Getting a Driver's License and Exchanging a Foreign License

Driving with an international driving permit

• Under Road Traffic Act Article 96, you can drive in Korea for 1 year from the date you entered Korea if you have a valid international driving permit from a convention country.
• You can drive only the types of vehicles written on your international driving permit.
• If you keep driving after 1 year, it counts as driving without a license.
• If you leave Korea and come back, ask 도로교통공단 at 1577-1120 whether the 1-year period starts again.
• Nepal is not on the list of Geneva Convention and Vienna Convention countries given by 도로교통공단. Before you drive, you must call 1577-1120 to check whether an international driving permit issued in Nepal is valid in Korea. (Needs official confirmation)

Exchanging a foreign license for a Korean license

Korea puts countries into two groups.

Group	Steps
License from a country that accepts Korean licenses	Aptitude test (health check) only
License from any other country	Aptitude test + written test (40 multiple-choice questions)

• Nepal is not on the list of countries with mutual license recognition (25 countries in Asia) given by 외교부 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). So the basic rule is that you must take both the aptitude test and the written test to exchange a Nepali license. Call 1577-1120 again before you apply.
• For the exchange, you can take the written test in Korean, English, Chinese or Vietnamese. Nepali is not offered.
• As a basic rule, the license you get through the exchange is a Class 2 Regular (제2종 보통) license.

What to bring

1. Your original foreign driver's license
2. Your original passport
3. Your original 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card)
4. 3 color passport photos (3.5cm × 4.5cm, taken within the last 6 months)
5. An embassy confirmation letter or an apostille certificate for your license (issued within 1 year before the application date, in Korean or English). An apostille is an official stamp that proves a document is real.
6. 출입국사실 증명서 (certificate of entry and exit records)
7. Issuing fee

Steps

1. Get the embassy confirmation letter or apostille first. It can take a long time, so do this before anything else.
2. Go in person to a 운전면허시험장 (driver's license test center). There is one in each region. No one else can apply for you.
3. Take the aptitude test (health check). You pay a separate fee for this test.
4. Take the written test if it applies to you.
5. Get your license. A regular license costs 10,000원. A mobile IC license costs 15,000원.
6. For some countries, the test center keeps your foreign license. Ask at the test center.

Getting a new license in Korea

1. Take 1 hour of traffic safety education.
2. Take the health check (aptitude test). It checks your eyesight, color vision, hearing and more.
3. Take the written test. To pass, you need 70 points or more for Class 1, and 60 points or more for Class 2. Your pass is valid for 1 year.
4. Take the skills test. This test is inside the test center. If you fail, you can try again after 3 days.
5. Get a learner's license (연습운전면허). It is valid for 1 year. When you practice, a person with 2 or more years of driving experience must sit next to you.
6. Take the road test. This test is on real roads. If you pass, you get your license.

For a new license, the foreign languages offered for the written test and the test fees may be different at each test center. Check first with 도로교통공단 at 1577-1120 or with the test center you will visit. (Needs official confirmation)

Mopeds and motorcycles

• You can take the test for a moped license (원동기장치자전거 면허) if you are 16 years old or older.
• As a basic rule, with a Class 1 or Class 2 Regular license you can ride a moped of 125cc or less.
• For a motorcycle over 125cc, you need a separate Class 2 Small (제2종 소형) license. You can take this test if you are 18 years old or older.
• If you want to do delivery work, check first which license you need. Riding a delivery motorcycle without a license is driving without a license.

Be careful

• Driving without a license breaks Road Traffic Act Article 43. Under Article 152, the penalty is up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 3,000,000원.
• Driving after your international driving permit's 1 year has ended is also driving without a license.
• Driving without a license is a crime. If you get a fine, it can affect your visa extension or a change of your visa status.
• Do not borrow or lend a driver's license. You can be punished for this.
• Car insurance often does not pay for accidents caused by a driver without a license.
• You may need to get the embassy confirmation letter in your home country. It is a good idea to prepare it during your vacation.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I use my Nepali license as it is? A. You cannot drive in Korea with only your foreign license. You need an international driving permit, or you must exchange it for a Korean license.

Q. Can I take the written test in Nepali? A. The exchange test is offered only in Korean, English, Chinese and Vietnamese. For the languages of the test for a new license, call 1577-1120.

Q. What if my name or address changes after I get my license? A. You can change it at a 운전면허시험장 or a police station (경찰서). You must also change the address on your alien registration separately.

Q. Where are the license test centers? A. There are 운전면허시험장 all over the country. You can find one near you at www.safedriving.or.kr.

Where to get help

• 한국도로교통공단 (Korea Road Traffic Authority) Customer Center 1577-1120 (help in foreign languages available)
• Safe Driving Online Services (안전운전 통합민원) www.safedriving.or.kr
• 외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center) 1345 (many languages)
• 외국인력상담센터 (Migrant Worker Counseling Center) 1577-0071 (many languages, including Nepali)