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 a city this car-dependent, arriving without one is a genuine handicap for your first months.
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 Ulsan afterwards means couriering documents home and waiting weeks.
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 the KoROAD examination office
Bring the ARC, passport with entry records, foreign licence, apostille and photos. Usually completed the same day though allow half a day. 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
Learn the bus network anyway, and check whether your employer runs shuttles
One rechargeable transit card covers every city bus with free transfers, and the big industrial employers run shift shuttles that are frequently the fastest way onto a site and are invisible to any map app. Ask HR what runs from where before assuming you need to drive to work. A hydrogen tram from Taehwagang station to Sinbok is targeted to open around 2029 but is not a plan you can commute on today.
In personWho: You5 minutesCard roughly KRW 2,500–4,000; fares around KRW 1,500
6
Buy the car, and budget for the trips the city does not shorten
Compulsory motor insurance is required and open to foreign residents through the major insurers, and a Hi-Pass transponder handles expressway tolls. Parking is cheap and plentiful by Korean standards. Two journeys to plan for: Ulsan's KTX station is in Ulju-gun rather than in the city, so a high-speed train involves a real drive or bus first, and Ulsan Airport handles domestic routes only, so long-haul means Gimhae or Incheon.
In personWho: You with a dealer and an insurer1–2 weeksInsurance varies; parking is among the cheapest in urban 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

No urban rail is the defining practical fact about living in Ulsan.

Every other Korean metropolitan city has a subway; Ulsan has buses, a limited BRT and cars. The industrial complexes, UNIST, the Ulju attractions and the KTX station are spread across a very wide area with no rail spine linking them. It follows that road access, parking and the specific bus routes serving a block should weigh far more heavily in a housing decision here than the 'nearest station' logic that works everywhere else in Korea.

Source: community-reported

Your employer's shuttle network is real transport and it is not on any map.

The large industrial employers run shift buses from residential districts directly to plant gates, timed to shift changes and generally free to employees. They are the single most useful piece of local transport information for an industrial worker and they do not appear in any app. Ask HR for the route map before choosing a neighbourhood — it can make a cheap district into a fifteen-minute commute.

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 Ulsan, fixing either means couriering paperwork home and waiting weeks — and in a city with no metro, being unable to drive for two months is a much bigger problem than it would be in Seoul.

Source: KoROAD; US Embassy Seoul

The KTX station is not in Ulsan in any useful sense.

Ulsan's high-speed station sits out in Ulju-gun rather than in the built-up city, so a Seoul trip starts with a substantial bus or car journey before the train. The city has long pushed for high-speed services to stop at Taehwagang station in the centre; treat that as a live aspiration rather than a timetable. In the meantime, factor the transfer into any comparison with Daejeon or Daegu, where the station is downtown.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without a Geneva Convention IDP in the one Korean metropolitan city with no metro.
Leaving the apostille until after the move and waiting weeks for documents from home.
Assuming reciprocity applies without checking KoROAD's current list.
Choosing a neighbourhood on map distance without checking the employer shuttle routes.
Budgeting a Seoul trip as though the KTX station were in the city.

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