품제조업 등록 | the Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety covering the manufacturing site | Any business that manufactures all or part of a cosmetic product: direct manufacturing, contract manufacturing or primary packaging (processes limited to secondary packaging or labelling are excluded) | View guide |
| Functional cosmetics review기능성화장품 심사 | President of the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation | Cosmetics manufacturers, cosmetics responsible distributors, and universities, research institutes and laboratories that want products recognized and sold as functional cosmetics | View guide |
| Ingredient and labelling review for imported cosmetics수입화장품 성분·표시 검토 | the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, 식품의약품안전처) for the ingredient list report (before distribution and sale; may be omitted when importing with a standard customs clearance pre-report filed as an electronic trade document), and the regional MFDS office (지방식품의약품안전청) that requested substantiation data for labelling and advertising (where the relevant report or application is filed) | Cosmetics responsible sellers importing cosmetics manufactured abroad for distribution and sale in Korea | View guide |
| CGMP compliant facility assessment for cosmeticsCGMP 적합업소 판정 | the Minister of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) — application for assessment of CGMP implementation, electronic filing included | Cosmetics manufacturers (all processes, or partial processes: bulk manufacturing or filling and primary packaging); a recommended standard, not an obligation | View guide |
| Cosmetics safety assessment and safety information management화장품 안전성 평가·안전성 정보 관리 | MFDS (rapid and periodic safety information reports, and safety assessment data when requested); the regional MFDS office (recall plans and recall completion reports) — where each report is submitted | Cosmetics responsible sellers (the safety assessment excludes e-commerce import-agency-type sellers and sellers specified by Ordinance of the Prime Minister); products labelled or advertised for infants or children; safety information reporting also applies to customized cosmetics sellers | View guide |
| Medical Device Import License의료기기 수입허가 | Head of the Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety (import business permit); product approval: Minister of Food and Drug Safety; certification and notification: President of the National Institute of Medical Device Safety Information | Anyone intending to import medical devices as a business (import business license), and each product to be imported (import approval, certification or notification depending on class) | View guide |
| Pharmaceutical wholesale license의약품 도매업 허가 | the head of the si/gun/gu where the business office is located | Pharmaceutical wholesalers that acquire drugs for sale and supply them to pharmacies and others (excluding pharmacy owners) | View guide |
| Foreign Patient Attraction Business Registration외국인환자 유치업 등록 | the city/province head (for both medical institutions and agencies) | Medical institutions and non-medical businesses that want to provide treatment-related services to foreign patients, such as arranging and acting as agent for medical appointments and contracts, providing medical information, and guiding them on transport and lodging | View guide |
| Long-term care institution designation장기요양기관 지정 | the Mayor of the Special Self-Governing City, the Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or the head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction (reviewed by a designation review committee) | Elderly medical welfare facilities and in-home elderly welfare facilities that want to provide in-home benefits (home-visit care, home-visit bathing, home-visit nursing, day/night care, short-term care, etc.) or facility benefits | View guide |
Finance, Exchange & Remittance
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currency Exchange Business Registration환전업 등록 | Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (filed at the customs office with jurisdiction over the premises) | Sole proprietors and corporations, other than financial institutions, that intend to buy or sell foreign currency, or buy traveler's checks issued abroad, as a business | View guide |
| Money lending business registration대부업 등록 | the city/province governor with jurisdiction over the office (the Financial Services Commission for offices in 2 or more cities/provinces, etc.) | Anyone who wants to run a money lending or loan brokerage business (other than credit financial institutions), and anyone who wants to run a loan receivables purchase and collection business | View guide |
| Small-Amount Overseas Remittance Business Registration소액해외송금업 등록 | the Minister of Economy and Finance (as worded in the law) | Non-financial businesses that make payments and receipts between Korea and other countries as a business, together with the related buying and selling of foreign currency (small-amount overseas remittance business) | View guide |
Certification & Procurement
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women-Owned Business Certification여성기업 확인 | Head of the Regional Office of SMEs and Startups (intake and review entrusted to the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association) | Businesses owned and managed by women that meet the Enforcement Decree criteria as a company under the Commercial Act, a sole proprietor, or a cooperative (a cooperative under the Framework Act on Cooperatives (협동조합 기본법) or the Consumer Cooperatives Act (소비자생활협동조합법)) | View guide |
| Venture and Innobiz Certification벤처기업 인증·이노비즈 인증 | Head of the venture business confirmation body (venture confirmation); Minister of SMEs and Startups (Inno-Biz selection) | SMEs under the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises (for the innovation growth type, businesses in the process of being founded are included). For Innobiz, SMEs seeking selection as a technology-innovative SME under the Act on the Promotion of Technology Innovation of SMEs | View guide |
| Corporate R&D Center Recognition기업부설연구소 설립·인정 | Korea Industrial Technology Association (KOITA) | Research institutes (corporate R&D centers) or R&D departments (dedicated R&D departments) set up and run by businesses such as companies formed under the Commercial Act (상법) and SMEs | View guide |
| Government R&D Grant Application정부 R&D 지원사업 신청 | The central government agency and specialized agency that announced the program | SMEs and mid-sized companies seeking to take part in national R&D programs funded from budgets or funds by central government agencies on a statutory basis (projects of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT and other ministries) | View guide |
| KONEPS supplier registration나라장터 등록 | Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS) | Construction, goods (manufacturing/purchase) and service businesses that want to take part in competitive bidding by public agencies | View guide |
| Mainbiz certification메인비즈 인증 | the Minister of SMEs and Startups (selection procedure and evaluation criteria announced) | SMEs carrying out management innovation activities | View guide |
| KC Certification & Radio CertificationKC인증·전파인증 | Safety certification bodies (KC safety certification); Minister of Science and ICT (radio conformity certification) | Anyone manufacturing (including foreign manufacturers) or importing electrical appliances and consumer products subject to safety control, and anyone intending to manufacture, sell or import broadcasting and communications equipment | View guide |
Corporations & Associations
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofit association비영리사단법인 설립 | The competent authority in charge of the intended purpose | A group of people (members) organised for academic, religious, charitable, artistic, social or other non-commercial purposes that wants legal personality in Korea | View guide |
| Cooperative establishment report협동조합 설립신고 | the si/do governor with jurisdiction over the principal office | General cooperatives and federations of cooperatives (social cooperatives require authorization, not a report) | View guide |
| Incorporated foundation establishment permit재단법인 설립 허가 | the competent authority in charge of the business (if 2 or more, the one in charge of the main business) | Incorporated foundations set up by contributing assets for non-profit purposes such as academic, religious, charitable, artistic or social activities (public-interest corporations if the purpose is scholarships, research grants, academic or charitable work) | View guide |
Education, Culture & Sports
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designated sports club designation지정스포츠클럽 지정 | Si/gun/gu (sports club registration); Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (designation) | Corporations or organizations (including unincorporated organizations) run to promote sports activities in the local community that want designation after registering as a sports club | View guide |
| Sports Facility Business Report체육시설업 신고 | the Mayor of a Special Self-Governing City, Governor of a Special Self-Governing Province, or head of the si/gun/gu | Report-type sports facility businesses such as martial arts studios, fitness centers, billiard halls, golf driving ranges, swimming pools, dance academies and sports instruction businesses (golf courses, ski resorts and motor racing tracks require registration) | View guide |
| Private Academy (Hagwon) Registration학원 설립 등록 | the Superintendent of Education (district office of education) | Facilities teaching knowledge, skills or arts through courses of 30 days or more to 10 or more learners at the same time or to the general public (school subject tutoring academies and lifelong vocational education academies) | View guide |
| Entertainment agency registration대중문화예술기획업 등록 | the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (registration and change registration are delegated to the city/province governor) | Anyone who wants to provide or arrange the pop culture and arts services of pop culture artists, or train, coach and counsel them for that purpose, as a business (entertainment agencies and similar) | View guide |
Transport, Logistics, Auto & Aviation
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Freight Forwarding Registration국제물류주선업 등록 | City/province governor with jurisdiction over the head office | Corporations and individuals (freight forwarders) that, at the request of others, arrange logistics for import and export cargo in their own name and on their own account using other parties' logistics facilities and equipment | View guide |
| Trucking Transport Business Licence화물자동차 운송사업 허가 | City/province governor with jurisdiction over the head office | Anyone who, at the request of others, carries freight by truck for a fee (general trucking transport business with 20 or more vehicles, individual trucking transport business with 1 vehicle) | View guide |
| Used car dealer and car rental business registration자동차매매업·자동차대여사업 등록 | Head of the si/gun/gu where the business is located (used car dealing); city/province governor (car rental) | Anyone who wants to buy, sell or broker used cars as a business (motor vehicle trading business), and anyone who wants to rent out vehicles to others for a fee (motor vehicle rental business) | View guide |
| Drone Business Registration (Ultralight Flying Device Use Business)초경량비행장치사용사업 등록 | the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Act; under the Enforcement Rule, the application is submitted to the President of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority | Individuals and corporations that want to run a business using ultralight flying devices (unmanned aircraft) to meet other people's demand | View guide |
Distribution, Sales & Import
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Import and Sales Business Registration담배수입판매업 등록 | City/province governor with jurisdiction over the head office or main office | Corporations and sole proprietors that intend to import tobacco and sell it to wholesalers or retailers | View guide |
| E-Cigarette Import Registration전자담배 수입 등록 | City/province governor with jurisdiction over the head office or main office | Anyone intending to import e-cigarettes or nicotine liquids made from tobacco leaf or nicotine in a form suitable for inhaling as vapor or the like, and sell them to wholesalers or retailers (pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (약사법) excluded) | View guide |
| Mail-order business report통신판매업 신고 | the head of the si/gun/gu for the main office (the Fair Trade Commission if the main office is abroad) | Mail-order businesses (online stores and similar); exempt from the reporting obligation if the number and volume of transactions are at or below the thresholds in the Fair Trade Commission notice | View guide |
IT & Telecom
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telecom business filing정보통신분야 인허가 | Ministry of Science and ICT (Central Radio Management Service) | Companies offering telecom-based services in Korea: value-added services such as app marketplaces and online video platforms, special-type value-added services such as webhard, P2P file sharing and bulk SMS sending, and facilities-based services such as phone and internet access | View guide |
| Location-based service report위치기반서비스사업 신고 | Korea Media and Communications Commission (방송미디어통신위원회) | Businesses providing services based on personal location information to users in Korea, including foreign companies with no Korean entity. Services that never process personal location information fall outside the report | View guide |
| Software business operator report (general status management application)소프트웨어사업자 신고(일반 현황 관리신청) | the operator performance management agency that keeps and manages software business operators' performance data | Persons engaged in software business (software business operators): corporations and sole proprietors | View guide |
Personal & Hygiene Services
| Service (official name) | Competent authority | Who it applies to | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty Salon Business Report미용업 영업신고 | the head of the si/gun/gu (district head; for autonomous districts, the head of the gu) | General beauty, skin care, nail, makeup and comprehensive beauty businesses that groom customers' faces, hair, skin, fingernails, toenails and the like | View guide |
| Disinfection business report소독업 신고 | the Special Self-Governing City Mayor, Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or head of the si/gun/gu | Anyone who wants to carry out disinfection as a business (some housing management operators, such as for apartment complexes, are excluded) | View guide |
| Pet business permit and registration반려동물 영업 등록 | the Mayor of the Special Self-Governing City, the Special Self-Governing Province Governor, or the head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction over the premises | Permit: animal breeding, animal import, animal sales and animal funeral businesses / Registration: animal exhibition, animal boarding, animal grooming and animal transport businesses | View guide |
| Marriage brokerage business report and registration결혼중개업 신고·등록 | the head of the si/gun/gu with jurisdiction over the main brokerage office | Anyone who wants to broker marriages as a business for money or other consideration: a domestic marriage brokerage business (report) between Korean nationals, or an international marriage brokerage business (registration) between Korean nationals and foreign nationals | View guide |