My ARC Card Biometric Experience in Korea

23 April 2025

As an international student, the immigration office is a major part of our lives. As I mentioned in my last blog, our college arranged a visit to the immigration office for our biometric process for the ARC card. In Korea, the ARC (Alien Registration Card) is mandatory.

Today, I am going to write this blog to provide information on how we can apply for the ARC card and what we have to do at the immigration office. I will also state what are the documents needed for the biometric procedure.

They help students in all colleges with filling out the application form for the ARC card. The ARC card costs 35,000 won. You must go to the immigration office with your passport, and they will take your fingerprints—that is pretty much it for the biometric process.

Let me share my experience. We were texted by our professor on 22 April to gather for our immigration office trip for biometrics. We left the college around 9:20 AM and reached the immigration office around 11:20 AM or later. We waited in line, and when it was our turn, they just asked for our passport and took fingerprints. That's it. Then we returned to our dorm.

I know the university assisted us in applying for our ARC, so things were straightforward this time. Let's see what happens when the ARC has to be renewed down the line.

That's all for now.

summary

International students in Korea are required to have an ARC (Alien Registration Card). Fortunately, most colleges assist students in filling out the ARC application form, making the process easier. The application fee for the ARC card is 35,000 won. To complete the biometric process, students need to bring their passport and provide their fingerprints. On April 22, me with my classmates visited the immigration office for their biometrics. The process was straightforward, involving just a passport check and fingerprinting. With the university’s support, everything went smoothly. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting to see how the ARC renewal process will be handled in the future.

This is Sanjay Phuyal signing off.