Korea’s registration rules don’t set a separate process for foreign residents buying a used car. You check the car, pay, and then register the change of ownership in your name within a set deadline. Most of the paperwork falls on the person who files that transfer, which depends on whether you buy from a dealer or a private seller.
This guide covers what to check before any money moves, how a dealer sale differs from a private one, the transfer itself and the papers each side brings. In Korean a used car is 중고차, and the transfer is 이전등록.
How we checked
The deadlines and document rules come from Korea’s Motor Vehicle Management Act (자동차관리법), its Motor Vehicle Registration Decree (자동차등록령) and its Motor Vehicle Registration Rule (자동차등록규칙). We read the versions in force on October 23, 2026, on the government’s Korean Law Information Center.
The online steps and vehicle history checks come from Car365 (자동차365), the government’s vehicle registration and history site. The scam warnings come from a Seoul city notice for foreign residents. We didn’t use dealer sites, marketplace apps or forums.
The short answer
- Who can register a car: the registration rules accept a certificate of alien registration as an individual’s proof of address, so under these rules registered foreign residents can buy and register in their own name.
- Before paying: look the car up on Car365 and check for seizures and loans recorded against it.
- The deadline: the buyer must apply for the transfer within 15 days of buying the car.
- Dealer or private: a registered dealer must file the transfer for you and give you a written inspection record first. In a private sale, you file it yourself.
- Insurance: you need mandatory insurance in your name before you drive, and Car365’s online transfer checks for it.
Can you buy a car on your visa?
The registration rules don’t sort buyers by visa type. They require the registration office to confirm where the car will be kept, using a document that shows the owner’s address. For an individual, the rule lists three that count: a resident registration abstract, a driver’s license, or a certificate of alien registration (외국인등록사실증명).
So if you hold an Alien Registration Card, you can register a car in your name. We didn’t find a route in the rules for short-term visitors without registration. If that’s your situation, ask the registration office before you buy.
You’ll also need a license that lets you drive the car. Our guide to converting a foreign license covers which countries skip the written test and what to bring.
Dealer or private seller: what changes
Korea’s law treats a registered used car dealer (자동차매매업자) very differently from a private seller. The dealer takes on paperwork and duties that, in a private sale, fall on you.
| Registered dealer | Private seller | |
|---|---|---|
| Who files the transfer | The dealer, on your behalf, within 15 days of the final payment date | You, within 15 days of buying |
| Written notice before the contract | Required: inspection record, seizures and loans, fees | Not required |
| Seller’s seal or signature certificate | Not needed | Needed, unless the seller confirms the sale in person at the office |
| Compensation if the notice was false | Dealer liable, backed by guarantee insurance or a deposit | Not covered by these dealer rules |
What a dealer must give you. Article 58 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act says a dealer must hand the buyer a written notice before the contract is signed. It must include the car’s performance and condition inspection (성능·상태점검), including any flood damage, with photos and dated within 120 days, and it must state whether the car has any seizure or mortgage registered. It also covers the dealer’s fees and, if you ask, a price assessment.
If that notice is missing or false and you lose money, the dealer must compensate you. Dealers must carry guarantee insurance, mutual aid coverage or a deposit for this. When the sale is done, they must explain the coverage amount, the provider and the coverage period, and give you a copy of the certificate.
You can still file yourself. The Act lets a buyer file the transfer directly instead of the dealer. Most dealer sales won’t need this, but it’s an option if you’d rather handle it.
Check the car before any money moves
Car365 lets you look up a car you don’t own yet. How much you see depends on whether the owner has agreed to share the record. Car365’s own help pages describe three levels.
- Owner has agreed to share: seizures and loans, basic details, maintenance history, used car inspection records, inspection history, mileage history, unpaid car tax and mandatory insurance status.
- Owner hasn’t agreed: only the number of seizures and loans, plus basic details, insurance status and counts of unpaid car tax, inspections and used car inspections.
- Vehicle registration record (등록원부): shows seizures in section A (갑부) and mortgages in section B (을부). You need the car’s plate number and the owner’s name exactly as registered.
For cars listed in a dealer’s name, Car365 points to a separate lookup for vehicles held for sale. Ask the seller for the plate number early, before you travel to see the car.
Why seizures and loans matter. A seizure (압류) and a mortgage (저당) are both claims someone other than the owner has registered against the car. Car365 says a seizure has to be cleared with the body that registered it. Sort these out with the seller before you pay, not after.
Look at the car in person and take it for a test drive. Compare the registration certificate and registration record with the car in front of you, and with the person selling it.
Paying without getting burned
In July 2026, the Seoul city government warned foreign residents about used car scams on Karrot (당근마켓), the secondhand marketplace app. It named four common types.
- Fake listings: cars that don’t exist, or rental cars and other vehicles in someone else’s name sold as private cars.
- Third-party scams: someone in the middle deceives the buyer or the seller and takes the money.
- Hidden history: rolled-back mileage, or a car with an accident history sold as accident-free.
- Delivery scams: a buyer has the car delivered and then doesn’t pay for it or the delivery.
The city’s advice is to treat a price far below the market as a red flag. Don’t send any money in advance, including a deposit. Meet the seller, inspect and drive the car, check the registration documents, and confirm the seller is a legitimate business if it’s a dealer.
If you’re scammed, the city suggests gathering chats, transfer records and car documents and filing a complaint with the police, and reporting the user in the app. Seoul’s foreign residents center (서울외국인주민센터) offers free interpreting and legal consultations in seven languages, by appointment, at 02-2229-4900.
Transferring ownership within 15 days
Article 26 of the Registration Decree gives the buyer 15 days from the purchase date to apply for the transfer. When a dealer files it, the Registration Rule counts the 15 days from the final payment date on the transfer certificate.
If the buyer never files, the seller can file instead. The office then gives the buyer 7 to 15 days to apply or object before completing it. Leaving a transfer to the seller isn’t a plan, though, since the car stays in their name until it’s done.
You can file in person at a vehicle registration office (차량등록사업소, or the city, county or district office that handles registration), or online through Car365. Use the checker below to see which papers your situation needs.
Which papers does my transfer need?
Source: Motor Vehicle Registration Rule Articles 27, 33 and 34, Registration Decree Articles 26 and 27, Motor Vehicle Management Act Articles 12, 58 and 58-3, and Car365’s online transfer help pages. Last checked: October 23, 2026. The registration office makes the final decision, so treat this as a guide.
The papers, in detail
Article 33 of the Registration Rule sets the list. Every sale needs a transfer registration application (Form 14) and a vehicle transfer certificate (자동차양도증명서). The certificate uses Form 15 for a direct sale between two people and Form 16 when a dealer sells or arranges it.
The seller's certificate. In a private sale, the seller also provides one of three documents. It can be a seal certificate (인감증명서) issued for selling a car, with the buyer's name, address and registration number filled in. It can instead be a personal signature confirmation (본인서명사실확인서) or an electronic signature confirmation slip, with the same details.
This isn't needed when a dealer sells the car, when it's sold at a licensed auction, or when the seller confirms the sale in person at the registration office. Registered foreign residents can apply for the personal signature confirmation in person at a local government office, so a foreign seller isn't stuck without a seal.
Your proof of address. The office looks this up through shared government records, which for a foreign resident means the alien registration record. If you don't agree to that check, bring the certificate yourself. You can also send someone to file for you, with a power of attorney and a copy of your ID.
Filing online. Car365 offers online transfer for registered foreign residents, and the checker above lists its steps. Two limits are worth knowing. You must pay through the virtual account Car365 gives you, since paying elsewhere stops the online application. And tax-exempt or tax-reduced cars, or cars once registered for commercial use, can't be transferred online.
Insurance and registration costs
The Motor Vehicle Accident Compensation Guarantee Act (자동차손해배상보장법) requires every owner to carry mandatory liability insurance, and an uninsured car may not be driven on the road. Car365 adds that for an online transfer, the policy must name the buyer as the insured, with cover starting from the transfer date. A family policy that only lists you as an extra driver doesn't count.
Registration also comes with charges, and Car365's online steps name acquisition tax (취득세) and government bonds (공채) among them. Our guide to car insurance in Korea for foreigners explains the required cover, the fines for a gap and how insurance history from abroad can count. Our guide to car tax in Korea for foreigners explains how acquisition tax is worked out and what you pay each year after that.
After the transfer
Once the transfer is done, the office issues a new registration certificate in the buyer's name. Online, you print it from Car365. Keep a copy of the transfer certificate and your payment records with it.
Quick checklist before you pay
- Get the plate number and look the car up on Car365.
- Check for seizures and mortgages, and agree with the seller how they'll be cleared.
- From a dealer, get the written notice and the inspection record before you sign.
- See the car in person, drive it and match the documents to the seller.
- Don't pay a deposit in advance for a car you haven't seen.
- Arrange insurance in your name and plan the transfer within 15 days.
Rules can change and the registration office decides your case. For questions, Car365's help line is 1566-4682 (a paid call, weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), or ask your local vehicle registration office before you go. Once the car is yours, sort out insurance next, and our car insurance guide covers what the law requires.
Last checked: October 23, 2026. Sources: Motor Vehicle Management Act, Articles 12, 58 and 58-3 (Korean Law Information Center, in Korean); Motor Vehicle Registration Decree, Articles 26 and 27 (in Korean); Motor Vehicle Registration Rule, Articles 27, 33, 34 and 35 (in Korean); Act on Certification of Personal Signatures (in Korean); Motor Vehicle Accident Compensation Guarantee Act, Articles 5 and 8 (in Korean); Car365 help pages on online transfer, insurance checks and seizure lookups (in Korean); Seoul city portal for foreign residents, notice on Karrot used car scams of July 7, 2026 (in Korean).
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