Korea Entry and Exit Certificate: Print It Free Online and…

One page. That’s all they asked for.

Your tax accountant needs proof of your days in Korea. Or a consulate back home wants exact travel dates. Or your HR team says the paperwork is stuck until you hand in an “entry and exit record.” You open HiKorea, click through every menu, and find no print button. Now what?

The document they want is the chulipguk-e gwanhan sasil jeungmyeong (출입국에 관한 사실증명). In English it’s usually called the Certificate of Entry and Exit Facts. It’s a short official record of every time you crossed Korea’s border.

Here’s the good news. Most registered foreigners can print it at home in about ten minutes. The catch is knowing which site issues it, which version to pick, and what the receiving office will check. Government24 for foreigners

This guide covers all three. It’s written for students on D-2 and D-10 visas, workers on E-7 and F-2, marriage migrants on F-6 and F-5, and overseas Koreans on F-4.

What does the Korea entry exit certificate actually prove?

The entry and exit certificate is an official Ministry of Justice record listing each date you left or entered Korea, plus the port used. It proves physical presence, not legal status. Offices use it to count your days in the country, check gaps in residence, or confirm you were abroad on a specific date. It’s issued in Korean by default.

The legal basis sits in Article 88 of the Immigration Act. You can read the statute on MOLEG. Here is our English rendering of the first paragraph:

The head of a regional immigration and foreigner office, the head of an eup, myeon or dong, or the head of an overseas diplomatic mission may issue a certificate of facts concerning entry and departure, as prescribed by Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice.

Source: Immigration Act, Article 88, translated from the Korean text.

Three facts in that sentence matter to you:

• Three kinds of issuer exist: immigration offices, community service centers, and Korean embassies or consulates abroad.
• It covers crossings recorded through the official immigration process.
• The Ministry of Justice sets the details, including the fee, in the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act.

So what shows up on the page? Each line lists a date, whether it was an entry or an exit, and the port. That might be Incheon International Airport, Gimpo, or Busan Port. Crossings through the Smart Entry Service (SES) automated gates are logged too.

What it does not show matters just as much. There’s no visa type. No address. No statement that your stay was legal. Those facts live on a different document. ARC alien registration card

And that different document is where most people go wrong.

Why people grab the wrong certificate and get sent back

Korea issues two similar fact certificates. The entry and exit certificate lists border crossings. The certificate of alien registration facts shows your registration number, status of stay, period of stay, and address history. If an office asks for proof of residence or visa status, they usually mean the second one. Ask the requester for the exact Korean title they need.

The second document is the oegugin deungnok sasil jeungmyeong (외국인등록사실증명). Here’s how the two compare.

Think about who’s asking. A bank checking your address wants the certificate of alien registration facts. A tax accountant counting days wants the entry and exit record. A home-country pension office might want both.

Here’s the catch. The two Korean titles share most of their characters. A clerk scanning quickly can hand you the wrong one. So can a search box. Copy the Korean title from the request letter and paste it in.

One more point surprises people. The Korea Immigration Service already holds your crossing data. An immigration officer rarely needs a printed copy from you. The paper is mostly for other institutions.

Once you know which one you need, the next question is simple. Can you skip the trip to immigration?

Can you get the entry and exit record certificate online issuance done from home?

Yes. Government24 offers entry and exit record certificate online issuance free of charge for registered foreigners. You log in with your foreign registration number and a simple authentication app or joint certificate, choose the period, and print on a regular printer. HiKorea handles visa e-applications and office bookings, but certificate printing runs through Government24. That surprises many searchers.

Many people type “HiKorea certificate issuance” first. It makes sense, since HiKorea is the immigration portal. But HiKorea is where you file extensions and book counter visits. For printing this certificate at home, go to Government24.

Step-by-step on Government24

1. Open Government24 and log in. Foreigners can join as members with a foreign registration number.
2. Verify your identity. Simple authentication (ganpyeon injeung) through apps like PASS, Kakao, or Naver works if your phone is registered in your own name. A joint certificate from your bank also works.
3. Search the Korean title 출입국에 관한 사실증명. The English menu doesn’t list every service, so the Korean term is faster.
4. Choose the period. You can ask for your full record or a specific range. Match the range in the request letter.
5. Choose printer output as the receipt method.
6. Print the page. It carries a document verification number, so the recipient can confirm it’s genuine on Government24.

A few practical notes. The first print installs a security module. It runs most reliably on a Windows PC in a desktop browser. If printing fails on your phone, switch to a computer.

No login? That happens if you just arrived and don’t have an ARC yet, or your phone isn’t in your name. In that case, book an immigration office visit through HiKorea and bring your passport.

Free online sounds simple. But the fee is rarely the real cost.

What does the immigration certificate fee really cost?

The certificate itself is cheap. Online issuance through Government24 costs 0 won. At an immigration office counter, the fee set under the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act is 2,000 won at the time of writing. The real costs come later: certified translation, notarization, or an apostille if a foreign authority needs the document, plus time off work for office visits.

Here’s the full picture of where you can get it.

Fees change through amendments to the Enforcement Rule. Check the current amount on HiKorea before you go.

The costs nobody mentions

But it gets worse for anyone sending the paper overseas. The standard certificate is in Korean. A foreign tax office or court usually won’t read it as is.

• Translation. Ask the counter whether an English version is available for your record. If not, you’ll need a certified translation.
• Apostille. Korea is a party to the Apostille Convention. If a foreign authority requires one, check the process with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Time. A counter visit can take half a day, especially at busy offices in Seoul. That’s the strongest reason to try Government24 first.

Can’t go yourself? A representative can apply at a counter with your signed power of attorney plus copies of both people’s IDs. Ask the office which form it uses before the visit.

So you have the printout. Where does it actually go?

Where to submit the entry exit record, and what each office checks

You submit the certificate to whoever asked for it. Common recipients are your employer or the National Tax Service for tax residency, NHIS for questions about months abroad, a school or scholarship office, a court or insurer, and authorities in your home country. Each one checks something different, so confirm the date range and issue-date window before you print.

Tax residency and year-end settlement

Under Korea’s Income Tax Act, a person who has a domicile in Korea, or has stayed here for 183 days or more, is treated as a resident. Residents and non-residents are taxed differently. The National Tax Service publishes the rules in English.

Your employer or tax accountant may use the certificate to count your days. Your home-country tax office may also want it when you claim relief under a tax treaty. year-end tax settlement foreigners

Health insurance

Spent a long stretch outside Korea? If you want premiums or benefits reviewed for that period, the National Health Insurance Service may ask for proof of your departure and return dates. This certificate is the standard proof.

Schools and scholarships

D-2 and D-10 holders sometimes need it for scholarship checks or graduation paperwork. A program may want proof you stayed in Korea during the semester. Ask the office which months it needs covered.

Home-country agencies and overseas Koreans

F-4 holders and long-term residents often need it for pension, citizenship, or tax files back home. These are the cases where translation and an apostille usually come in.

Immigration itself

The Korea Immigration Service holds your record already. Bring a copy only if an officer asks for one.

Even the right document can get bounced. Here’s why.

The small mistakes that get a certificate rejected

The common problems are mismatches. The date range is too short, the issue date is too old, the name differs from the passport, or the record sits under a different identity. Many recipients only accept a certificate issued within the last three months. Read the request letter twice and match it line by line before printing.

Here’s what actually happens in each case.

1. Wrong date range. You printed one year, but the office wanted your full record. Print the range they named, not the range you assume.
2. Stale issue date. Most recipients want a copy issued within the last 3 months. Some want one issued within weeks. Reprint rather than reuse an old copy.
3. Changed passport. Renewed your passport? Registered foreigners must report a new passport number to immigration within 15 days. If you skipped that, your records may not line up. ARC change report passport address
4. Name spelling. Your passport and your ARC should match exactly. A missing middle name can cause a rejection abroad.
5. Split identity. Did you ever enter Korea on a Korean passport, as a dual national or before naturalization abroad? Those trips may sit under a Korean resident registration number. Ask the immigration office to check both identities.
6. Screenshots. A phone screenshot isn’t an issued certificate. Submit the printed page with its verification number.

What to do before your deadline

Start with the request letter. Write down the exact Korean title, the date range, and how recent the copy must be. Then log in to Government24 and print. If it’s going abroad, ask the recipient about translation and an apostille before you pay for either. Keep the verification number handy in case someone calls to confirm. That’s it.