The scope of a corporate relocation is defined by stages and decisions, not by a list of vendors. Divide the work into five stages — local entity setup, status of stay, housing, settlement and return to headquarters — and, at each stage, separate what the company decides itself, what it entrusts to an administrative agent and what it entrusts to other qualified professionals. The scope then becomes clear. Three things in particular must be settled by the company before choosing a provider: whether the assignee meets the intra-company transfer (D-7) requirements, in whose name the home will be leased, and who will track the reports imposed on the company. This article is based on the current provisions of the Immigration Act and the Housing Lease Protection Act and the Ministry of Justice residence management manual (September 2026 edition).
- Divide the scope into five stages: entity → status of stay → housing → settlement → return.
- Before announcing the assignment, check the assignee's D-7 requirement (at least one year of employment at the overseas head office or similar).
- Opposing power for a lease in a company's name is recognized only for small or medium enterprise corporations.
- Some deadlines fall on the company itself, such as reporting employment changes (15 days).
- Brokerage, tax and labor work belong to their respective qualified professionals, so define the scope of coordination in advance.
Where does corporate relocation begin and end?
| Stage | Main tasks | Responsible professional | What the company decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity | Foreign investment notification, setting up a corporation or branch, business registration | Administrative agent (notification and registration documents), certified judicial scrivener (registry), certified tax accountant (tax) | Form and timing of the entity |
| Status of stay | Certificate of visa issuance confirmation, visa, alien registration | Administrative agent | List of assignees and their employment history |
| Housing | Property search and brokerage, lease, deposit protection | Licensed real estate agent (brokerage), administrative agent (place of stay report) | Budget structure and name on the lease |
| Settlement | Place of stay report, banking and mobile service, family documents, insurance | Administrative agent, certified labor consultant (social insurance filing on the company's behalf) | Extent of company-paid support |
| Return | Lease termination, return of the deposit, surrender of the residence card, employment change report | Administrative agent; certified judicial scrivener where needed | Return date and succession plan |
The first steps of the entity stage are set out in our checklist for the first 90 days after incorporating in Korea.
Before the assignment: does the assignee meet the D-7 requirements?
If someone with less than one year of service is announced for the assignment first, the problem becomes an HR issue, not a paperwork issue. Check employment history before finalizing the list. There are exceptions where the one-year requirement does not apply, such as key national industries and national projects, but whether a case qualifies is assessed case by case. The status of stay stage as a whole is covered in the assignment track for transferees to Korea.
Should the home be leased in the company's name?
Article 3(3) of the Housing Lease Protection Act recognizes the opposing power of a corporate tenant only where a small or medium enterprise under the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises leases the home for its employees' residence. Opposing power arises from the day after the employee selected by that corporation takes delivery of the home and completes address registration. If the company is not a small or medium enterprise, a lease in the company's name does not receive this protection, so a structure in which the lease is in the employee's name and the company funds the deposit should be considered as well. Details are in jeonse vs wolse in Korea and deposit protection issues for foreign tenants.
Which reports fall on the company?
| Reason | Deadline | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissal, resignation or death of a foreign national with employment status, unknown whereabouts, change to an important term of the employment contract | Report within 15 days | Immigration Act, Article 19 |
| Change or addition of workplace | Prior permission in principle (report within 15 days for certain professionals) | Immigration Act, Article 21 |
| Prohibition on employing persons without a qualifying status of stay | At all times | Immigration Act, Article 18(3) |
With a single assignee these deadlines are easy to see, but when several households arrive at staggered times, it becomes unclear who is tracking them. When defining the scope, put the owner of these items in writing.
What should be outsourced and what should the company keep?
What can be outsourced is procedure: preparing document sets, the order of filings, deadline management and reporting to headquarters. What the company must keep is decisions: who is sent and when, the housing budget and the name on the lease, the line between company-paid and personal costs, and the return date are company policy. If this line is blurred, either the provider ends up setting policy, or the company handles procedures itself and misses deadlines. The questions to ask when comparing providers are set out in how to choose a relocation company in Korea.
How much does KOCATION handle?
KOCATION is the relocation brand of VISION Administrative Office. Within the scope of an administrative agent's work, we handle notification and registration documents for the local entity, status of stay applications, alien registration and related reports, and the company's immigration reports, and we manage the entire schedule on a single calendar. Reports are provided in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Housing brokerage, tax representation, social insurance filing on the company's behalf, and registry and court procedures are the work of their respective qualified professionals, so we connect you with them and coordinate the schedule. Representation in litigation is outside the scope of an administrative agent's work.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can we entrust entity setup and staff relocation to different providers? Yes. However, the form of the registered entity determines the assignees' status of stay and documents, so make sure both providers work from the same schedule.
Q. Can we not send an employee who has not met the one-year service requirement? It is difficult under the general D-7 requirements. Whether an exception or a different status of stay is available is assessed after reviewing the role and career documents.
Q. Our company belongs to a large business group. Can we sign a jeonse lease in the company's name? The contract itself is possible, but corporate opposing power under Article 3(3) of the Housing Lease Protection Act is recognized only for small or medium enterprises. Deposit protection has to be structured separately.
Q. Can we also entrust the four social insurance filings? Filing social insurance on a client's behalf is the work of certified labor consultants (Certified Public Labor Consultants Act, Article 2). KOCATION aligns the schedule and works with that qualified professional.
Q. How are fees determined? The scope varies with the form of the entity, the number of households, family composition and the stages the company wants to entrust. Fees vary by case, so we explain them during the consultation.
Q. Should the return to headquarters be included in the scope? Yes, include it. Notice of lease termination, return of the deposit, surrender of the residence card and the employment change report all come at once, so the schedule is as long as arrival.
Tell us your entity plan, the number of assignees and arrival dates, and family composition, and we will set out who is responsible at each stage and the deadlines in a single document. Fees vary by case, so we explain them during the consultation.
Ask about corporate relocation programsSources
- Korean Law Information Center — Immigration Act, Articles 18, 19 and 21; Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3
- HiKorea — Ministry of Justice residence management manual (September 2026), eligibility for intra-company transfer (D-7)
- Korean Law Information Center — Certified Administrative Agents Act, Article 2; Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Article 9; Certified Tax Accountant Act, Article 2; Certified Public Labor Consultants Act, Article 2; Certified Judicial Scriveners Act, Article 2