Before you start

An Alien Registration Card — the exchange is for residents only
Your foreign licence plus an apostille or embassy confirmation of authenticity
Passport with entry and exit records
Three colour photos, 3.5 × 4.5 cm, taken within six months

Step-by-step

1
Get the IDP before leaving home
Korea recognises 1949 Geneva Convention permits, issued only in the country that issued your licence. Valid one year from your date of entry and carried together with the original home licence — the permit alone is not a licence. It cannot be obtained after arrival, and leaving and returning does not reset the year.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departureLocal IDP fee, typically under US$25
2
Arrange the apostille at the same time
KoROAD needs proof your foreign licence is genuine. An apostille from the issuing authority is the reliable route, since several embassies in Seoul have stopped issuing confirmation letters. Doing it from Suwon afterwards means couriering documents home and waiting weeks — the one consolation is that most consulates are an hour away rather than three.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departureVaries by country
3
Check the reciprocity list for your country
Acknowledged countries skip both the written and practical tests, leaving an eyesight and aptitude check. Everyone else sits a 40-question written test in English. A few countries have class-limited or partial arrangements, so read the entry for yours rather than assuming from a forum post.
OnlineWho: YouBefore booking
4
Attend a KoROAD examination office in southern Gyeonggi
Bring the ARC, passport with entry records, foreign licence, apostille and photos. Usually completed the same day though allow half a day. The capital-region offices are busier than provincial ones, so go early. Your foreign licence is surrendered and held until you permanently leave Korea, so obtain a duplicate at home first if you will need it abroad.
In personWho: YouOften same dayLicence issuance fee KRW 10,000, or KRW 15,000 for the IC card
5
Get a transit card before you get a car
One rechargeable card covers Line 1, the Suin-Bundang line, the Sinbundang line and every bus across the capital region, with free transfers. Capital-region fares are distance-based beyond the base zone, so a Seoul commute costs more than a flat metropolitan fare — but it is still far cheaper than driving it. Learn the express bus routes into Gangnam and Seoul too; several run from Suwon and are faster than the train at some hours.
In personWho: You5 minutesCard roughly KRW 2,500–4,000; fares from about KRW 1,550
6
If you buy a car, buy it for the supplier belt, not the commute
Compulsory motor insurance is required and open to foreign residents through the major insurers, and a Hi-Pass transponder handles expressway tolls. The honest calculation: a car is close to essential if your work takes you around the Hwaseong, Yongin, Osan and Pyeongtaek sites, and a liability if you commute into Seoul, where parking is expensive and the arterials are saturated. Suwon apartments generally include parking, but ask how many spaces per household — older estates are short.
In personWho: You with a dealer and an insurer1–2 weeksInsurance varies; capital-region parking is materially more expensive than provincial Korea

Documents you’ll need

Alien Registration Card
Passport with entry and exit records
Foreign driver's licence plus apostille or embassy confirmation
Three colour photos, 3.5 × 4.5 cm
International Driving Permit, if driving before conversion

Things most newcomers don’t know

Three rail lines out of Suwon do three different jobs, and picking the wrong one costs you an hour a day.

Line 1 runs into Seoul Station in roughly an hour and is crowded the whole way; the Sinbundang line from Gwanggyo is fast and expensive and points at Gangnam; the Suin-Bundang line is the local connector across the southern suburbs. Which one your address sits on matters far more than the distance on the map, and it is the single biggest driver of rent differences within the city.

Source: community-reported

Both documents the exchange needs can only be obtained where your licence came from.

The Geneva Convention IDP and the apostille proving your licence is genuine are issued only by authorities in the licence's home country. Once you are in Korea, fixing either means couriering paperwork home and waiting weeks. People discover this at the KoROAD counter months after the point at which it was a trivial errand. Sort both before you fly.

Source: KoROAD; US Embassy Seoul

GTX-C is priced into rents already and is not yet a commute.

The planned express line through Suwon Station would cut the run to central Seoul dramatically, and agents will tell you so. Korean rail megaprojects have a long record of slipping, and this one has moved before. Treat it as an option on the future rather than a feature of the flat, and do not pay a premium today for a journey time you cannot take next Monday.

Source: community-reported

Parking is a real cost here in a way it is not in provincial Korea.

Suwon is inside the capital region, and paid parking, resident permits and short supply at older estates all apply. Newer Gwanggyo and Yeongtong buildings generally provide adequate underground parking; 1990s estates in Jangan and Gwonseon frequently do not, and the shortfall becomes a nightly argument. Ask how many spaces per household before signing, not how many spaces the building has.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without a Geneva Convention IDP and finding it cannot be obtained in Korea.
Leaving the apostille until after the move and waiting weeks for documents from home.
Assuming reciprocity applies without checking KoROAD's current list.
Paying a rent premium for a GTX line that is not running yet.
Signing at an older estate without checking parking spaces per household.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.