Living in South Korea as a French National: Cities, Cost of Living, Visa and Settling In

For a French national settling in South Korea, the official sources bring out several strengths and a few points of caution to build into the plan from the preparation stage.

• A job market geared to industry and technology: the residence statuses tied to employment, salaries and taxation are detailed on the page working in South Korea.
• Safe daily life: France Diplomatie indicates that assaults are infrequent and that travel is possible at any hour in the cities and across the country.
• Universal health insurance: a single public insurer covers all residents, foreigners included (see the guide to the Korean healthcare system).
• Extensive infrastructure: the road network is dense and well maintained, according to France Diplomatie.

To take into account before leaving:

• a cost of living described as high by France Diplomatie, especially for housing in Seoul;
• the Korean language, with a limited number of English-speaking doctors outside the large hospitals of Seoul;
• strictly applied residence and work rules: undeclared work systematically leads to expulsion;
• fine-particle pollution, especially in spring, and the typhoon season from June to November;
• rigorous local legislation, notably on narcotics, drink-driving and taking photographs, as France Diplomatie reminds us.

Seoul is the capital and the main job market. The city had 9,579,449 inhabitants in the first quarter of 2026, including about 9,304,400 Koreans and 275,049 foreigners (Seoul Metropolitan Government). It offers a service centre for foreign residents, which provides in particular property advice in seven languages, on Mondays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., to prevent lease disputes and jeonse fraud.

Incheon, the country’s air gateway, belongs with Seoul and Gyeonggi province to the Seoul metropolitan area, a notion that matters for certain visas: the income threshold of the “workation” visa is higher there than elsewhere (see the page on working). Busan, a large port in the south-east, Daejeon, a central city known for its research institutes, and Jeju, an island in the south of the country, are in the regions outside this metropolitan area.

France Diplomatie notes that driving in Seoul and Busan is demanding, with dense traffic and few signs in English, and that typhoons mainly hit the southern regions between July and September: a point to look at for Busan and Jeju. The choice of city is therefore made on the employer, the housing budget, the children’s school and the proximity of a hospital with an international patient centre.

Housing follows two systems described by the city of Seoul. With jeonse, the tenant entrusts the landlord with a large deposit for 1 to 2 years: 10% is paid at signing, the rest on moving in, and the landlord returns the whole deposit at the end of the lease. Wolse combines a more modest deposit, generally 10 to 20 times the monthly rent, with a monthly rent for 1 to 2 years. If the tenant ends the lease early, the deposit may be lost; if the landlord ends the lease before expiry, they must pay double the deposit. The deposit may also be reduced by unpaid rent, charges and bills.

An expat budget is built around five items: rent or the tied-up deposit, the health insurance contribution deducted from salary, school fees, transport and food. The conversions on this page rely on the ECB reference rate of 02/10/2026: 1,513.44 KRW per €1. France Diplomatie describes the cost of living as notably high; the guide to budgeting for health abroad helps you include health in this calculation.

The city of Seoul lists multilingual real estate agencies, a useful starting point for a first home. The lease term, the inventory of fixtures and the conditions for returning the deposit should be checked before any payment, and property advice can be requested from the centre for foreign residents.

Entry: a French national may stay 90 days without a visa for tourism or a temporary stay. The waiver of the K-ETA electronic authorisation is extended until 31/12/2026; the authorities check the purpose of the stay and may refuse entry in case of repeated “visa runs” (France Diplomatie). An online arrival declaration (e-Arrival Card) is completed up to 3 days before arrival. Long-stay visas are applied for at the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) in Paris.

Registration: a foreigner who stays 90 days or more must apply for registration as a resident foreigner within 90 days of entry (article 31 of the Immigration Act; fine of up to 10 million KRW, about €6,600, for failure to comply). Any change of address is declared within 15 days to the immigration office or the municipal service centre (maximum fine of 1 million KRW), as is any change of registration data or employer; a change of passport is declared within 45 days. The resident card is the document required for NHIS enrolment. A foreigner who changes workplace must apply for prior authorisation or declare it within 15 days depending on their status. The immigration contact centre answers on 1345.

The checklist for the first 90 days puts the formalities in order. The table on the page presents the main statuses; the page working in South Korea details everyone’s right to work.

According to the French embassy, two schools of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) operate in Seoul: the Lycée français de Séoul and the Lycée international Xavier. Both require a long-term resident visa, their capacity is limited and the embassy reminds us that enrolment is neither automatic nor a right, even for a French child.

The Lycée français de Séoul welcomes pupils from age 3 to 18, from the first year of nursery school to the final year, with about thirty nationalities and a baccalauréat track; an international American section exists from the first year of primary school. For the 2026-2027 school year, the classic track costs 14,760,000 KRW in primary, 20,400,000 KRW in lower secondary and 23,000,000 KRW in upper secondary (about €9,750, €13,500 and €15,200), with a 400,000 KRW application fee and a first-enrolment fee of 4,000,000 KRW (about €2,650). Reduced fees, of the order of 23 to 29% depending on the level, exist for French families without employer support. In secondary school, a B1 level of French is required.

Other routes: CNED distance learning (the French national distance-learning centre), subject to the embassy’s agreement and reserved for specific situations such as a health reason or intensive artistic practice, with no enrolment possible on a tourist visa, or a course in an international school with additional French schooling. The spouse and minor children of a holder of a work-related visa (D-1 to E-7) can obtain F-3 status, which does not allow work. See also expat family insurance and the guide to children’s health cover abroad.

France Diplomatie places most of the territory under normal vigilance, with the demilitarised zone advised against except for compelling reasons. Points of attention concern thefts and sexual assaults reported in the nightlife districts of Seoul such as Hongdae and Itaewon, with cases of use of the drug GHB: watching your drink, leaving valuables behind and going out in a group are the advice given. Foreigners who take part in political gatherings risk penalties under the Immigration Act. Typhoons, flash floods, landslides and, more rarely, earthquakes are the natural risks listed.

In an emergency: 119 for the fire service and ambulance, 1339 for medical emergencies, 112 for the police. The embassy reminds us that its consular emergency line is reserved for immediate emergencies. The Emergency Ready app, in English, makes it possible to call for help and locate emergency centres. To drive, an international or Korean licence is required, and a foreigner involved in an accident is often held responsible.

The Korea Meteorological Administration describes a temperate climate with four seasons: spring from March to May, summer from June to August, autumn from September to November, winter from December to February. August is the hottest month (monthly averages of 23 to 27 °C depending on the station), January the coldest (from -6 to 7 °C). The summer monsoon, called changma, begins in late June in the south and lasts about 30 days; it brings more than half of the annual rainfall, which ranges from 1,000 to 1,800 mm in the south and from 1,100 to 1,400 mm in the centre. France Diplomatie adds that the spring “yellow winds” load the air with fine particles, a growing problem in the large cities: reducing outdoor activities, staying hydrated and wearing a high-filtration mask are then advised, especially for children, older people, pregnant women and people with respiratory diseases.

The official language is Korean. English is common in the large hospitals and foreigner centres of Seoul, rarer elsewhere: learning the basics of Korean makes housing, formalities and care easier. For health, a stay of more than 6 months leads to NHIS enrolment, which can be supplemented or replaced by the CFE (the French social security fund for expatriates) or international insurance: the page on expat health insurance compares these options, and Expavy helps you weigh them against your situation.