Incorporation & FDI

Establishing a foreign-invested entity in Korea, from entity choice through to the first filing.

How We Work

Where the time actually goes

Setting up a Korean entity is not, in itself, a long exercise. Once the documents are in order the registration takes days.

The delays come from somewhere else.

Sequence. The FDI notification, the capital remittance, the court registration, the business registration, the bank account and the visa are locked to one another. There is no bank account without a registered entity, and no visa until the registration is complete. Started without the sequence mapped, a set-up stalls at one step and goes back a stage.

The bank. Account opening is the step that slips most often. Verification requirements have tightened, and where the representative is a foreign national the documents and checks increase further. Branches do not all ask for the same things. Having someone alongside who knows what the bank is asking for, and why, reduces the number of times you go back a stage.

Home-country documents. Apostille, consular certification and translation are required, and they carry validity periods. One item out of step means several more weeks obtaining it again from home.

We map the sequence before anything is filed, and deal with the bank, the court registry and the tax office directly.

One more thing belongs at this stage. How dealings with head office will be treated from the first invoice – whether withholding arises, whether a charge billed back is zero-rated. Setting it correctly at the outset costs considerably less than correcting it later. See Intercompany Transactions.

How We Help You Set Up

From entity selection to first filing

Step 1

Planning & FDI Notification

Determining the right entity type (subsidiary or branch) and handling the Foreign Direct Investment notification to the foreign exchange bank.

Step 2

Registration

Drafting articles of incorporation, court registration, and tax office registration.

Step 3

Post-Setup Support

Corporate bank account opening, D-8 visa assistance, and the initial tax setup – including how charges with head office will be treated from the first invoice.

Service Scope

Key Services Included

  • Consultation on entity type – Chusik Hoesa or Yuhan Hoesa, and what each means for the parent’s own reporting
  • FDI notification, and the sequencing of the capital remittance against it
  • Preparation and legalisation of home-country documents – apostille, consular certification and translation
  • Court registration, corporate seal, and the business registration certificate
  • Corporate bank account opening – liaison with the bank through the verification process
  • D-8 investment visa
  • Initial tax registration, and how head office charges will be treated from the first invoice

Ready to start your business in Korea?

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