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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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mandoo
Joined: 25 Mar 2008
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 Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:39 am Post subject: Getting a Korean Driver's License (US citizens plz.) |
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I want to get a Korean license. The licensing website said that foreigners need to get their licenses verified by their embassies. Maybe this is a fairly new regulation, because I know people who didn't have to do this in the past.
I checked the US embassy site and there isn't any info. about the verification of US licenses. I don't want to wait 3-5 days for a response from the embassy @.@ So my questions are for US drivers w/a Korean license: did you have to provide verfication, and also, did you have to turn-in your US license in exchange for a Korean license...? My friend is under the impression that you have to surrender your foreign license. I suppose I can get a new one, but it'll cost me about $45 if I remember correctly.
Thanks for your help!
Last edited by mandoo on Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
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sadguy
Joined: 13 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:55 am Post subject: |
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yes, you need to get your license verified by signing an affidavit at the embassy and yes you need to turn in your license.
i got mine this past january so unless they changed laws in the past 3 months... |
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mandoo
Joined: 25 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:06 am Post subject: |
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| sadguy wrote: |
yes, you need to get your license verified by signing an affidavit at the embassy and yes you need to turn in your license.
i got mine this past january so unless they changed laws in the past 3 months... |
Thanks for your help. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of running around in the next couple of days. =( |
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ACT III
Joined: 14 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:02 am Post subject: |
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| If you don't want to surrender your old license, you can always get the international license, places like AAA back in the states will give this silly looking pamphlet thing with your photo glued to the back page. It works, but I'm not sure if it'll work if you're buying a car here in Korea and trying to register it. |
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Ruthdes
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:19 am Post subject: |
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I had to surrender my Australian licence, but when I went abroad, I just went in with my plane ticket and they gave me my licence back (and didn't demand my Korean licence as a swap). Consequently, now I have both. Obviously, as this is Korea, it will probably depend on the person who helps you on the particular day as to which regulations are or aren't followed.
So:
Go to the US embassy; pay the extortionist fee you have to pay to get anything done because there is no competition in the world of bureaucracy; take the certification to the Korean Road Traffic Authority (or whatever their name is here); fill out the paperwork; do the physical test (squat and eye test); have photos taken; do the written test; and (if you pass the written test first time through), get your Korean licence. |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:23 am Post subject: |
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Well this may not likely be the route you want to go, but when i got my Korean license, I just didn't mention anything about an American license, and just took the same tests as Koreans take.
In my case, my US license expired about two weeks before coming, and I didn't bother to renew it, so i couldn't have used it anyway. Getting the Korean license wasn't all that difficult..maybe 2 days to complete all of the tests (assuming you pass them all on the first try)
Just putting that out there as an option. |
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noky
Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Location: Yeongcheon
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
Well this may not likely be the route you want to go, but when i got my Korean license, I just didn't mention anything about an American license, and just took the same tests as Koreans take.
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Is there a driving component to this test?
If I turn in my US License, so I have to go to the embassy in Seoul? Is there anyway to do it remotely? Seoul is quite the trip for me. |
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Ruthdes
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| noky wrote: |
| Is there a driving component to this test? |
Yes. There may be a mandatory driving hagwon component, even if you already know how to drive. Maybe someone who's done it this way can comment on that.
| noky wrote: |
| If I turn in my US License, so I have to go to the embassy in Seoul? Is there anyway to do it remotely? Seoul is quite the trip for me. |
Not sure about this one. Why not call the embassy and ask them. You're not actually turning it in, you're getting a certificate from them that says that it's a real American licence. You give your US licence to the Korean authorities when you get your Korean licence, and they keep it for you until you go abroad. |
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ccikulin
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Location: Sunae-dong, Bundang
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, I didn't have to do half of the stuff you guys are talking about here. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I can tell you what I did to get my Korean license, and it wasn't nearly as difficult as it's being made out to be. I did this two years ago, so maybe some things have changed since then. I went to the Korean equivalent of the DMV nearest to me (was about a 15min bus ride. Had my coteacher find directions for me), Once there, I filled out a little paper work, paid a fee, took an eye exam and then took a 20 question multiple choice test on a computer (it was in English, but the translation was just awful. I did not understand about 3 of the questions at all) Anyway, I passed the test, then turned in my U.S. drivers license and was issued a Korean license.
What I had to bring with me: My US license, some passport sized photos, my passport, my ARC card, and some money to pay the different fees.
I recommend having a Korean coteacher find the Korean DMV nearest to you and calling them to find out exactly what you have to bring before you waste too much time running around to the embassy and other places. |
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sadguy
Joined: 13 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| ccikulin wrote: |
Wow, I didn't have to do half of the stuff you guys are talking about here. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I can tell you what I did to get my Korean license, and it wasn't nearly as difficult as it's being made out to be. I did this two years ago, so maybe some things have changed since then. I went to the Korean equivalent of the DMV nearest to me (was about a 15min bus ride. Had my coteacher find directions for me), Once there, I filled out a little paper work, paid a fee, took an eye exam and then took a 20 question multiple choice test on a computer (it was in English, but the translation was just awful. I did not understand about 3 of the questions at all) Anyway, I passed the test, then turned in my U.S. drivers license and was issued a Korean license.
What I had to bring with me: My US license, some passport sized photos, my passport, my ARC card, and some money to pay the different fees.
I recommend having a Korean coteacher find the Korean DMV nearest to you and calling them to find out exactly what you have to bring before you waste too much time running around to the embassy and other places. |
you didn't have to do "half the stuff" everyone else did? the only difference between what you did and what people do now is the affidavit for the US license. everything else is the same. |
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ccikulin
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Location: Sunae-dong, Bundang
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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| sadguy wrote: |
| ccikulin wrote: |
Wow, I didn't have to do half of the stuff you guys are talking about here. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I can tell you what I did to get my Korean license, and it wasn't nearly as difficult as it's being made out to be. I did this two years ago, so maybe some things have changed since then. I went to the Korean equivalent of the DMV nearest to me (was about a 15min bus ride. Had my coteacher find directions for me), Once there, I filled out a little paper work, paid a fee, took an eye exam and then took a 20 question multiple choice test on a computer (it was in English, but the translation was just awful. I did not understand about 3 of the questions at all) Anyway, I passed the test, then turned in my U.S. drivers license and was issued a Korean license.
What I had to bring with me: My US license, some passport sized photos, my passport, my ARC card, and some money to pay the different fees.
I recommend having a Korean coteacher find the Korean DMV nearest to you and calling them to find out exactly what you have to bring before you waste too much time running around to the embassy and other places. |
you didn't have to do "half the stuff" everyone else did? the only difference between what you did and what people do now is the affidavit for the US license. everything else is the same. |
Sounds so much easier to do without that part of it though, wouldn't you say? |
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deizio
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Ruthdes wrote: |
| I had to surrender my Australian licence, but when I went abroad, I just went in with my plane ticket and they gave me my licence back (and didn't demand my Korean licence as a swap). Consequently, now I have both. |
The plane ticket thing doesn't make any sense to me, as you might want to send your licence somewhere for ID purposes without leaving the country - the UK police computer check (at least under 2008 rules, not sure about now), for example.
When I went to get mine back I was going home soon but hadn't brought a ticket. After a bit of back-and-forth ("It's my licence. Take yours and give it to me." "No." etc.) they let me print out my e-ticket on a computer at the DMV. However, they didn't seem in any mood to give it to me without a ticket, which I'm sure has lead to some heated conversations at DMVs in Korea. Maybe you could reserve an itinerary on Expedia without booking it and print that off, might do the trick... |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:25 am Post subject: |
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| noky wrote: |
| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
Well this may not likely be the route you want to go, but when i got my Korean license, I just didn't mention anything about an American license, and just took the same tests as Koreans take.
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Is there a driving component to this test?
If I turn in my US License, so I have to go to the embassy in Seoul? Is there anyway to do it remotely? Seoul is quite the trip for me. |
As far as the second question, I have no info on that.
In regards to the first, I took a CBT, eye exam, had to sit through a 2 or 3 hour driving safety seminar, then do a driving course test, and finally a road test.
Like another poster said, if you already have a VALID US license you may be able to just take the CBT and eye exams. In my particular case, even though I had been driving for 12 years prior, I took all of the same tests as any Korean would take as if I was getting a license for the first time. |
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noobteacher
Joined: 27 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:38 am Post subject: |
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I just went through the affidavit process and it is super easy. Make your appt with the Embassy, show up with cash, your U.S. license, and your ARC card. You fill out the affidavit form when you get there, pay your money, they make you swear that your license is real, and then you are sent on your way with your certification. Next part, just take it to your local driver's license office, you take the written test, squat test, eye test, pay your fees and exchange your U.S. license for your new Korean license.
As far as the affidavit is concerned, it IS a requirement so you must go through the process and it MUST be done in person. If Seoul is too far, then the Embassy does these services in Busan once a month. If you google U.S. Embassy Busan you should be able to find the dates on the site.
It is a huge PIA, but if it means being able to get some wheels, than I think it is totally worth it. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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| ACT III wrote: |
| If you don't want to surrender your old license, you can always get the international license, places like AAA back in the states will give this silly looking pamphlet thing with your photo glued to the back page. It works, but I'm not sure if it'll work if you're buying a car here in Korea and trying to register it. |
This is good on a short-term visa or for your first 3 months on a long-term visa (before you have an ARC). Once you have an ARC for your long-term visa, your intl. license is useless in Korea and you need a Korean license.
Many people don't care and drive illegally. This works great until you are in a wreck and your insurance, if you have it, is invalid because you are driving illegally. The costs will be in millions depending on your situation. |
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