Driving in Korea

Below you will find some information about driving license for foreigners, as well as some useful links. Please note that since this is about the Korean law, the correctness, completeness and timeliness of this information is not guaranteed.

Citizens of the European Union and Switzerland may drive in Korea for up to one year with their national driving license, in conjunction with their international driving license (issued in the home country), vehicle classes designated in their license.

People staying in Korea for more than one year must exchange their national driving license for a Korean one - please refer to the specific information from your embassy. In this case, the Korean driving license office only recognizes the driver’s car license. When exchanging a foreign license for a Korean license, truck and motorcycle licenses are not accepted, as these require the successful completion of a renewed practical examination.

Important note: Minibuses with more than 9 seats (e.g. Hyundai Starex / KIA Carnival) cannot be driven with the Korean driving car license class 2!

When exchanging your national driving license intoto a Korean license, your national license will be held by the authorities and can be retrieved by you upon your next departure from Korea, for which you may need to submit your travel ticket to the relevant authorities.

Korean Driving License Authorities (Korean/English): 

KoROAD
License Acquisition Process