Passport renewal South Korea costs 52,000 won for a 10-year, 58-page adult passport and 49,000 won for the 26-page version, since the fee increase of 1 March 2026. Korea treats renewal as a reissue, so you apply for a new passport online through Government24 (Gov24) or KB Star Banking if you’ve held an electronic passport before, or in person at a passport office. Gov24 lists 8 days in total for an ordinary passport, excluding Saturdays and public holidays.
If you’re working out passport renewal South Korea for a trip, the biggest question is whether you can apply online. You can only if you’ve held an electronic passport (e-passport, the chip-embedded passport) before, and you still have to collect the new passport in person. This guide covers the 2026 fee table, the online and in-person routes, the photo rules, the processing time, military-service rules for men, applications from abroad and the mistakes that cost applicants a trip to the office. It draws on a Visafoto fee page, a TRVLogue guide published 27 August 2026 and updated 2 October 2026, a Braindetox procedure guide dated 29 September 2026, and an Asiae report on online reissuance. These are private information and news sites, not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so confirm the fee and the document list on the passport portal before you pay. For how renewal works in the United States, see our passport renewal guide.
How Does Passport Renewal South Korea Work?
You reissue the passport, either online with an earlier e-passport or in person at a passport acceptance office. TRVLogue explains that renewal means getting a new passport whether the current one has expired or not. Braindetox adds that a first-time passport must be applied for in person and that online applications aren’t accepted for it.
There are two routes.
- Online: Use Gov24 or KB Star Banking, verify your identity online and upload a digital photo. Overseas, use the Overseas Koreans 365 portal, but only at diplomatic missions that handle passport work, according to Braindetox.
- In person: Visit a passport acceptance office with your ID card, one printed photo and the old passport if it’s still valid.
TRVLogue says online applications aren’t allowed for a Romanized name change or an emergency passport. Braindetox lists the in-person cases: first-time applicants, emergency passport applicants, repeat losers and name changes.
Asiae reports that applicants still need to visit a civil service counter at least once, which matches the collection rule below. In practice, online renewal saves you the queue at the application stage, but it doesn’t spare you the trip to pick the passport up, so plan the visit around the office’s opening hours. The article doesn’t give a month or year for its announcement, so treat its details as background.
How Much Does Passport Renewal South Korea Cost?
52,000 won for a 10-year, 58-page adult passport and 49,000 won for the 26-page one. Visafoto and Braindetox publish the same table, effective 1 March 2026.
Braindetox adds an emergency non-electronic passport at 50,000 won (17,000 won with proof of a relative’s death or critical condition) and a travel certificate at 25,000 won. Visafoto lists a name or ID correction at 5,000 won and a damaged-passport reissue at the regular fee for that type. TRVLogue converts the 26-page 10-year fee to about $34 and the 58-page version to about $36, and says choosing PAYCO as the payment method slightly lowers the fee without giving an amount.
The sources conflict on one point. The Korean press release reportedly put the increase at 2,000 won, while an embassy notice cited by Braindetox says 2 US dollars, and the original comparison table wasn’t available. Visafoto says that abroad the 5-year fees in dollars don’t match the won amounts, for example $45 against 44,000 won, while the 10-year and 1-year fees do match. Ask your mission for the exact dollar fee.
What Photo Do You Need?
A photo taken within the last six months on a plain white background, with no retouching. TRVLogue gives the specifications.
- Printed photo: 1.4 by 1.8 inches (about 3.5 by 4.5 cm), uniform white background.
- Online file: JPG or JPEG, under 500 KB, recommended size 413 by 531 pixels.
- No filters, AI retouching, background removal or compositing.
Braindetox says Gov24 warns that a passport issued with an older or edited photo may be canceled without a refund. Asiae reports that when the verification program rejects a photo, applicants keep the information they entered and only re-upload the photo, where they previously lost everything. The same report says a rejected application paid by credit card is now refunded automatically.
Which Documents Do You Need?
The application form, a government-issued photo ID, one photo and your old passport if it’s still valid. Braindetox lists these.
- The application form.
- A valid government-issued ID with a photo.
- One passport photo taken within the last six months.
- The old passport, if it’s still valid.
Family relationship records aren’t needed if the office can check them through the shared government network. Minors need a guardian consent form and related documents. A relative within the second degree who is 18 or older can apply for a minor with a power of attorney, according to the same source. TRVLogue says minors and people with special circumstances may face different requirements.
How Long Does It Take?
Gov24 lists 8 days in total for an ordinary passport, excluding Saturdays and public holidays. Braindetox reports that figure and says emergency passports and travel certificates are listed at 1 day. It adds that the passport portal itself gives no processing-day figure, so timeframes quoted elsewhere have no official basis. TRVLogue states no processing time.
Eight days that exclude Saturdays and holidays stretch to about nine or ten calendar days, and a public holiday adds more. Add the time it takes to travel to the office for pickup, and file at least three weeks before you fly.
How Do You Collect the Passport?
You pick it up in person at the office you chose, and you can’t change that office after applying. TRVLogue says passports aren’t mailed to your home, adults must collect them, and online applicants must collect them too. Braindetox says the same about the unchangeable pickup location.
The sources contradict each other here. TRVLogue’s in-person table lists a proxy or mail option “with conditions” for pickup without explaining the conditions, and Braindetox notes that Gov24 mentions paid postal delivery while also saying online applications must be collected in person. Ask the office that accepts your application whether delivery is possible in your case.
What Do Men Who Haven’t Completed Military Service Need?
Applications received from 1 May 2025 can get a 10-year multiple-entry passport without military-service documents. Braindetox reports this change. The overseas travel permit system under the Military Manpower Administration still applies separately, so check that before you book a trip. Visafoto says 5-year passports are issued to minors and to men who haven’t completed military service, which conflicts with the Braindetox report, and the passport portal’s military-service page still shows older fees of 50,000 and 15,000 won. Confirm the current rule with the passport office.
What Happens If Your Passport Is Lost, Damaged or Needed in an Emergency?
A replacement before expiry costs 27,000 won, and an emergency passport costs 50,000 won. Visafoto lists the 27,000 won fee for a passport with remaining validity and says a damaged-passport reissue costs the same as the regular fee for that passport type. Braindetox lists the emergency passport and travel certificate fees and one refund rule: emergency passport holders can get 33,000 won back if they submit proof within six months.
The emergency route is the fastest. Braindetox lists emergency passports and travel certificates at 1 day. Emergency passports are non-electronic, valid for about a year according to Visafoto, and some countries may not accept them, so check your destination first.
The loss rules contradict each other. Braindetox notes that the reissue-after-loss page allows in-person or online applications, while the general reissue page says loss or damage can be applied for only in person. People who have lost passports repeatedly must apply in person in any case. If yours is lost, go in person and avoid the risk of a rejected online form.
How Does the Cost Compare Across Validity Periods?
The 10-year adult passport costs 5,200 won per year, against 8,800 won per year for a 5-year passport for ages 8 to 17. The arithmetic uses the 58-page fees: 52,000 divided by 10, and 44,000 divided by 5. Under-8s pay 35,000 won for five years, or 7,000 won per year.
A family of four with two adults and two children aged 10 and 14 pays 52,000 won twice and 44,000 won twice at the 58-page rate, for 192,000 won in total. Choosing the 26-page version for everyone lowers that to 180,000 won (49,000 twice and 41,000 twice). The sources don’t say which page count suits which traveler, so choose by how many stamps and visas you expect to collect. Frequent travelers who fill pages quickly get more from the longer booklet.
Can You Renew a Korean Passport From Abroad?
Yes, through a Korean diplomatic mission, with fees in US dollars. Braindetox says overseas applications go through the missions and that online renewal overseas works through Overseas Koreans 365 at missions that handle passport work. Visafoto says payment methods vary by mission and can be cash, bank card, transfer, local currency, won or dollars.
Emergency passports are non-electronic, so Braindetox advises checking in advance whether your destination recognizes them. It also warns that stained or torn passports can lead to refusal at foreign immigration, which is a good reason to renew a damaged passport before you travel.
Which Mistakes Delay Passport Renewal South Korea?
Using an old photo and choosing the wrong route cause most delays. Check each point first.
- Uploading a photo older than six months or one with AI retouching.
- Trying to apply online for a first-time passport.
- Choosing an online application for an emergency passport or a name change.
- Picking the wrong collection office, which can’t be changed afterward.
- Using the 2025 fee table instead of the 1 March 2026 one.
- Assuming a military-service permit is no longer needed.
- Filing less than two weeks before a trip.
- Forgetting the old passport when it’s still valid.
FAQs
How much does passport renewal South Korea cost?
52,000 won for a 10-year, 58-page adult passport and 49,000 won for the 26-page version, from 1 March 2026, per Visafoto and Braindetox.
Can I renew a Korean passport online?
Yes, if you’ve held an e-passport before. Use Gov24 or KB Star Banking, then collect the passport in person.
How long does it take?
Gov24 lists 8 days in total for an ordinary passport, excluding Saturdays and public holidays, according to Braindetox.
Can someone else collect my passport?
Sources conflict. TRVLogue says adults must collect it in person but lists a conditional proxy option. Ask your office.
How long is a Korean passport valid?
Ten years for most adults and five years for minors, according to Visafoto.
What photo do I need?
One taken within six months, on a white background, without retouching or filters.
Conclusion
Passport renewal South Korea is a reissue: apply online through Gov24 if you’ve held an e-passport, or in person if not, pay 52,000 won for the 58-page adult passport and collect it at the office you chose. Allow about two weeks of calendar time, with the 8-day Gov24 figure as the baseline.
