Korean Job Discussion Forums

antoniothegreat · Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Location: Yangpyeong

I was reading this sight

http://www.efl-law.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1188&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

(i hope that worked) and it said that in Korea you must either produce an ARC card or a passport at any time for no reason upon the request of the police. I always carry my ARC, but my cousin came to visit me on an extended vacation, she is not working so has no ARC.

Is this true? Do I need to tell her to carry her passport at all times?

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

Yes, she should carry her passport at all times.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Yes. There is a big notice up at the immigration office in Mokdong whichsays that foreigners should carry either their passport or their ARC with them at all times.

That said in the 3 and a bit years I have been in Korea, I have never been asked to show it by a policeman only at the bank.

ilovebdt

kat2 · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Location: Busan, South Korea

DO NOT CARRY YOUR PASSPORT! No one has ever asked me for any ID on the street. Its just not worth risking losing your passport. If for some reason they are stopped, just show them a driver's license or something from home country. If they are really anal, you can always go get the passport. Its a rule, but I've never seen it enforced (just like every other law in Korea). I don't even carry my ARC with me when I go out on the weekends. Its not worth losing it.

faster · Joined: 03 Sep 2006

That is the law, but policemen don't just run around asking to see ARCs.

I wouldn't carry a passport, but I always carry my ARC. I've lost both before, and the ARC is much easier to replace.

antoniothegreat · Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Location: Yangpyeong

i have never been asked to see my ARC/passport besides at the bank, but i dont want her to get in trouble.

thanks for the replies.

Does an American driver's license count as ID?

europe2seoul · Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Location: Seoul, Korea

Benicio · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:10 pm Post subject:

DO NOT CARRY YOUR PASSPORT everywhere you go while on vacation!

Keep it in a secure location. Had a friend here who had the peculiar habit of taking hers everywhere, even though she had an ARC card. Her purse got stolen in a bar and she lost both.
Not a fun thing to happen.
It was totally unnecessary for her to bring it with her.

The only time I was asked to show my ARC card on the street, and this has been many years, is some weirdo at the train station who said he was a police officer, but refused me to show his ID first. I walked away.

As for purses and bags getting stolen in bars, it happens from time to time, so don't be too cavalier with your things in public!

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

In Japan you must always have your registration card or passport on you at all times. Failure to produce it when asked by a police officer will get you locked up. Even if you say "But I have it at home. Come on, I'll show it to you." There was a post about this recently, I think on this board.

Carrying your passport around is a bad idea.

antoniothegreat · Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Location: Yangpyeong

good advice, i like the photocopy idea.

i am sure no one will asked, but i dont want to get a call from the police and have to go bail her out.

thanks all.

oneofthesarahs · Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Location: Sacheon City

Regardless of law, it's always a good idea to have some form of identification on you no matter where you go. It sounds morbid, but you never know when something could happen to you and the police need to ID you. I carry my ARC card with me always, but I wouldn't do the same with a passport. The photocopy idea sounds like a good compromise if you don't have an ARC card.

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

Just carry around a photocopy of your passport. Bring your original passport if you need to go to the Bank or someplace where a photocopy isn't good enough.

When in doubt, make a beeline to the US embassy.

Chicoloco · Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Location: In the ring.

One afternoon in Guro I was jumped by two immigration guys who looked as if their job training consisted of watching the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" video and reruns of the "The Streets of San Francisco."

One was about 5 feet 1 and the other about 6 feet 3. They were wearing the worst fitting suits I have ever seen, complete with sweat stains under the arms and big shiny badges hanging around their necks.

When they looked at my ARC and saw that I was Irish, the larger one slapped the smaller one on the back of the head "바보"
Apparently they were looking for a Yemeni Arab...... Shocked

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

I agree the copy of your passport in your wallet is a good idea in addition to carrying your ARC card. I had a copy in my wallet the first two years I was here, but the copy faded bad and I ended up tearing it up and throwing it away.

Pyongshin Sangja · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Location: I love baby!

By law, yes. In practice, rarely.