Korean Immigration and Visa Vocabulary: Words and Examples

Korean Immigration and Visa Vocabulary at a Glance

The list has 30 words in five groups of six. It follows a visitor from the passport desk to a longer stay: identity documents, the kind of visa, the arrival card, living in Korea for a period and the customs check. It belongs to Travel and Airport, after the Korean Airport Vocabulary list and before Korean Tourist Attractions Vocabulary. The words are formal nouns written on forms and desks, so they are easier to read than to hear in conversation.

Which Immigration and Visa Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 여권 (passport), 비자 (visa), 입국 (entry), 출국 (departure) and 신고 (declaration) first. They let you understand the signs and the first questions at the desk. Add 입국신고서 and 세관 before you land.

• Words to say. 여권, 비자, 관광, 신고.
• Words to recognise. 입국신고서, 체류 기간, 외국인등록증, 금지 품목. They are printed on forms.
• Words for longer stays. 체류, 연장, 거주지, 신청.

The scene below numbers ten of the 30 words, from the passport desk to the customs check. Play the clip on each item to hear the headword.

Word · 10

1. 1

   여권

   Play

   yeogwon

   passport

2. 2

   비자

   Play

   bija

   visa

3. 3

   입국

   Play

   ipguk

   entry into a country; arrival

4. 4

   입국신고서

   Play

   ipguksingoseo

   arrival card

5. 5

   서명

   Play

   seomyeong

   signature

6. 6

   체류 기간

   Play

   cheryu gigan

   period of stay

7. 7

   외국인등록증

   Play

   oegugindeungnokjeung

   alien registration card

8. 8

   세관

   Play

   segwan

   customs

9. 9

   신고

   Play

   singo

   declaration; report

10. 10

    검사

    Play

    geomsa

    inspection; check

Passport and ID

The first words are the documents and personal details an officer asks about. 여권 is the passport, 신분증 is an ID card, 국적 is your nationality and 생년월일 is your date of birth. They are the answers to the questions on every form. The two forms of a name are worth noticing: 성명 is the formal word on a form, and 이름 is the word you use in speech.

An officer usually asks with a polite request, and you can understand most of it from the nouns. 여권을 보여 주세요 means please show your passport, and 국적이 어디예요? means what is your nationality. Notice that the question uses 어디 (where), not 무엇 (what), because Korean asks for a nationality as a place. The date of birth is written year, month, day, so 생년월일 is the order on the form. The related word 나라 (country) is the everyday word; 국적 is the legal one. The single-word entry for passport in Korean has more on 여권, and the word 사진 (photo) is the one printed on the passport page.

How Do You Say Visa Types in Korean?

Visas are named by their purpose. The pattern is the purpose followed by 비자: 관광 비자 for sightseeing, 학생 비자 for study and 취업 비자 for work. If you do not need a visa, the word is 무비자, with 무 meaning none. Behind these everyday names is a legal category called 체류 자격, which is written as a letter and a number.

The legal codes are the part to leave to the official sources. A student visa is commonly written D-2, for example, but which category applies to you, and which visitors need no visa at all, depends on nationality, purpose and length of stay, and the rules change. The Korea Immigration Service publishes the current rules on its HiKorea site (hikorea.go.kr), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes visa information for people applying abroad. This page teaches the words, not the rules. The pattern purpose + 비자 is a safe guide to a name you have not met: 결혼 비자 is a marriage visa and 방문 비자 is a visit visa. For the single-word entry, see visa in Korean.

Entry Cards and Forms

On arrival you may fill in an arrival card, called 입국신고서, and answer a few questions about why you came. The words in this group are the ones printed on the card and spoken at the desk: 입국 and 출국 for entering and leaving, 작성 for filling in, 서명 for signing and 방문 목적 for the purpose of your visit. Many arrivals can now complete an electronic version, and the form itself changes from time to time.

The pair 입국 and 출국 is easy to remember with 국 (country): 입 means in and 출 means out, the same two characters as in 입구 (entrance) and 출구 (exit). The verb 하다 turns each into a verb: 입국해요 (I enter), 출국해요 (I leave). Forms use the plain noun style, such as 방문 목적 followed by a blank, so you can fill them without knowing the sentence form. At the desk the officer may say 방문 목적이 뭐예요? and you can answer with the noun and 이에요, as in 관광이에요 (it is sightseeing). The tense sounds are heavy here: 입국 [입꾹], 입국신고서 [입꾹씬고서] and 방문 목적 [방문 목쩍].

How Do You Say Residence in Korean?

A longer stay brings a different set of words. 체류 means staying for a period, 체류 기간 is how long the period lasts and 연장 is extending it. Foreign residents register and receive an 외국인등록증, and a 거주지 is the address where they live. Each step begins with a 신청 (application). These words appear on notices, websites and at the immigration office.

The difference between 체류 and 거주 is a good one to learn. 체류 means staying in a place for a limited period, as a visitor or student does, while 거주 means living in a place as a home. That is why the form asks for a 거주지 and a 체류 기간 separately. The details of the registration system for foreign residents are revised from time to time, so look at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) for the current card and procedure. The dates page helps with the dates on these documents, because a Korean date is written year, month, day.

Customs

Customs is the last stop on arrival. The 세관 checks what you bring in. You may be asked to 신고 (declare) certain goods, your bag may get a 검사 (inspection) and some items fall under 금지 품목 (prohibited items). Shoppers also meet 면세, which is the tax exemption behind duty-free shops. The words in this group are written on signs in the arrival hall.

The idea of 반입 is bringing something in, and the same word with 금지 forms 반입 금지, "bringing in banned". The sound is [바닙], with the final ㄴ of 반 moving to the vowel of 입. The word 신고 has a second use outside customs: it is also what you do when you report a crime or a lost item, as in 경찰에 신고해요 (I report it to the police). Context decides which one. What may be brought in, and the duty-free allowance, are set by the Korea Customs Service (관세청), so check the current rules on its official site (customs.go.kr) before you travel, especially for food, medicine and plants.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Immigration words are heavy with tense sounds, because many end in ㄱ or ㅂ and are followed by a plain consonant. A plain consonant becomes tense after those final sounds, and a final consonant moves to the next syllable when a vowel follows. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules. Revised Romanization shows the linking but not the tensing.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and example has its own clip, and five more replay the hardest words slowly. Play 입국신고서 first and count the syllables on your fingers, then compare your tense sounds in 입꾹 and 씬 with the clip.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Immigration and Visa Words?

Five slips are common at the border.

1. Mixing 입국 and 출국. 입 is in and 출 is out. If you are not sure, picture the arrival hall as 입국 and the departure hall as 출국.
2. Using 국적 for a country. 국적 is the nationality you hold. For the country as a place, say 나라, and answer 국적이 어디예요? with the country name.
3. Treating 체류 and 거주 as the same. 체류 is a stay for a period, and 거주 is living somewhere as a home. A visitor has a 체류 기간 and a resident has a 거주지.
4. Reading 신고 only as "report". At customs it means declare. Outside customs it means report, as in 경찰에 신고해요.
5. Skipping the tense sounds. 여권 is [여꿘], not [여권]. A plain ㄱ is understood, but the tense sound is the standard one.

Keep the pairs together: 입국 with 출국, 체류 with 거주, 비자 with 체류 자격. This page is a vocabulary guide and not legal advice, so use the official sites for any decision about a visa or a stay.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and play the clip before you flip each card. Third, take the five-question quiz. Your deck progress stays in your browser, and the vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. Meanwhile, fill in an imaginary arrival card in Korean: write your nationality, date of birth and purpose of visit, and say each answer aloud.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Tourist Attractions Vocabulary for the places you visit once you have arrived, or go back to Korean Airport Vocabulary for the words before passport control. To move up a level, return to Travel and Airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Passport in Korean?

Passport is 여권 (yeogwon), said [여꿘]. A visa is 비자 (bija). To ask someone to show it, say 여권을 보여 주세요 (please show your passport). The single-word page on passport in Korean gives more detail.

How Do You Pronounce 비자 (bija)?

Say bi-ja in two beats. The first vowel is an ee, as in "bee", and the ja is a soft j, between j and ch in English. There is no sound change, so it is [비자]. Press the audio button to hear it.

How Many Immigration and Visa Words Should I Learn First?

Five: 여권, 비자, 입국, 출국 and 신고. They cover the first questions at the desk. At five new words a day the full 30 take six days plus review. Add 입국신고서 before you land.

Where Can I Practise Immigration and Visa Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio. Your progress stays in your browser. Try listening mode on 입국신고서 and 외국인등록증, because their spoken forms differ from the spelling.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid. It shows linking such as saengnyeonworil, but it does not show tensing that the spelling does not write, such as the [ㄲ] in 여권 [여꿘], so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Immigration and Visa Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables by hand and write one example sentence for each of the five groups.

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