Resident Registration Cards Can Now Be Newly Issued Anywhere Nationwide... Measures Also Established for Address Changes of Overseas Residents

Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act Approved at the Cabinet Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] It will become possible to issue a new resident registration card anywhere nationwide, and measures for changing the domestic address of overseas residents will be established.

On the 5th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act, which allows new issuance of resident registration cards anywhere nationwide, was approved at the Cabinet meeting. The approved Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act includes ▲new issuance of resident registration cards anywhere nationwide ▲establishment of measures for changing the address of overseas residents ▲omission of post-verification when submitting documents within 5 days from the date of moving-in report. It will be enforced six months after promulgation.

When applying for a new resident registration card, it will be possible to apply and receive it at all town, township, and neighborhood community service centers nationwide. Previously, new issuance applications and receipt were only possible at the community service center with jurisdiction over the applicant’s resident registration address, but from now on, residents aged 17 or older receiving their resident registration card for the first time can apply and receive it anywhere nationwide. In particular, teenagers can easily apply for and receive their resident registration cards near their schools.

Legal grounds for change reports by overseas residents will also be established, allowing the domestic address of overseas residents to be changed to the household they belong to or an administratively managed address. For overseas residents, there has been a persistent issue of lacking proper grounds to change their address due to family moves after reporting overseas residence and departure. Accordingly, by introducing a change report system for overseas residents, it will be possible to move to another household they belong to or, if there is no household, to move to an administratively managed address at the town, township office, or neighborhood community service center.

Furthermore, if documents such as sales contracts or lease agreements confirming the move-in are submitted within 5 days from the moving-in report date, post-verification visits by the community leader will be omitted. Previously, residents had to bring supporting documents such as sales contracts or lease agreements on the day of the moving-in report to skip the procedure where the community leader visits the household to verify whether the resident actually lives there or if it is a disguised move-in, causing inconvenience to residents.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Decree also stipulates detailed methods for applying for the ‘Mobile Resident Registration Card Verification Service,’ which is scheduled to be fully implemented from July. Choi Hoon, Director of Local Autonomy and Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “We have revised the Enforcement Decree of the Resident Registration Act so that the public can use it safely and conveniently,” and added, “We will continue to strive to create a resident registration system that enhances convenience from the perspective of the people.”