Office Phone
liaison office set up guide
Before a foreign company establishes a full-fledged presence in Korea, it can set up a liaison office to conduct business contacts, market research, advertising, research and development, and information gathering.
Liaison offices cannot engage in revenue-generating sales activities and their operating costs must be funded by the headquarters. Setting up a liaison office is easy, as it does not require a court registration process, and you only need to report to the foreign exchange bank and obtain a unique number from the tax office. However, it’s not uncommon for a liaison office to be converted to a branch office or an investment corporation shortly after it’s set up, so choosing the right business purpose from the start can help avoid duplication of effort.
Preparation documents for setting up a foreign business liaison office
Documents for establishing a foreign company liaison office include documents for the foreign headquarters, documents for the Korean representative, and documents for the Korean office. Documents and powers of attorney issued abroad must be notarized with an apostille.
headquarters documents
- Proof of foreign headquarters existence (business registration certificate)
- Board resolutions
- Articles of Incorporation
- Shareholder List
- Letter of appointment of Korean representative
- A copy of the headquarters representative’s passport
- A copy of the Korean representative’s passport
- Power of Attorney
Domestic documents
- Office lease contract
- ID if the branch representative is Korean
Liasion office setup process and timeline
| Procedure | How long does it take |
| Prepare notarized documents (headquarters) | |
| ⇒ Report of establishment of liaison office / Designated foreign exchange bank | 1 day |
| ⇒ Issuance of Unique Number (Tax Office) | 2 days |
| ⇒ Open a account (foreign exchange bank) |
Related visa: D7 visa
If the Liasion office representative is a foreigner, Headquarter can apply for a D7 dispatch visa. The size of your headquarters and whether you remit funds for operations are key criteria.
Provide samples for accurate documentation
- 외국인 투자신고 / 지점, 연락사무소 설치신고
- 거래은행 지정신청
- 법인설립 등기
- 사업자등록증 / 고유번호증 발급
- 외투기업등록증 발급
- 은행계좌개설
- 비자발급
- 세무대행
