Can a foreigner register a .kr domain?

The rules below are drawn from the Domain Name Management Rules, amended in October 2024, as published in English by KRNIC, the Korea Network Information Center run by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). KRNIC does not say which language version prevails, so treat the Korean text as the binding one. We have read the English only. Articles of the Internet Address Resources Act are cited as the Rules cite them.

Who can hold a .kr domain

The address test applies to every .kr name

Article 3 says the Rules cover domain names under Korea's national code, that is .kr and the Korean-script .한국 (.hankuk). Article 4(1) then sets one condition for all of them: applicants and registrants shall have addresses in the Republic of Korea. The test is an address, not a nationality. A foreign individual who lives in Korea passes it, and a Korean citizen who lives abroad does not.

Plain .kr and the second levels

Article 4(2) adds a second test only for names registered below a second level, such as name.co.kr. Plain name.kr, which the Rules call a stage 2 name, has the address test and nothing else. Attached Table 1 sets who may use each second level.

Is a Korean administrative contact enough?

No, on the text we read. Article 2(4) defines a management officer as a person to whom the registrant has delegated domain management, and Article 8(1)(3) collects that person's name, telephone number and email address. Neither provision asks for an address, and neither is the registrant. The address test in Article 4(1) falls on the applicant and the registrant. A foreign company that names a Korean contact but stays the registrant does not meet it.

That is the opposite of .sg, where a local administrative contact is the whole answer. Providers read .kr at least as strictly as the Rules. Openprovider says the address of the domain owner and of the administrator must both be local, InterNetX requires a local owner and a local administrator, and CentralNic Reseller requires the owner contact to be inside Korea.

What the rules say about trustees

The Rules never use the words trustee, proxy or nominee. A trustee arrangement is, to the registry, a registrant who has a Korean address. Four provisions bear on it anyway.

• Article 6. The registrant keeps the registration information accurate and current (6(1)), and answers for the choice, registration and use of the name so that it neither infringes others' rights nor breaks the law (6(2)). On a trustee-held name that party is the trustee, which is why their contracts push the exposure back to you with indemnities.
• Article 11(1)(4), (2) and (3). KISA may cancel a registration 30 days after it identifies nonconformity with Article 4, with use suspended for those 30 days and the suspension lifted if the cause is cured. If a trustee's Korean address stops qualifying, this clock is the registry's, not the contract's.
• Article 11(1)(1). The same 30-day route applies where the registration information is found to be false.
• Article 12. Disputes about registration, possession or use go to conciliation before the Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee under Article 18 of the Act. On the Committee's request KISA or the registrar may lock changes to the registration information (12(2)), and they act on a conciliation outcome or a final court decision (12(3)).

Transfer and exit

The Rules contain no article on transfers. A change of holder is a change of registration information, made through a registrar (Article 10(1)) and reflected by KISA (10(2)). KISA may verify the registrant's identity by alternative means (10(3)). Whoever becomes the registrant must meet Article 4(1) first, which is why every provider that publishes its exit makes you name a new Korean holder before the domain can leave.

1. Line up a new holder with a Korean address and a registration number or ID, or a new trustee.
2. Change the registrant through the registrar. Netim charges €72 for this and sends validation emails to both holders, and EuroDNS charges €152 (October 2026).
3. Ask the old registrar for the authorisation code. Providers describe transfers as taking 5 to 10 days, and the registration is extended by a year.

Expiry is short. Article 11(1)(3) lets KISA cancel when the charges are unpaid 30 days after use ends. Domgate describes a 30-day late-renewal period with no restore afterwards, Openprovider says restore is not supported, and Netim charges €65 to restore within its window. Read leaving a trustee service, transferring a restricted domain and what happens when one expires before you buy.

How registration works

Registrar-only, first come first served

KRNIC does not take applications; the English FAQ says to use an accredited agency. Its English registrar page lists fifteen, including Gabia and Whois, and Gabia's own site is in Korean only. Article 8(1) sets what the application carries: the name, the applicant's name, registration certificate, registration number and address, the management officer's details and the name servers. Individuals may omit the certificate and number (8(2)). Article 9(1) registers names in order of arrival, with a separate method allowed for large volumes and new launches.

Fees and term

Under Article 13 the registrar sets the price you pay and passes KISA KRW 9,500 a year per name (KRW 7,000 for pe.kr), VAT excluded (Attached Table 2). Retail prices we checked in October 2026 run from €32 at Netim before its trustee fee to €323 at EuropeID with its trustee included, so the wholesale fee explains very little of the spread. Registrars offer terms of 1 to 10 years, and the Rules themselves set none.

Name format

Article 5 sets three formats, each with letters, digits and hyphens.

• Third level (name.co.kr): 2 to 63 characters.
• Plain name.kr: 3 to 63 characters, or 2 to 17 if it includes Hangul.
• .한국: 3 to 63 characters, or 1 to 17 if it includes Hangul.

No name may start with a hyphen or "xn--" or end with a hyphen, and Article 5(4) bars registering another person's personal information or telephone number as a name. The 2019 addenda opened numeral names and numeral-and-hyphen names, although KRNIC's English FAQ page still says names made only of numbers and hyphens are not allowed.

What the public lookup shows

Article 25(2) lists what KISA's WHOIS discloses: the domain name, the registrant's name and address, the management officer's name, telephone number and email address, the name servers, the registrar, and the registration, last-change and expiry dates. The Rules make no exception for individuals. 101domain and Netim both say private registration is not available for .kr. Under a trustee arrangement the trustee's name and Korean address are what the public sees. See WHOIS privacy on restricted country domains.

If you have no Korean address: two routes

Open a Korean branch or liaison office

If the entity has a Korean address and a registration number, it meets Article 4(1) and the Article 8(1)(2) application items. 101domain accepts a Korean business registration certificate, or a taxpayer certificate in English and Korean. Whether a liaison office qualifies is not answered in the English text, and we have not researched Korean set-up costs or timelines, so ask the registrar before you spend anything. The wider trade-off is in trustee or local company.

Use a trustee

Faster and cheaper to start, and you hold a contract rather than a registration. Compare ten .kr services, their fees and their exit terms.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated October 2026. Registry rules change, and provider prices change faster. If you spot something out of date, email info@trusteeindex.com.