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Leaving Korea: the 30-day settlement plan
The last mistakes of studying abroad are almost always time mistakes. Deposits, insurance, and pension money get much harder to collect after your flight. Here it is as a reverse-countdown calendar.
| When | Item | How |
|---|---|---|
| D-30 | Housing: schedule your deposit settlement | Notify your landlord of the move-out date in writing, and dig out your move-in photos and contract. You may demand an itemized basis for any "repair" deductions. If a dispute starts, get housing counseling (local foreigner support centers) before you fly: deposits are the #1 money abandoned to departure deadlines. |
| D-30 | Phone: cancel or transfer properly | Check penalty fees if a contract or installment remains. Just stopping autopay and leaving builds unpaid bills that can bite on your next entry. |
| D-14 | Health insurance: settle up | Tell NHIS you are leaving (☎1577-1000, foreign-language support) and check for settlement or refund. Leaving without notifying can keep premiums accruing. |
| D-14 | Pension: check your lump-sum refund | If you ever worked at a company here, you may qualify for a National Pension lump-sum refund (depends on your nationality’s treaty/reciprocity). Call NPS ☎1355 with your nationality and work history. Same-day payout at the Incheon Airport service center is possible in some cases. |
| D-7 | Bank: final transfers | Send remaining funds abroad only via registered banks or licensed remittance services. Keeping the account? Sort out your online-banking credentials before leaving. |
| D-3 | School: order certificates now | Diplomas and transcripts are far harder to get from abroad. Order extra English copies: you will keep needing them for jobs and further study. |
| D-1 / day of | Stay documents: do not toss them | Your ARC is in principle returned at departure, but keep copies of contracts, pay statements, and payment receipts. They become evidence of a clean stay when you next apply for a Korean visa. |
Amounts and refund eligibility depend on your history and nationality. This table is a list of what to ask: the listed phone numbers give the real answers.