9 Documents You'll Get When You Start a Business in Korea

If you've just finished incorporating a foreign-invested company (외투법인) in Korea, congratulations — and also, welcome to a small stack of official paperwork. Some of these documents you'll use constantly. Others you'll file away and only pull out once a year, usually when someone asks for them unexpectedly.

Here's a guide to the documents every foreign-invested company ends up with, what each one actually proves, and why it matters.

1. Business license (사업자등록증)

This is the one you'll use the most. It's issued by your local tax office once you register as a business with the National Tax Service, and it's essentially your company's ID card for tax purposes(The number will be used all the tax return company will file)

It shows things like your business registration number, company name, representative's name, business address, business type, and the date you opened. You'll hand over a copy of this constantly to banks when opening a corporate account, to vendors when they issue you a tax invoice, and to pretty much anyone who needs to confirm you're a legitimate, registered business in Korea.

2. Certificate of Corporate Registration (법인등기부등본)

While the business registration certificate covers you as a taxpayer, this document covers you as a legal entity. It's issued by the court registry office, not the tax office, and it's the official record that your company legally exists as a separate entity from its founders.

It lists your company name, head office address, total capital, business purpose, and details about your officers and directors. It will be needed together with the business license as a set when you need to provide your compnay infomration like bank, to your clients and anyother organization.

3. Register of Shareholders (주주명부 / 출자자명부)

Unlike the first two, this one isn't issued by a government office. it's an internal company record, usually prepared by your company or your administrative agent when the company is formed. It's simply a list: who owns shares, how many, and what percentage of the company that represents.

4. Foreign-Invested Enterprise Registration Certificate (외국인투자기업등록증)

This is the one that's unique to foreign-invested companies. It's issued by KOTRA (through Invest Korea) or Foreign exchange bank. it officially confirms your company's status as a foreign-invested enterprise — including who the foreign investor is, how much was invested, and what percentage of the company they own.

This certificate does real work for you down the line. You'll need it (along with a few supporting documents) when sending dividends back to your home country, and it's also part of what's required when a foreign investor applies for a D-8 investor visa.

5. Articles of Incorporation (정관)

Your company's internal rulebook — who owns what, how decisions get made, how shares can move. Drafted by the founders when the company is set up, not issued by any government office. Banks and investors often ask to see it to confirm who actually has the authority to sign on the company's behalf.

The Articles of Incorporation should state the company's business purposes, including the business activities and industries that the company currently conducts or plans to conduct in the future.If the company wishes to start a new business that is not included in the Articles of Incorporation, it must first amend the Articles of Incorporation before engaging in that business.

Therefore, it is recommended to include all business activities that the company may carry out in the future, even if it does not plan to start them immediately. This can help avoid the need for future amendments and related administrative procedures.

6. Corporate Seal (법인인감)

It's The actual physical stamp, the company's official signature, When you form the company, you register one specific seal design with the court registry, and from then on, that's the only stamp legally recognized as "the company's seal." It's pressed onto major contracts, and official filings instead of a signature. 

7. Corporate Seal Certificate (법인인감증명서)

Proof that a specific stamp is your company's official, legally registered seal the impression on the certificate is matched against your physical stamp to confirm it's the real one. Issued by the court registry. You'll need it alongside contracts, property deals, and loans, so the other party can verify the seal used is genuine. Like the corporate register, it should be recently issued (usually within 3 months).

8. Corporate Seal Card (법인인감카드)

A small card linked to your registered seal. You can use it at a government document issuance machine to pull a seal certificate. Whoever holds it (with the PIN) can request certificates on the company's behalf, so it's usually kept with one trusted person, not passed around.

9. Bank OTP Device

A small device your bank gives you for corporate online banking. It generates one-time codes to approve transfers and payments. so every company needs one to send or receive money through the bank.

 

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