Your salary, your remittance app, and your phone payments all need a Korean bank account. For new EPS workers, learning how to open a bank account in Korea is one of the first things to do after arriving. In this guide, Teacher Nova explains what to bring, what a “limit account” is, and how to use your account without problems.
🇵🇭 Kailangan mo ng bank account sa Korea para sa sahod at pagpapadala ng pera. Narito kung paano.
✔ Bring your ARC, passport, and employment proof
✔ A phone number in your own name makes everything easier
✔ New accounts often start as a limit account (about 1,000,000 KRW/day online)
✔ Never lend or sell your bank account to anyone
1. What to bring to the bank
Each bank has slightly different rules, but most banks ask for these:
| Document | Why |
|---|---|
| ARC (외국인등록증) | Your main ID in Korea |
| Passport | Extra identity and visa check |
| Employment contract or certificate | Shows the account is for your salary |
| Korean phone number (your name) | Needed for mobile banking and app verification |
| Address proof (if asked) | Dormitory or housing confirmation |
Some banks can open an account with your passport before your ARC arrives, but it usually has more limits. Rules differ by bank and nationality, so ask your company or the bank first.
Siguraduhing pareho ang pangalan sa passport, ARC, at phone number — kahit ang spacing at pagkakasunod-sunod.
2. What is a “limit account” (한도제한계좌)?
To stop phone scams, Korean banks often open new accounts as a limit account until the purpose of the account is confirmed. You can still receive your salary — but how much you can send or withdraw per day is limited.
| Channel | Daily limit |
|---|---|
| Mobile / internet transfer | 1,000,000 KRW |
| ATM | 1,000,000 KRW |
| Bank counter | 3,000,000 KRW |
How to remove the limit: bring proof that the account is your salary account — for example an employment certificate (재직증명서), a pay slip (급여명세서), or a withholding tax receipt. Some banks also remove the limit after your salary has been paid into the account for a few months. The bank makes the final decision.
Kung limited ang account mo, magdala ng employment certificate o pay slip sa bangko para matanggal ang limit.
3. Step-by-step
Mobile banking and remittance apps send verification codes to your phone. A number registered in your own name avoids many problems later.
Branches near industrial areas see many foreign workers. Go with a coworker, your company staff, or a Foreign Workers Support Center volunteer if you need help with Korean. Some areas have branches open on weekends for foreign customers — check before you go.
Ask the bank to help you install the mobile app (many banks have an English or global version). Then give your account number to your company for your salary — and link it to your remittance app.
Criminals sometimes offer money to “borrow” foreign workers’ bank cards or accounts. Accounts used for scams are frozen, and the owner can be punished by law — even if you did not know what it was used for. Also, do not give your card PIN or app password to anyone, including friends.
Huwag ipahiram o ibenta ang bank account mo — pwede kang makulong at ma-freeze ang account mo.
These steps are the same for workers from the Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and more. Some banks have extra checks for certain nationalities, so prepare all your documents.
※ General information, updated October 2026. Bank rules and limits can change and differ by bank. Ask your bank for the exact requirements.
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