Moving to Korea > Immigration and Visas

Alien ID Limitations

Koreans and Foreign residents (includes foreign spouses of Koreans) are issued 13-digit ID numbers.
However, there are some small differences in the numbering which have important effects.
Each person's birthdate (year-month-day) appears in the beginning of the series, followed by a code for gender, which is where the differences occur.

The gender designation for
- A Korean male is 1
- A Korean female is 2
- A Foreign male is 5
- A Foreign female is 6

For a variety of reasons, computers, government documents, family registers, etc. accept only a 1 or 2 in the 7th position in the 13 number series. If your number is 5 or 6, you're frozen out.

Not only must one provide one's identification number for official documents, but also when one tries to book movie or theatre tickets on-line, or flight reservations, or a host of other on-line activities.

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Alien ID Limitations	Automated Immigration System-SES
Biometric Screening	Contacting Korean Immigration
Entrance Documents	Foreign Spouse F-6 Visa
Hiring Foreign Maids,Nannies	Immigration Office Locations, Korea
Immigration Rules Changes-Updates	Korean Customs Service Offices
Korean Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP)	Long-Term Residency F-2 Visa Point System
Passport Changes Reporting Requirement	Permanent Residency
Visa Categories for Korea	Visa or Entry Problems