When choosing a relocation company for assignees in Korea, the first thing to look at is not the list of what it says it does, but whether it holds the qualification to do that work itself. In Korea, the law divides the work: preparing and filing immigration documents belongs to administrative agents, housing brokerage to licensed real estate agents, tax filing representation to certified tax accountants, and filing the four social insurances on a client's behalf to certified labor consultants. A single company claiming to do everything on its own is, if anything, a reason to check further. This article sets out criteria you can use to compare providers, together with the relevant statutes. It does not rank any provider.
- Preparing and filing immigration documents on a client's behalf is the work of administrative agents (Certified Administrative Agents Act, Articles 2 and 3).
- Only licensed real estate agents who have registered a brokerage office may introduce and broker properties (Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Article 9).
- Tax representation is the work of certified tax accountants; filing social insurance on a client's behalf is the work of certified labor consultants.
- A good partner explains clearly which work it does itself and which it connects you to.
Who is allowed to do relocation work?
| Work | Qualified professional | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing and filing alien registration and status of stay applications on a client's behalf | Administrative agent | Certified Administrative Agents Act, Articles 2 and 3 |
| Introducing properties and brokering leases | Licensed real estate agent with a registered brokerage office | Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Articles 2 and 9 |
| Tax filing representation and tax advice | Certified tax accountant | Certified Tax Accountant Act, Article 2 |
| Filing the four social insurances and other social insurance on a client's behalf; labor advice | Certified labor consultant | Certified Public Labor Consultants Act, Article 2 |
| Representation in registration applications; preparing documents for submission to courts | Certified judicial scrivener | Certified Judicial Scriveners Act, Article 2 |
| Moving, temporary accommodation, orientation to daily life | No specific qualification | — |
What should you ask a provider before signing?
- Who prepares and who files the immigration documents? Confirm the name of the administrative agent's office and the location in its business report. An administrative agent must file a business report with the mayor, county head or district head with jurisdiction over the principal office (Certified Administrative Agents Act, Article 10).
- Who brokers the home? If the provider brokers directly, confirm that it has registered a brokerage office; if it uses a partner brokerage, identify that office. The cap on brokerage fees for housing is set by city or provincial ordinance (Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Article 32(4)).
- Who manages statutory deadlines? Some deadlines carry penalties or administrative fines if missed, such as alien registration within 90 days of entry and the report of change of place of stay within 15 days of moving. The deadlines are set out in our [alien registration guide for Korea](/en/blog/alien-registration-after-arrival).
- Does the scope include deposit protection steps? A provider whose work ends at the signature on the lease is different from one that checks the place of stay report and the fixed date as well. See [deposit protection issues for foreign tenants](/en/blog/deposit-protection-issues).
- In which language will reports be delivered? Check that the headquarters HR team will not have to read Korean forms through a machine translator.
- Are government fees and the provider's fees shown separately? When statutory amounts such as government fees are mixed with the provider's own fees, comparison becomes difficult.
- Does the scope cover the return to headquarters? Wrapping up — notice of lease termination, return of the deposit, surrender of the residence card — takes as long as arrival does.
Which claims should prompt a second check?
Any statement that promises a visa outcome in advance needs checking. Permission is decided by the immigration office after its review, and no agent can promise the result. The same goes for "we will handle everything, including litigation." Representation in litigation is outside the scope of an administrative agent's or a relocation company's work. Introducing properties for a fee without a registered brokerage office is punishable under Article 48 of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act.
What does KOCATION do itself, and what does it connect?
KOCATION is the relocation brand of VISION Administrative Office. What we do ourselves is administrative agent work: status of stay documents such as intra-company transfer (D-7), alien registration and the report of change of place of stay, documents for accompanying family, extension and change applications, and deadline management and multilingual reporting across the whole schedule. What we connect is work that requires a separate qualification. Housing brokerage is handled by licensed real estate agents, tax filing by certified tax accountants, social insurance filing by certified labor consultants, and court procedures by the appropriately qualified professionals, while KOCATION coordinates so that schedules and documents fit together. Housing criteria continue in jeonse vs wolse in Korea, and common problems right after arrival in common issues for expats after arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Does a relocation company need a special license? There is no qualification for the relocation business as such. The immigration document, brokerage, tax and labor work within it, however, may each be carried on as a business only by professionals qualified under the relevant statute.
Q. How can I confirm that a provider is an administrative agent's office? Check the office name, the representative administrative agent and the office location. An administrative agent files a business report with the local government with jurisdiction over the principal office (Certified Administrative Agents Act, Article 10).
Q. Is it better to give everything to one provider? A single point of contact is an advantage. What matters more is whether that point of contact explains transparently to whom it entrusts the work that requires a qualification.
Q. How should we compare costs? Ask for government fees and provider fees separately, and compare on the same scope (pre-arrival documents, post-arrival registration, housing, return to headquarters). KOCATION confirms the scope and then explains fees case by case.
Q. What should we prepare before signing with a provider? Organizing the number of assignees and arrival dates, statuses of stay, family composition, housing budget structure and the headquarters reporting language makes comparing providers easier.
Tell us the number of assignees and the timeline, and we will explain which parts we handle directly as administrative agent work and which parts we connect to other qualified professionals. Fees vary by case, so we explain them during the consultation.
Ask about settlement supportSources
- Korean Law Information Center — Certified Administrative Agents Act, Articles 2, 3 and 10; Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Articles 2, 9, 32 and 48
- Korean Law Information Center — Certified Tax Accountant Act, Article 2; Certified Public Labor Consultants Act, Article 2; Certified Judicial Scriveners Act, Article 2