How to Get Departure Guarantee Insurance and Return Cost Insurance

The 4 special insurances

Insurance	Who joins	Deadline to join	Amount
Departure guarantee insurance/trust (출국만기보험·신탁)	Employer	Within 15 days from the start date of the work contract	8.3% of monthly ordinary wage (basic regular pay)
Wage guarantee insurance (임금체불 보증보험, for unpaid wages)	Employer	Within 15 days from the start date of the work contract	Fee 16,000원 per person per year, guaranteed amount 400만 원 per person
Return cost insurance/trust (귀국비용보험·신탁)	Worker	Within 3 months from the start date of the work contract	40만, 50만 or 60만 원, depending on country
Accident insurance (상해보험)	Worker	Within 15 days from the start date of the work contract	Depends on sex and age. For a 30-year-old man, 9,100원 per year

The worker must join two insurances (return cost insurance and accident insurance). If you do not join them by the deadline, you may get a fine (과태료, administrative fine) of up to 500만 원. Usually, you join them during your job training after you arrive in Korea.

Accident insurance covers death or permanent disability that happens outside of work. It pays up to 3,000만 원. If you get hurt while working (work accident), it is not covered by accident insurance. It is handled by industrial accident insurance (산재보험).

Return cost insurance amounts

Group	Country	Amount
Group 1	China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam	40만 원
Group 2	Mongolia	50만 원
Group 3	Sri Lanka	60만 원
Other countries	Countries not listed above	50만 원

You can pay all at once or in up to 3 payments. To check which group your country is in, look at your insurance certificate, call 1345, or ask your nearest 고용센터 (Job Center).

Steps to get departure guarantee insurance money

1. Departure notice (1 month before your departure date) Report to the 고용센터. You can do it in person, by fax, or on the EPS website (www.eps.go.kr).
   • Documents to submit: departure notice form (출국예정신고서), copy of plane ticket, passport, 외국인등록증 (alien registration card)
   • After you report, you get a 출국예정사실확인서 (confirmation of planned departure). You need it to apply for the insurance money.
2. Apply for the insurance money (from 1 month before to at least 7 days before your departure date) Apply to Samsung Fire (삼성화재, the insurance company). You can use fax, the 'EPS 전용보험' app, or the local service desk.
   • Fax number: in Korea 0505-161-1421 / from abroad 82-505-161-1421
   • Questions: ARS 1600-0266 / from abroad 82-2-2261-8400 (weekdays 09:00~18:00)
3. Payment (within 14 days after departure is confirmed) When the Ministry of Justice confirms your departure, the money is paid within 14 days in the way you chose. If you applied after leaving Korea, or applied for a reason such as a change of visa status, it is paid within 14 days from the date you applied.

4 ways to receive the money

When you apply, choose one of the ways below.

1) To a Korean remittance-only account (송금전용계좌) You need: application form and consent form, 출국예정사실확인서, copy of passport, copy of 외국인등록증, copy of the remittance-only account. The account must be registered with your foreign exchange bank (거래외국환은행).

2) To a regular Korean bank account You need: application form and consent form, 출국예정사실확인서, copy of passport, copy of 외국인등록증, copy of your Korean bank account.

3) To a bank account abroad You need: application form and consent form, copy of passport, copy of your home country bank account. You can receive it only to an account in your own country (your nationality). You must write the SWIFT CODE on the application form.

4) At the airport currency exchange (on the day you leave) You need: application form and consent form, copy of passport, copy of 외국인등록증, 출국예정사실확인서, copy of Korean bank account, copy of plane ticket. At Incheon Airport, it is open 07:30~01:59. You must arrive at the airport at least 4 hours before your flight.

How to apply after you go home

Even if you left Korea without applying, you can still get the money.

• Send your documents by international fax to 82-505-161-1421.
• Install the 'EPS 전용보험' app, sign up, and make a claim. To sign up, you need your alien registration number (or passport number), nationality, sex, and date of birth. You can also check your claim and its progress in the app.
• Call 82-2-2261-8400 for help.

In this case, the money is paid within 14 days from the date you apply. You must claim the insurance money within 3 years from the date you became eligible to receive it.

What to prepare (get ready in advance)

• Passport and 외국인등록증 (save photos of copies)
• Plane ticket (copy of e-ticket)
• Home country bank account number and SWIFT CODE
• Copy of your Korean bankbook
• 근로계약서 (work contract) and 급여명세서 (pay slips) for the last 3 months (to calculate the severance pay difference)
• Install the Samsung Fire app and sign up

You must return your 외국인등록증 when you leave Korea. So it is good to keep a copy before you return it.

Things to be careful about

• Departure guarantee insurance money can be different from the legal severance pay. The insurance builds up at 8.3% of your monthly ordinary wage. If your wage went up or you did a lot of overtime, the legal severance pay is bigger. The employer must pay this difference (Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Workers Employment Act, Article 21). Calculate it before you leave. If it is not enough, ask for it. If the employer refuses, you can file a complaint (진정) at your local labor office (지방고용노동관서).
• If you leave Korea after working less than 1 year, the employer takes the departure guarantee insurance money. In this case, there is also no legal severance pay.
• You can apply even if your visa status changes. If you change to a visa like E-7-4 and stay in Korea, you can still apply for the money. Check the conditions with the 고용센터 or Samsung Fire.
• If you do not make a departure notice, your insurance application will not go forward. When it is 1 month before you leave, do this notice first.
• Wage guarantee insurance is not paid automatically. First, you must report the unpaid wages to 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) and get a 체불 임금등·사업주 확인서 (certificate of unpaid wages and employer). Then you can claim the insurance money. The limit is 400만 원 per person. To find out which insurance company your employer joined, ask the 고용센터 or call 1345.
• If your boss is keeping your insurance documents, ask for copies. The company is not allowed to keep your original passport or 외국인등록증.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do I get return cost insurance money? A. Make a departure notice, then submit the confirmation to claim it. You apply at the same place as departure guarantee insurance (Samsung Fire, ARS 1600-0266). It is easier to apply for both insurances together.

Q. Can I find out in advance how much I will get? A. You can check the expected amount in the 'EPS 전용보험' app or on the Samsung Fire foreign worker insurance website.

Q. My company did not join departure guarantee insurance. A. It is the employer's legal duty. If they did not join, you can ask the employer directly for your full severance pay. You can also report the failure to join to your local labor office (지방고용노동관서).

Q. Which is better: getting the money at the airport or to a bank account? A. At the airport, you get the money right away on the day you leave. But you must arrive 4 hours early, and the opening hours are limited. With a bank account, the money comes within 14 days after you leave. If you have a lot of luggage and little time, a bank account is safer.

Q. I already closed my bank account. A. Apply to receive the money to a bank account abroad. It must be an account in your own name, in your own country, and you need the SWIFT CODE.

Where to get help

Organization	Phone	What they help with
Samsung Fire Foreign Worker Insurance Center	1600-0266 / from abroad 82-2-2261-8400	Apply for and check insurance money. Weekdays 09:00~18:00
Samsung Fire fax	in Korea 0505-161-1421 / from abroad 82-505-161-1421	Sending documents
Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터)	1345	Help in 20 languages, 3-way call interpretation
Migrant Worker Counseling Center (외국인력상담센터)	1577-0071	Labor counseling in many languages, including Nepali. 365 days, 09:00~18:00. Staff on duty on Saturdays and public holidays
고용노동부 Customer Center	1350	Severance pay difference and unpaid wages
Employment Permit System (외국인고용관리시스템)	www.eps.go.kr	Departure notice, insurance information