South Korea Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in South Korea, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
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Import Requirements and Documentation
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For companies exporting to the Republic of Korea, the following shipping documents are required to clear Korean Customs:

  • COMMERCIAL INVOICE: An original invoice and two copies must be presented with the shipping documents and must include total value, unit value, quantity, marks, product description and shipping from/to information.
  • CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN: Exporters are encouraged to discuss shipping document requirements with their respective importer.  
    The manufacturer, exporter or importer is required to retain all documents (i.e., bill of materials, manufacturing process documentation, etc.) demonstrating that the good qualifies as a U.S.-origin good, for five years.
  • PACKING LISTS: Two copies are required. 
  • BILL OF LADING: A clean bill of lading identifying the name of the shipper, the name and address of the consignee, the name of the port of destination, description of the cargo, a price list of freight and insurance charges (CIF), and attestation of carrier’s acceptance on board for the goods is sufficient. There are no regulations pertaining to the form of the bill of lading nor the number of bills of lading required to clear customs. As bills of lading are for ocean and overland cargos, the airway bill of lading replaces the bill of lading for air cargo shipments.
  • MARITIME INSURANCE: Under the Incoterms (shipping terms) agreed to by the parties in a transaction, if the exporter is responsible for insurance, a marine insurance policy or insurance certificate is required.
  • IMPORT DECLARATION: An import declaration, normally prepared by the importer in Korean, is required to clear customs.
  • SPECIAL DOCUMENTATION: Information related to the need of special documentation for food and agricultural commodities, including sanitary-phytosanitary certificates and other agricultural documentation, can be found on the USDA/Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website. 

An overview of Korean import requirements for food is contained in the Exporter Guide.

Additional detailed information about import requirements and documentation needs for agricultural and food products (including biotechnology products) are included in the USDA import requirements report at the FAIRS Country Report.

Current information on which U.S. livestock and poultry products are eligible for export to the Korean market can be found on the website of the Export Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This website also provides guidance on the documents Korea requires for livestock product shipments destined for Korea.

All commodities, except rice, can be freely imported, subject to special registrations and import approvals for categories like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics. The Government of Korea has stipulated requirements and procedures for importing certain products including registration, standards and safety, and efficacy testing to ensure the protection of public health and sanitation, national security, safety, and the environment. Typically, health or safety-related products, such as pharmaceuticals and medicines, require additional testing or certification by the relevant organizations before clearing Customs. Medical device and pharmaceutical exporters must have their products registered with the Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS) and can only be imported by licensed importers which have been certified by a MFDS authorized body. In addition, special items defined by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) in its Annual Trade Plan require approval by the Minister. In most cases, the supplier’s qualified local agent completes the registration process.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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