Importing Personal Effects into Korea: Documents & Customs Rules

Source: FIDI Customs Guide · Updated 2026 · Download the Korea Import Guide (PDF)

General information

• Consignment instructions – Air and Sea shipments: Shipper: Client’s FULL name as on passport should be declared. Consignee : Client’s FULL name as on passport, (Final Destination City Republic of Korea) c/o your Korean agent’s name, Client’s Korean address, Your Korean agent’s phone. Notify: your Korean agent’s name, address, your Korean agent’s phone.
• Description Section:
• For LCL shipment, actual no. of cartons needs to be declared with L/V quantities.

• Please contact your destination agent should you have any questions.
• In case of SOFA shipment, APO address should be inserted into Consignee’s info.
• C/O phrase should be duly inserted into the consignee’s section in any cases. Some SS Lines would not accept the B/L with the C/O phrases described in description of goods due to the lack of space on the Consignee even there is
• mark added in the description section.
• In above case, Master B/L, House B/L can be issued to avoid shipping line’s B/L policy and ask destination agent for their consignment instructions for Master B/L and House B/L.

Korean Customs Houses

• Final designated destination cities for delivery will be the Customs Houses of either Seoul, Daejeon or Busan.
• Seoul Customs:
• Residence in Seoul and Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province via POE Busan/Incheon
• Daejeon Customs:
• Residence in Daejeon, Chungchung Province, Gwangju & Jeolla Province via
• POE Busan.
• Busan Customs:
• Residence in Busan and suburb.

• In case of the container booking at the origin, please be informed that Seoul customs office is located in Gimpo area, which is one hour away from Seoul. If the booking is made based on the Seoul container terminal, additional transportation charge might incur due to the distance between Seoul and Gimpo.

Household goods

• For all:
• BL or AWB Copy.
• Inventory list (Packing List).
• Customs Declaration Forms.
• Power of Attorney.
• Privacy consent.
• Foreigners:
• Passport Copy (Identification & Entry Stamp) from Client and accompanying family members.
• Marriage certificate, birth certificate for children, employment letter (incl. start/end date), Entry Stamp copy (or Entry Certificate Ticket). - In case Entry Certificate Ticket is not available, Boarding Pass used when entering to Korea would be required instead.
• Alien Registration Card (ARC) for all accompanied family members is required for the customs clearance from 2019.
• Returning Koreans:
• Passport copy from client and accompanied family members.
• Certificate of entry & exit from client and accompanied family members.
• Certificate of Family Relationship.

• Impact on the Foreign Employee / Assignee who will be working in South Korea:
• ①If assignee entered Korea on March 2, 2016 or after:
• Short-term visa holders: required when applying for change of status or extension of stay period to a longterm status.
• Long-term visa holders (granted on March 1, 2016 or before) holders: required when applying for alien registration.
• ②If assignee entered Korea on March 1, 2016 or before:
• Diplomat (A-1), Foreign Government Official (A-2), and International Agreement (A-3) status holders.
• Children aged 5 and under.
• Short-term status holders who apply for extension of stay period (without converting to long-term status).
• Duty free entry:
• Used household effects, excluding commercial commodities and new high value items.
• Subject to duties:
• It is calculated Duty percent Plus Tax (value-added tax 10% based on CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)
• VAT : CIF Value + Duty Amount x 10%
• Duty rate (local tax such as Special consumption, Education, transportation, Rural Special Tax are added in for Alcohol, Spirit, Tobacco, Cigarette)
• Exceeding quantity allowances-Used household goods and personal effects 20%
• New furniture(general IKEA type) 20%
• New furniture (luxurious high valued) 25%.
• New carpet: 24.3%.
• All brand new electrical items (including items used less than 6 months) 20% of Customs assessed value.
• Tobacco products
• Used or new automobiles, boats, aircrafts, motorcycles.
• Jewels.
• Upright piano (free if over 6 months old): 20%
• Grand piano (free if over 6 months old for piano major diploma holder): 20%
• TV over 65” or a second TV over (29” – 49”) 20%
• Second and next golf club: 8%
• Second and next ski: 20%
• Air cleaner: 20%

• Used Household goods and personal effects means shipper must use over 6 months and just buy and hold it without opening original box means it is brand-new item as customs assessment and it is dutiable.
• Goods must arrive at POE/AOE in Korea within 6 months of the owner's arrival.
• Clearance is supposed to take place at a bonded warehouse.
• Personal effects cannot be customs cleared prior to the shipper’s arrival.
• Due to high Increase of drug traffic with used household goods and personal effects shipment, more often X-Ray, random physical inspection are conducted, and their related charges incur at terminal due to unload stuffs and container on the ground and open door and once inspected is finished, close door and stock on the terminal.
• All incoming shipments excluding diplomatic are subject to open inspection by Korean Customs Authority.
• All family members’ ARC would be essential since their items should be included in the shipment and Korean customs would need the ARC as a proof of stay in Korea.
• Dutiable Items and Customs regulations:
• Precious products-Gem, Pearl, Tortoiseshell, coral, amber ivory, etc (The CITES Species) exceeding $4000.00
• Used household goods and personal
• effects less than 3 months used
• Exceeding quantity of duty free importing items
• If used or brand-new items are purchased in origin country, please keep receipt as proof of buying prices because Korean customs office assesses cargo value as domestic whole sale prices (internet searching prices).
• Duty free items and quantity of items are verified with submitted supplementary documents (certificate of accompanied family members) and period of stay in foreign countries.
• General limit of duty free over 19 years old :
• Alcohol (1L, under $400.00)
• Cigarette (200 pieces=1 pack=10 cartons), Cigars (50 pieces), Tobacco (250g),
• Perfume (600ml=2 oz),
• Personal items (gifts, new items , etc. up to $600)
• But, Agricultural and Dairy products, Chinese medicine, velvet up to $100.00 quantity and weight limit (under 500g)
• Note: only customs officer can assess and decide Duty free/dutiable items and quantity.

Household Goods & Vehicle for Diplomats

• BL or AWB copy.
• Inventory List (Packing list).
• Passport copy.
• Application for duty exemption issued by Foreign Affairs Ministry of Korea.
• Power of attorney.
• Automobile title.
• Diplomatic ID card copy.

• Customs duty exemption for vehicles, showing:
• VIN (Vehicle Identity Number).
• Product Year of car.
• Model, Brand.
• Engine number.

• The Embassy or Organization’s official stamp should be put on all pages of these listed documents.
• Documentary clearance without physical inspection.
• The vehicle cannot be sold or transferred to non-diplomatic individual for three (3) years, however, sale or transfer between diplomatic individuals is authorized.
• In case of sale or transfer to non-diplomatic individual within three (3) years, customs duty/tax shall be charged by the Korean Customs.
• The vehicle must be listed on the inventory with full technical specifications (maker, model, plate number, year, etc.).
• If Diplomat ID card is still in progress, Certificate of Employment with exact employment period would be mandatory.
• In case of SOFA/DIPLOMATIC shipments, container would not be forwarded to the customs and the clearance would be done at the container yard. DEMURRAGE free time (not for the detention) extension up to two weeks is recommendable.

Precious metal objects

• Subject to payment of duties.

Presents & Souvenirs

• Subject to payment of duties for high valued items.

Antiques, works of art

• Duty free entry unless they are national treasures.

Vehicle, motorcycle & mechanical equipment

• Original Title.
• Original Registration Certificate.
• Original Purchase Receipt or Invoice.
• Insurance policy (original or copy).

• All foreign made vehicles are subject to payment of duties and tax.
• Exported vehicle can be imported as duty free importation.

• Vehicle must be listed on the inventory with full technical specifications (maker, model, plate n°, year, etc.).
• 1 used car per family, under 10 passenger car can be cleared as used household goods and large vehicles must be cleared as per commercial goods import procedure.
• Must be registered under consignee name for at least three months at origin.
• Period of approval for used car: from the date of registration at origin to arrival of vehicle owner at destination (3 months).
• Domestic vehicle Insurance should be purchased and prepared before the customs clearance, and it should be valid at least two weeks from the date of the clearance.
• Electronic battery powered car – due to restriction on used car by RORO and container vessel carriers, please contact carriers before loading container, you will be required to submit LOI or rejected by carrier due to risk of fire during transit.

Prohibited items

• Drugs.
• Firearms (can only be imported with a special permit from the proper Korean authority).
• Ammunition.
• Pornographic material.
• Imitation of bank notes and coins.

Wine & Alcohols

• Duty free for one bottle of wine or spirit per adult.
• Detailed list of liquor, photos and official receipts of each bottle would be mandatory for the customs clearance
• For exceeding quantities, the following Customs duty/tax rates apply based on Customs assessed value:
• Wine: 68.25 %.
• Cognac: 144.9%.
• Whiskey: 155.5%.
• Beer: 210.31%.

• Above rules apply also to diplomats. Please check with your local embassy/destination agent before arranging pick up or shipping.

Food

• No food in air shipment.
• Subject to payment of 20% duty if total amount is too large as part of household goods.
• One small box max. for the sea shipment. Dried, sealed and labelled items would be only allowed.

• Small amount of dried & sealed food is acceptable in sea shipment, but you must get the prior confirmation from destination agent due to diverse of items.

Plants & Vegetables

• Quarantine certificate of the entrance administration office of airport.

• Duty free entry.

Firearms, pistols, rifles, explosives, swards, drugs, narcotics

• Special official permit.

Prohibited Goods

• Pornographic materials
• Forged notes
• Pirated editions
• Counterfeits
• Animal related items, agricultural items and weapons

Exporting Personal Effects from Korea: Documents & Customs Rules

Source: FIDI Customs Guide · Updated 2026 · Download the Korea Export Guide (PDF)

Household goods & Personal Effects

• Passport copy
• Visa copy or permission of residence at destination country (exceptional case).
• Destination address and contact detail
• Commercial Invoice and Packing (Inventory) List
• Consignee’s destination email and contact number:
• Note: carriers are worried about non release of cargo by consignee due to low value of goods, in case duty and tax is more than their cargo value, they can give up release of HHGs and PE.

• Valid permit of residence issued from the destination country would be mandatory before dispatching the shipment.
• Any items that contain lithium batteries and explosive contents should not be included in shipment, especially in air shipment.
• Food and alcohol are basically not allowed to be included in shipment – this should be checked with the origin agent since each country has different regulation for those items.
• Laptop, computer, iPad and other electric devices should be hand-carried due to the safety rule of the airlines.
• Cosmetic items, shampoo and other liquids would not be acceptable for the air shipment.
• Any medicines and speakers should be excluded from air shipment due to the strict aircraft safety and Incheon airport customs regulation.

• HS code for Household goods and personal effects is required for destination countries.
• GST, PAN, TAX, EORI registered number is required by shipping lines (India, European countries, Brazil, etc), please check it from booker or destination agent before arranging booking of air and sea shipment.
• Residence Permit/Working visas are required to arrange shipping such as TOR(UK) and ISF 10+2 (USA), ISF 5+2(CANADA) should be duly completely done before the shipment is on board to avoid large penalty.
• Small quantity of wine and spirits might be acceptable to some countries, so preconfirmation from the destination agent would be required in advance of packing alcohol.

Vehicle, Motorbike, Scooter

• Deregistration copy
• Passport copy

• Vehicle should be deregistered at least 3-4 days before on board.
• Nothing should remain in the vehicle even a single personal item.

• In case of self-drop to the port, the vehicle should be arrived at the port one or two days before departure.
• Plate should be detached and returned before being shipped.
• Electronic battery powered used vehicles are
• not accepted by shipping lines.

Commercial Goods

• Business registration certificate for shipper
• Commercial invoice (Pro-forma Invoice)
• Packing List (valued)
• Commodity’s specification of goods (MSDS (material safety data sheet)) for cosmetic, electronic goods, Products.

• No special restriction for export customs clearance except for prohibited items.

• Do not have any restriction for export of commercial goods if there are not any restriction of importing goods at destination countries except for prohibited items.

Korea Moving Guide: Documents, Duties & Shipping Notes

Source: IAM Country Guide · Updated 2026-09-05 · Download the Korea Country Guide (PDF)

Documents

Documents required for importing used household goods, personal effects, and related shipments.

• Copy of passport (photo page, entry stamp page, and long-term visa pages)
• Detailed inventory / packing list in English
• Copy of bill of lading (OBL) or sea waybill, or air waybill (AWB)
• Alien Registration Card (ARC) from the Korean Immigration Office -- must be valid for at least 12 months
• Power of attorney (for the destination customs agent)
• Customs declaration form

• All documents listed above (ARC not applicable for returning citizens; substitute Korean national ID)
• Certificate of entry and exit (issued by Korean Immigration Service confirming 12+ months abroad)
• Evidence in passport of at least 12 months spent abroad

• All standard documents
• Application for duty exemption issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea

Specific Information

Eligibility for duty exemption on household goods:

Key operational requirements:

A person moving to Korea -- whether a foreigner intending to reside for at least one year (or 6 months if accompanied by family members), or a returning overseas Korean -- may import moving goods duty-free, provided the goods meet the following conditions:

• Goods must have been used overseas for more than 3 months.
• Goods must be registered in the name of the moving person or an accompanying family member for more than 3 months before entry.

For returning Korean citizens and those who have restored citizenship, goods used for more than 3 months abroad generally qualify for the duty exemption. Short-term residents (staying less than 1 year) may still qualify for duty-free treatment on goods used more than 3 months that are generally recognized as personal effects given the nature and duration of the stay.

• Goods must arrive at the Korean port or airport of entry within 6 months of the owner's arrival in Korea.
• Personal effects cannot be customs-cleared prior to the owner's arrival in Korea.
• All incoming shipments (except diplomatic) are subject to open inspection by the Korea Customs Service (KCS). Even diplomatic shipments must be de-vanned and trans-loaded to a mover's van within Seoul's four main gates area -- though diplomatic containers are not inspected.
• Clearance takes place at a Customs bonded warehouse (except for diplomats).

All solid wood packing materials must comply with ISPM 15 phytosanitary treatment standards.

Prohibited & Restricted Items

The following items are prohibited from import into South Korea:

• Illegal drugs and narcotics
• Pornographic materials (sexually inappropriate materials)
• Counterfeit goods and materials (forged currency, bonds, securities)
• Subversive and treasonous materials
• Weapons and firearms without authorization [PERMIT REQUIRED]
• Products from endangered species protected under CITES [CITES]

Traveller duty-free allowances (accompanied baggage, persons 19 and over):

Personal goods, gifts, and new items: USD 800 total value (updated from USD 400 in an older baseline source). Separately: alcohol (1 litre total); tobacco (200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 20 ml of e-cigarettes/liquid nicotine, or 250 g of other tobacco products); perfume (100 ml / 60 ml in some references -- confirm with KCS). Alcohol and tobacco allowances do not apply to persons under 19. Persons voluntarily declaring goods in excess of their allowance receive a 30% reduction in standard customs duty; failure to declare and subsequent detection results in an additional 40% penalty tax.

Food items in household goods shipments:

Food items are allowed in sea shipments only. All food items must be sealed and labeled. Small amounts may qualify for duty-free treatment. Shipments containing excessive quantities of food may be assessed at 20% duty on the food value. Confirm food quantity limits with the destination agent.

Plants and plant by-products: Subject to quarantine inspection and approval by APQA. Denial of entry is possible. A phytosanitary certificate from the originating country's plant protection authority is required.

Arriving from countries with avian influenza or other livestock disease outbreaks: Birds, chicken meat, and all animal products (ham, sausages, etc.) from affected countries are restricted. Contact the destination agent for current restrictions.

Firearms and ammunition: Require authorization from Korean authorities. [PERMIT REQUIRED]

Narcotic and psychotropic drugs: Require authorization. [PERMIT REQUIRED]

Currency: Amounts of USD 10,000 or more in foreign currency or Korean won must be declared on arrival and departure.

Consignment Instructions

Recommended: Contact the destination agent to ensure all requirements have been met prior to import, especially for differences regarding air and sea shipments.

Personal effects cannot be cleared until the owner has arrived in Korea. The shipment must arrive within 6 months of the owner's arrival. Members should ensure clients understand this timeline constraint when planning their move.

All shipments (except diplomatic) are subject to open inspection by Korean Customs. This should be factored into delivery timelines. Diplomatic shipments are de-vanned and trans-loaded within Seoul's restricted inner-city area without inspection, but this still adds transit time.

The Alien Registration Card (ARC) is critical for foreign nationals. It must be valid for at least 12 months and must be presented for customs clearance. Clients should ensure they have ARC registration arrangements in place well before the shipment is dispatched from origin.

South Korea's main ports of entry for sea freight are Busan (primary), Incheon, and Gwangyang. Incheon International Airport handles air cargo. The Korea Customs Service uses an electronic clearance system (UNI-PASS); the destination agent handles all customs filings electronically.