Korea runs on a Korean phone number and a residence card: banking, delivery apps and online payments open up only once you have both. Visa, TB test and paperwork start in Baku weeks ahead. Day to day, foreign cards and a T-money card carry you a long way, but Naver Map and KakaoTalk do the work Google Maps and WhatsApp do at home.
On 112 or 119, say “English please” to be connected to an interpreter. 1330 is the travel helpline, with English around the clock; 1345 is the immigration line.
Set these up before you fly
The essentials that take days to arrange or have to work the moment you land.
HUFS has two campuses, Seoul (Dongdaemun) and the Global Campus in Yongin outside Seoul, each with its own dorms – check which one your courses are on.
Places, programmes and the minimum cGPA are from ADA’s list. Confirm them with the Office of Global Outreach and Partners before you apply: exchange@ada.edu.az
Payments & banking3
Foreign Visa and Mastercard work in most shops; a Korean bank account, and the apps that need one, follow the residence card.
WO
WOWPASS
Prepaid card for foreigners, topped up with cash or a foreign card
On arrival
Why you need it: Covers the weeks before you have a Korean bank account, and doubles as a transport card, so one card pays for coffee and the metro.
Free, paid extras · No payment fees; 1,000 won per cash withdrawal (2026)
Find a WOWPASS machine at the airport or a major station
Issue a card at the machine, following its on-screen steps
Top up with cash or, in the app, with a foreign card
Register the card in the app to see the balance
Before you rely on itBuilt for visitors: once you have a Korean bank card, it is a backup. Keep the T-money and payment balances apart in your head: they are topped up separately.
Source: wowpass.io · the provider or a government body · Checked
KB
Korean bank account
A local account and debit card for transfers and Korean apps
Optional
Why you need it: Splitting bills, paying NHIS premiums and using Kakao Pay all assume a Korean account, and Korean friends will ask for your account number.
FreeVaries by residence statusVaries by university
Ask the bank branch on campus what it accepts before your residence card arrives
Bring your passport, residence card if you have it, and a certificate of enrolment
Open the account at a branch and ask for a debit (check) card
Install the bank’s app while you are still at the counter
Before you rely on itStudy in Korea lists a passport or residence card as ID, plus proof of why you need the account; a certificate of enrolment serves. In practice many branches want the residence card, which can take weeks, and new accounts often start with low transfer limits.
Source: studyinkorea.go.kr · the provider or a government body · Not yet confirmed at the source; check before relying on it
KP
Kakao Pay
Send money to friends and pay in shops and apps
Optional
Why you need it: How Korean classmates settle a shared dinner or a taxi. Without it you will be handing over cash or asking for account numbers.
Get a Korean phone plan and bank account in your own name first
Open Kakao Pay from KakaoTalk or its own app
Verify your identity through your Korean phone number
Link your Korean bank account
Before you rely on itKakao’s help centre says foreign residents need a Korean phone number and a Korean bank account, both in their own name, for Kakao’s identity certificate, so expect Kakao Pay at the end of the paperwork, not the start.
Source: cs.kakao.com · the provider or a government body · Checked
Essential apps4
Korea uses its own apps: Naver Map for directions, Coupang and Baemin for shopping and food. Many ask for a Korean phone number.
NM
Naver MapEssential
Walking, bus and metro directions that work in Korea
Before departure
Why you need it: Google Maps has long been patchy in Korea. Naver Map has an English interface, live bus times and the shops and clinics near your dorm.
Before you rely on itExpect sign-up to need a Korean phone number, and payment to work best with a Korean card or account. The app is in Korean; Papago’s camera helps.
Source: apps.apple.com · the provider or a government body · Not yet confirmed at the source; check before relying on it
Ba
Baemin
Food delivery from almost every restaurant near campus
Optional
Why you need it: Delivery to dorm gates is part of student life here, late at night included.
Free, paid extrasVaries by residence statusVaries by university
Buy the card at a Seoul Metro information centre or a convenience store near a station, or use the mobile card in the Tmoney app where your phone supports it
Charge a 30-day pass
Tap as you would a T-money card
Before you rely on itSeoul only: not valid on the Shinbundang Line, buses licensed outside Seoul or metropolitan express buses, and of no use in Daegu or Daejeon. A cheaper youth price exists, but it needs an identity check in the app every six months.
Source: world.seoul.go.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
KO
KORAIL+
Book KTX and other national trains
Optional
Why you need it: The fast way between Seoul, Daejeon and Daegu, and from Incheon towards the south; weekend trains sell out.
Before you rely on itBook Friday and Sunday trains a few days ahead. Since September 2026 the app also sells SRT trains, which leave from Suseo in south Seoul. If the app will not take a foreign card, book on the KORAIL website or at a station.
Source: apps.apple.com · the provider or a government body · Checked
KT
Kakao T
Call a taxi with the fare shown in the app
On arrival
Why you need it: Late returns to the dorm and airport runs with luggage. The driver sees the destination, so no Korean needed.
Add a Visa, Mastercard, Amex or JCB card for automatic payment
Set the pick-up pin, check the destination and call
Before you rely on itSign-up is by text message, which some foreign SIMs fail to receive. If a foreign card will not register, you can still pay the driver directly by card or cash.
Buy online before you fly or at a roaming centre in Incheon arrivals
Verify your passport so incoming calls and texts work
Add voice and text credit if you need to call out
Before you rely on itSKT says these plans are for stays of up to 90 days and that stays of 91 days or more may face service restrictions, so a whole semester on one is a risk. Incoming calls and texts work only once your passport is verified; outgoing ones need extra credit. Treat it as a bridge until you can open a plan in your own name.
Source: skroaming.com · the provider or a government body · Checked
PP
Phone plan in your own name
A monthly plan that unlocks Korean identity checks
Optional
Why you need it: Banks, Kakao Pay and delivery apps verify you through a phone number registered to your residence card; a tourist SIM cannot do this.
Compare budget (MVNO) plans on the official comparison site, or visit an SKT, KT or LG U+ shop
Bring your residence card, passport and student ID
Before you rely on itPostpaid plans need the residence card; prepaid ones take a passport, and providers’ document rules differ. Check the cancellation terms against your departure date in June.
Source: studyinkorea.go.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
Ed
eduroam
University Wi-Fi with your ADA login
Before departure
Why you need it: If your ADA account supports eduroam, you are online on many Korean campuses before your host account exists.
For citizens of Azerbaijan: email azeremb@mofa.go.kr for an appointment at least 5 working days ahead
Bring your passport (valid 6+ months), the form, a 3.5 × 4.5 cm white-background photo and the TB certificate
Add the host’s certificate of admission and a copy of its business registration
Add an original bank statement and, unless your host is a certified university, your apostilled diploma with a notarised translation
Apply in person and pay the fee in clean, undamaged US dollar notes
Before you rely on itLong-term visas take 5 working days, not counting the application day. The host’s certificate of admission can arrive only weeks before the semester, so ask for the appointment the day it does. The embassy lists a bank balance covering a year’s tuition and living costs; ask it what an exchange student must show. Not from Azerbaijan? Apply at the Korean embassy where you live; documents differ.
For citizens of Azerbaijan: book International SOS or Medi Club in Baku
Bring your passport and a photo, which the clinic stamps onto the certificate
Use the embassy’s own form, attached to its notice
Before you rely on itValid for 3 months, so time it close to your visa appointment. A positive result means the visa is refused. Prices on the notice date from 2022; check with the clinic. Keep a copy for registration in Korea.
Open the official site within 3 days of your arrival
Enter your passport, flight and Korean address (your dorm)
Keep the confirmation on your phone
Before you rely on itVisa holders must file it; once you hold a residence card, you no longer need to. It is free on the official site; ignore look-alike sites that charge a fee.
Ask your international office whether it files applications for exchange students
Otherwise book a visit to your immigration office on Hi Korea in the first week
Bring passport, a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, enrolment certificate, proof of address and a copy of the TB certificate
Pay the fee and collect the card when notified
Before you rely on itAppointments are hardest to get at the start of term, and SNU says the card can take up to 6–8 weeks, so much of the semester may run on the receipt. Do not plan trips abroad while the application is pending; ask 1345 first. Your immigration office depends on your address.
Source: oga.snu.ac.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
NH
National Health Insurance (NHIS)
Compulsory public health insurance for D-2 students
On arrival
Why you need it: D-2 students are enrolled automatically from the day of entry, or from the day of alien registration if that is later, so a monthly bill follows whether or not you see a doctor.
Paid · 79,320 won a month for D-2 students (2026)Varies by residence statusVaries by university
Register your residence; enrolment follows automatically
Watch for the bill at your registered address or by app
Pay by the 25th of each month, as the bill says
Before you rely on itLate payment brings late fees, and long arrears can affect your visa status. Cover starts at registration, so keep travel insurance for the first weeks. Some hosts also require their own insurance, so check.
Source: sungshin.ac.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
CO
Change of address report
Tell immigration when you move
Optional
Why you need it: If you leave the dorm for a private room mid-semester, the move must be reported or you risk a fine.
Apply in the host’s exchange application or by its dorm deadline
Pay the fee when offered; it is often due before arrival
Ask for a residence certificate to use for registration
Before you rely on itRooms are single, double or quadruple and usually shared, with curfews or visitor rules at some dorms. Places are limited at Seoul universities in particular, so apply on the first day the form opens.
Source: studyinkorea.go.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
PR
Private room (wolse)
Renting off campus: deposit plus monthly rent
Optional
Why you need it: If the dorm is full, you need to know the deposit system before you sign anything.
Ask your international office for vetted options first
Compare rooms on Dabang, Zigbang or Naver Real Estate
Read the contract with someone who reads Korean before paying
Before you rely on itWolse leases normally run 1–2 years with a deposit of ten to twenty times the monthly rent, and leaving early can cost the deposit. For one semester, short-stay rooms (goshiwon, share houses) are more realistic; Seoul costs far more than Daegu or Daejeon.
Before you rely on itRun by NIIED for the Ministry of Education. General rules only; your host’s international office has the final word on its own deadlines.
Source: studyinkorea.go.kr · the provider or a government body · Checked
Ev
Everytime
Timetables, course reviews and boards for your university
Optional
Why you need it: Where Korean students review courses and post about campus life; useful when you are choosing classes.
Save +82 2 767 6200 and consul_seoul@mission.mfa.gov.az
Note the address: 15th floor, Coryo Daeyungak Tower, 97 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Keep a scan of your passport and visa in your email
Before you rely on itNot from Azerbaijan? Your own embassy’s page is the one to save. Consular hours are short: Tuesday and Friday 10:00–13:00, Wednesday 15:00–18:00.
Source: seoul.mfa.gov.az · the provider or a government body · Checked
1I
1345 Immigration Contact Center
Visa, registration and stay questions in many languages
On arrival
Why you need it: The right number for anything about your visa status, residence card or leaving Korea before the card arrives.
Hierarchy, speed and order: age matters, service is fast, and rules on rubbish and queues are kept.
01Your phone number is your ID
Many Korean sites and apps verify you by a phone number registered to your residence card. Until you have both, use foreign-card-friendly options and ask a buddy to order for you.
02Age and seniority shape speech
Koreans ask your age early to know how to address you. Use polite forms ending in -yo with anyone older or unknown, and give or receive with both hands to elders.
03Shoes off indoors
Take shoes off in homes, many dorm rooms and some restaurants with floor seating. Look for a step or a shoe rack at the door.
04Spring means fine dust
February to May often brings yellow dust and fine dust. Check the air index in Naver Map or the weather app, and buy KF94 masks at any convenience store.
05Quiet on public transport
Phone calls and loud talk on the metro draw looks. Pink seats are for pregnant women and the end seats for the elderly; leave them free even when the train is full.
06No tipping, fast service
Prices include everything and tips are not expected. Many restaurants use table buttons or kiosks; water and side dishes are usually free and self-service.
07Drinking is part of student life
Welcome parties (hoesik, MT) involve soju. Turning your head away from elders when you drink is polite, and saying no is accepted: a soft drink in the glass is fine.
08Seoul, Daegu and Daejeon differ
Seoul is big and pricey, with a dense metro. Daegu is hotter and more local; Daejeon is calm and KAIST is largely self-contained. Budget and expect English accordingly.
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