PCCC for Foreigners in Korea 2026: How to Get a Personal Customs Code (With or Without an ARC)

Last reviewed: October 20, 2026 · Customs procedures change often. If a step below does not match the screen you see, the UNI-PASS screen wins.

What a PCCC is and when you need it

When goods are shipped to an individual in Korea, customs needs to identify the person importing them. The PCCC lets you do that without handing your resident or alien registration number to every shop and courier. KCS describes it as a way to protect personal information.

You will be asked for it when you buy from overseas sellers: AliExpress, Amazon, iHerb, Taobao, overseas sellers on Coupang and similar sites, and parcel-forwarding services. For foreigners, KCS says the code is technically optional because imports can also be declared with an ARC or passport number. In practice, most sites will not let you check out without one, so getting a PCCC is the easy option once you have an ARC.

How to get a PCCC with an ARC

1. Open the UNI-PASS PCCC page (an English menu is available) or install the Mobile Customs Service (모바일 관세청) app. You do not need to create an account.
2. Choose New issue (신규발급).
3. Enter your name exactly as on your ARC and your alien registration number, then complete identity verification.
4. Enter your English name (surname and given name separately), nationality, the address on your ARC and your phone number. You can save up to 20 delivery addresses.
5. Submit. Your code (P + 12 digits) appears at once. Save it in your shopping accounts.

New to Korea? Getting the ARC comes first: see our ARC guide. For a phone in your own name, see the mobile phone guide.

No Korean phone in your name?

Prepaid phones, phones registered to your employer and family plans in someone else’s name are common for new arrivals, and they fail the identity check. You have two options:

• Certificate login: if your bank issued you a joint certificate (공동인증서) or financial certificate (금융인증서), use it on the PC version of UNI-PASS. See our bank account guide.
• Visit a customs office: take your ARC to a customs office (세관) and apply in person.

Only a passport (no ARC yet)

This is the most common question from short-term visitors and people who have just arrived. Here is what we could confirm:

• The KCS English FAQ lists an ARC or a domestic residence report card as the requirement for both online and in-person PCCC issuance. We found no official route to a PCCC with a passport alone.
• The same FAQ says foreigners can declare imports with their passport number instead of a PCCC.
• However, some forwarding services say passport-only clearance for non-residents stopped in 2025. KCS has not confirmed this in the sources we checked, so the two sources conflict.

The 1-year validity rule

KCS amended its notice on registering and managing customs codes in June 2025 and started applying a validity period from 2026:

Renew within the window around the expiry date (about 30 days before or after). If you miss it, the code is cancelled and you must apply for a new one. Updating your details, for example a new phone number or address, also resets the 1-year clock.

Name, phone and postcode must match

At clearance, customs compares the name and phone number on the order with your PCCC record. From February 2, 2026, the delivery postcode is also checked against the addresses you registered, starting with codes issued or updated after November 21, 2025. A mismatch does not mean a fine, but your parcel can be held until it is corrected.

• Register every address you ship to (home, work, dormitory) in your PCCC record. Up to 20 are allowed.
• When you move, update your PCCC address as well as your immigration address. See our address change guide for the 15-day rule.
• Use your own name as the recipient. Ordering under a friend’s name with your code causes a mismatch.

Since August 28, 2026, KCS has also been piloting an e-commerce clearance platform in which some orders ask for a one-time verification number sent by text or email together with the PCCC. Trusted shops can skip that step.

Checking, stopping or reissuing your code

• Forgot your code: use Check (조회) on UNI-PASS or the app and verify your identity again.
• Code leaked or misused: under Modify (수정), set the code to suspended or reissue. A reissued code replaces the old one permanently. New issues and reissues are limited to 5 a year, but cases of theft that are not your fault do not count.
• Never lend your code. Lending your PCCC so someone else can import goods under your name is punishable under the Customs Act, and customs can suspend a code it believes is being misused.

Duty-free limits for personal orders

For goods for your own use, orders up to USD 150 are generally duty-free, or USD 200 for goods shipped from the United States under the simplified list clearance. Medicines, health supplements and some other items go through a normal import declaration with the USD 150 limit. If you go over the limit, duty and VAT are charged on the whole value, not just the amount above the limit. Check current limits with KCS before large orders.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Alien Registration Card (ARC) guide
• Mobile phone guide for foreigners
• How to open a Korean bank account
• KakaoPay for foreigners

Official references

• UNI-PASS: Personal Customs Clearance Code (issue, check, modify)
• Korea Customs Service English FAQ (PDF)
• Korea Customs Service customer center: 125

Information notice: This guide gives general information based on Korea Customs Service sources checked October 20, 2026. Customs rules and screens change, and passport-only clearance for non-residents was unclear at the time of writing. Confirm your case with KCS (125) before ordering. This is not legal advice.