A running order for the fortnight after you land, from someone who got it wrong.
6 min read · Updated August 2026
Everything in Korea depends on something else. You cannot get a bank account without an ARC, cannot easily get a phone contract without a bank account, and cannot do much online without a phone number tied to your name. Arriving without knowing that order costs people weeks. This is the order that works.
Get to where you are staying, and get a T-money card. They are sold at every convenience store; top it up with cash and it works on every bus and subway in the country. This alone removes most of the friction of moving around while you sort everything else out.
If your accommodation has wifi, use it. Do not sign anything permanent on day one.
Confirm your address in writing. A lease, a dorm letter, something with your name and the address on it. Every subsequent step wants this.
Book the ARC appointment. See the ARC guide — this is the long pole.
Get a prepaid SIM. You can buy one with just a passport. It is more expensive per month than a contract but you can get one today, and you need a Korean number before a bank will talk to you comfortably. Switch to a contract once the ARC arrives.
Open a bank account once the ARC is in hand. Some branches will open a limited account on a passport alone — worth asking, but expect restrictions on transfers.
Confirm health insurance. Employees are usually enrolled by their employer. Students and others may need to register with NHIS directly. Do not assume it has happened; check.
Register your address change if you have moved since the ARC application.
A driving licence conversion, a credit card, a gym membership, furniture. None of it is urgent, and all of it is easier once the ARC and the bank account exist.
One thing that should not wait: telling someone at home you arrived safely, and telling this community you are here. Both matter more than they sound like they do at week two.
Community reference only — this is not official guidance from any Korean or Kenyan authority. It is drawn from what Kenyans and other foreigners in Korea have actually been through, and everyone's situation differs: your visa type, employer, region, bank branch and timing all change how things play out. Rules, fees and processes change without notice. Confirm the current details with the relevant official source — Immigration, your bank, NHIS, KRA, the IEBC, or the Embassy of Kenya in Seoul — before you act on anything here.