Letters still going to your old home? Korea Post offers temporary mail forwarding after a move. Start with the post office if you cannot use the online identity checks, and ask staff to confirm the documents, recipients, start date, and fee for your move. Keep updating important senders directly while forwarding is active. Government24's official service overview lists both counter and internet applications.
Service guidance checked on 15 October 2026. The current ePOST page does not state a policy-effective date; the check date here is not an effective date.
1. Prepare the details of the mail you need redirected
Write down your old and new Korean addresses, including the building, apartment or room number, and postcode. Add your move date, contact number, and the names of everyone who needs forwarding. Copy names as they appear on incoming envelopes so you can explain any difference from your ID.
Take an example envelope if the address or recipient name has been causing confusion. This is especially useful when a building has several entrances or your landlord's address has been used for correspondence.
2. Choose a route you can actually complete
At a counter, ask for 주거이전 우편물 전송서비스. Government24 lists identification and evidence of an address change. Its page does not give a complete foreign-resident document checklist, so confirm which proof the post office accepts for your circumstances before making a second trip. See the official documents and application overview (checked 15 October 2026; page content dated 16 June 2023).
The ePOST online application guidance requires resident-registration-number verification for individual applications. Do not assume an account or a foreign residence card guarantees access. If the verification cannot be completed, ask the counter about your case instead of entering someone else's details.
If you already requested forwarding with a move-in report, check that application before submitting another one. The ePOST page has separate lookup/payment options and warns about duplicate applications. A missing fee text does not prove that no free application exists.
3. Check the fee using both addresses
The current individual fees are per person:
| Move | First three months | Three-month extension |
|---|---|---|
| Within the same forwarding region | Free | ₩4,000 |
| To another forwarding region | ₩7,000 | ₩7,000 |
Free forwarding is limited to one use for an old address. Seoul and Gyeonggi are separate entries in the current ePOST fee and region table (checked 15 October 2026). A Seoul-to-Suwon move therefore crosses regions. Ask staff to classify your two addresses rather than relying on an older guide that groups the whole capital area together.
4. Confirm when forwarding starts and ends
Do not treat submission as same-day activation. Government24 lists a six-day handling period, counted from the application day and excluding Saturdays and public holidays (calculation guidance checked 18 October 2026); ask for the actual forwarding start date for your application. Save the receipt or confirmation and record the end date in your calendar.
For paid forwarding requested with a resident-center or Government24 move-in report, ePOST's route-specific guidance says to pay within seven days including the report day, excluding Saturdays and public holidays; an unpaid request is automatically cancelled. Service begins three days after payment, excluding Saturdays and public holidays. For this route, extensions are handled only at a post-office counter; apply at least three days before the service ends. Confirm the dates for your application with staff. Guidance checked 18 October 2026; the page does not state a policy-effective date.
Before leaving, ask how to extend the service and which office or online option handles your application. Check the recipient list as carefully as the address: a forwarding request should cover the person whose name is on the letter.
5. Use the forwarding period to fix the source of the problem
Make a short list from the mail you receive: bank, insurer, employer, school, subscription, and anyone sending time-sensitive documents. Update each sender's mailing address and keep its confirmation. For an urgent letter, contact the sender now and ask whether it can provide a digital copy or arrange a fresh delivery.
Change delivery addresses directly on pending courier orders. Ask Korea Post about any particular postal item you are worried about; do not assume that every carrier or special delivery instruction is covered. If a letter goes missing, keep its tracking number, old address, recipient name, and forwarding confirmation together for the inquiry.
Postal forwarding is a temporary delivery arrangement. Keep your immigration address report and the addresses held by banks or other organisations as separate tasks. For the separate reporting process, see our guide to reporting a change of address in Korea.
For an ongoing court case, ePOST specifically says to report a changed service address separately to the court (guidance checked 15 October 2026).
Editorial update: 18 October 2026. Clarified how the six-day handling period is counted and added the payment, start-date, and extension conditions for paid forwarding requested with a move-in report. This update checks those procedures, not every statement in the guide.
0 Comments