Pregnant Women Living in Seoul, Anyone Can Receive 700,000 Won for Transportation Costs

'Seoul Residency of Over 6 Months' Requirement Abruptly Abolished
700,000 Won Voucher Per Person ... No Regional Restrictions

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is abolishing the residency requirement for 'Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses' support, following the Seoul-style postpartum care expenses and infertility treatment expenses. As a measure to overcome the ultra-low birthrate crisis, any pregnant woman residing in Seoul can equally receive 700,000 KRW in transportation support.

On the 17th, Seoul announced that as part of the 'Birth Support Seoul Project' to overcome the low birthrate, the requirement of 'residing in Seoul for more than 6 months' will be removed to ensure that pregnant women living in Seoul do not miss out on transportation support. This follows the passage of the partial amendment to the 'Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on Childbirth and Childcare Support.'

A Seoul city official stated, "In the serious situation of the low birthrate problem, it is necessary to minimize entry barriers for those who want to have children," adding, "We have decided to significantly lower the threshold for pregnancy and childbirth-related support."

'Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses' can be applied for from the third month of pregnancy until three months after childbirth. Until now, if the continuous residency period in Seoul did not meet 6 months as of the application date, pregnant women registered in Seoul were unable to receive support, which was regrettable. Since its implementation in July 2022, there have been 850 cases where transportation expense applications were rejected due to not meeting the 6-month residency requirement.

With this measure, pregnant women can select from six contracted credit card companies and apply to receive the support as points (700,000 KRW) on the chosen credit card. The usage period is from the voucher support date until the end of the month six months after the child's birth date (resident registration date), allowing up to 13 months of use if supported from the third month of pregnancy. The transportation expenses can be used without regional restrictions for ▲buses, subways, and other public transportation ▲taxis ▲private vehicle fuel costs ▲railways (trains). Payments are deducted using the allocated points on the credit card. Thanks to these benefits, 40,167 pregnant women received 'Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses' support last year alone.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, if applying during pregnancy, to verify pregnancy, applicants must first apply through the Government24 Mom Comfortable Pregnancy application under 'Local Government Pregnancy Support Services → Seoul Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses Support,' then apply on the Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses support website.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Policy Office, said, "The Pregnant Women Transportation Expenses project is aimed at making the journey of mothers and children happier together, but until now, some could not receive support due to the 6-month residency requirement, so we decided to abolish it," adding, "With this abolition, we hope all pregnant women in Seoul can go out more comfortably."