Last checked: September 3, 2026. HiKorea menus and available services can change, so confirm the final screen and document list before submitting.
Last updated: October 5, 2026. Added a conditional employment-information reporting check for covered working applicants, separate from the main petition.
A HiKorea visit reservation gives you a time to visit a Korean immigration office. It does not file your application, protect your deadline, or guarantee that the office you selected has jurisdiction over your case. Those three points explain most avoidable reservation problems.
This guide shows how to decide between an online application and an office visit, book the correct office, and respond if the calendar has no slot before your legal deadline.
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| Illustration of the HiKorea reservation process. Check the official HiKorea page and your filing deadline because screens and required documents can change. |
Quick answer
- First check whether your service is available as a HiKorea e-Application.
- If you need an office visit, identify the immigration office responsible for your Korean home address.
- Make the reservation through the official hikorea.go.kr website, using the member or non-member option.
- Choose a visit date before your period of stay expires or the statutory reporting period ends.
- If no appointment exists before the deadline, HiKorea tells you to visit the jurisdictional office before the reporting period ends.
Do not book any available office or select an unrelated service simply because the calendar is open. The wrong jurisdiction or petition type can leave you without a valid filing.
1. Decide whether you need a visit at all
HiKorea currently lists online services including extension of stay for registered foreigners, certain changes of status, address change, passport-information reporting, and some work or student-related permissions and reports. Availability depends on status of stay and the exact petition.
Open the official e-Application list before looking for an appointment. If your petition appears there, open its detailed guide and check eligibility, filing period, documents, fee, and processing method. Immigration may still request an office appearance during review.
In Korea, it is more accurate to distinguish a visa, normally used to enter, from a status of stay and permitted period handled after entry. On HiKorea, look for the service that describes what you are actually changing, extending, registering, or reporting.
2. Confirm the office with jurisdiction
Your immigration office is generally based on your registered Korean residence, not the location of your employer, university, or preferred subway station. Use HiKorea's official jurisdiction search. You can also call 1345 and press 1 for office location, jurisdiction, and service-hour information.
Check again after moving. An office that handled your last extension may no longer be responsible if your registered address changed.
3. Gather the details before opening the calendar
Have the identity and case information exactly as it appears in official records:
- Passport and passport number
- Residence Card and foreign resident number, if already registered
- Current Korean address
- Current status and permitted stay expiry date
- Reason for the visit
- A working phone number and email address
Use your own information. The HiKorea reservation page warns that using another person's passport number or foreign resident number can lead to criminal penalties. Avoid anyone selling slots or asking for identity details outside the official government site.
4. Book through the official HiKorea page
- Open Visit Reservation on HiKorea.
- Read the reservation notices and choose the member or non-member route.
- Complete identity verification.
- Select the immigration office with jurisdiction over your residence.
- Select the petition or counter category that matches your case.
- Choose an available date and time that falls before your deadline.
- Check the name, document number, office, service, date, and contact details before submitting.
- Save the reservation confirmation and reservation number.
Menu wording can differ slightly by language or service. If you cannot tell which category matches, do not guess from a translation alone; call 1345 with the exact service you need.
Employment-information check for applicants covered by the reporting rules: If you are engaged in for-profit activity under a status subject to employment-information reporting, the reservation flow may require occupation, industry, and annual-income information to be filed or updated. This is separate from your main petition and does not apply automatically to every student or non-working foreign resident. The official January 2026 online-procedure notice explains the covered statuses; confirm your case through HiKorea or 1345.
5. Understand what the reservation does not do
HiKorea explicitly says a visit reservation is only an appointment and does not mean the petition has been received. Your application is filed only through the accepted online or in-person process.
That distinction matters for a stay expiry date, foreign registration deadline, address-reporting period, or another statutory deadline. A confirmation for a date after the deadline is not an automatic extension. The official reservation page warns that a penalty or fine may apply if the visit occurs late.
If there is no appointment before the deadline
Do these checks in order:
- Confirm the deadline. Use the expiry date or reporting rule for the actual petition, not a coworker's case.
- Check e-Application eligibility. Some services can be submitted online without waiting for a visit slot.
- Confirm the jurisdiction and category. A blank calendar can result from looking at the wrong office or counter.
- Look again for a legitimate opening. Cancellations may change availability, but HiKorea does not publish a guaranteed “magic time” for new slots.
- Act before the deadline. HiKorea states that if no reservation date is available within the permitted period, the applicant should visit the jurisdictional immigration office before that period ends.
Call 1345 before traveling if possible, note the date and guidance, and bring evidence of the deadline and unavailable calendar. An officer, not a blog or social-media post, decides how the office will handle the case.
6. Check or cancel the reservation
A logged-in user can check reservations through the account. HiKorea also provides a non-member reservation-status route. Keep enough information to retrieve the booking. If you cannot attend, cancel it through the official system so the time can return to the calendar.
Do not create multiple speculative bookings with different identity details. HiKorea says it monitors internet addresses and log records for illegally pre-occupied reservations.
7. Prepare the application, not just the appointment
After reserving, open the detailed guide for the petition and your status of stay. A typical visit may require a passport, Residence Card, Integrated Application Form, proof of residence, fee, and status-specific documents, but this is not a universal checklist.
Print or save the current list and note when each document was issued. Bring originals and copies where appropriate. Make sure your Korean address and passport information agree with your immigration records. If your passport, employer, school, marital status, or address recently changed, check whether a separate report is also required.
Korean terms on the reservation site
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 방문예약 | Visit reservation |
| 전자민원 | e-Application / online petition |
| 관할 | Jurisdiction |
| 체류기간 연장허가 | Extension of period of stay |
| 체류자격 변경허가 | Change of status of stay |
| 체류지 변경신고 | Address-change report |
| 접수 | Receipt or filing of an application |
When to call 1345
Call the Immigration Contact Center when you are unsure about jurisdiction, petition category, deadline, online eligibility, or required documents. The official page lists weekday counseling from 09:00 to 22:00; after 18:00, service is available in Korean, English, and Chinese. Multilingual counseling is available earlier in the day. From overseas, use +82-2-1345 or +82-2-6908-1345~6.
Ask one complete question: “I have [status], live in [district], and need to [service] before [date]. Can I apply online? If not, which office and reservation category should I use, and what should I do if no date is available before the deadline?”
This article explains published HiKorea procedures and is not individualized legal advice. Immigration decides jurisdiction, filing requirements, and the result of each petition.
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