Opening a bank account — what to bring and what to ask
This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)
Pay, rent, and utility bills mostly go in and out through an account. A foreigner's new account is easily opened as a "limited account" with a daily transaction limit, so bring documents that show your purpose for the account.
📌 Key points
It differs by bank, so ask that bank three things before you go. ① Can I open an account even before alien registration? ② Besides ID (Alien Registration Card or passport), what should I bring? ③ What documents are needed to open without a limit? For a pay account, bring documents that show the purpose, such as a certificate of employment or a work contract. Even if it opens as a limited account, you can still transact up to 1 million won a day online, 1 million won at ATMs, and 3 million won at the counter, and you can lift the limit by submitting documents.
📍 Where to go
The counter of the bank where you will open the account
See also
Basis
- 금융위원회 보도자료 「금융거래 한도계좌 한도 상향」 2024-05-02 https://www.fsc.go.kr/po010102/82205 — 인터넷 100만 · ATM 100만 · 창구 300만원 (2026-10-12 다시 확인 — 2025 이후 바뀐 금융위 · 금감원 자료 없음)
- 🔴 쓰지 않은 것: 「외국인등록 전에도 만들 수 있는 은행이 있다」 · 은행별 서류 — 은행마다 다르고 공식 공통 기준을 찾지 못해 「물어볼 것 셋」으로 바꿨다(D-232 ②)
This content was checked on 2026-10-12.