Yes, foreigners can insure their deposit. Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG, 주택도시보증공사) sells a jeonse deposit return guarantee (전세보증금반환보증) that pays your deposit back if the landlord cannot, and its rules say individuals, companies and foreigners may all apply. You must apply before half of your lease term has passed, and the home must pass HUG’s safety checks.
Key facts
| Who | The tenant named on the lease, including foreign residents with a residence card (외국인등록증) |
| Deposit limit | ₩700 million in the Seoul region (수도권), ₩500 million elsewhere |
| Deadline | Before half the lease term has passed (counted from the later of final payment or address report) |
| Cost | About 0.097% to 0.211% of the deposit per year (as of October 2026) |
| Where | HUG branches, partner banks, Naver Pay, Kakao Pay, Toss, HUG’s 안심전세 app |
| Phone | HUG customer center 1566-9009 |
How it works
You pay a fee to HUG. If your lease ends and the landlord does not return the deposit, HUG pays you and then collects from the landlord. It covers wolse leases too: HUG converts the monthly rent into a deposit equivalent using its conversion rate (6.5% for applications from 1 July 2026), and that total must be within the limit.
Insurance does not replace the basic protections. To qualify you must already have moved in, registered your address and got a fixed date (확정일자). See Your Rights as a Tenant.
Conditions the home must meet
HUG checks the property, not your nationality. The main tests:
- Deposit + prior debts ≤ 90% of the home’s value. “Prior debts” means mortgages on the registry and, in multi-family houses (다가구), the deposits of tenants ahead of you.
- Prior debts ≤ 60% of the home’s value (value = price × 90%).
- No seizure, auction or similar entries on the registry, and the land and building both belong to the landlord.
- Lease of at least 1 year, signed through a licensed agent (renewals of an agent-made lease are fine).
- Not an illegal building on the building register (아파트 excepted).
- No other household registered at your unit, and a residential-use note if it is an officetel.
- The landlord is not on HUG’s blocked list.
How HUG values the home
For apartments and officetels, HUG uses KB or Korea Real Estate Board market prices first. For villas (연립·다세대) and houses, it mostly uses the official government price × 140%. So for a villa, your deposit plus prior debt must be within about 126% of the official price (140% × 90%). Many villa jeonse deals fail this test, which is itself a warning sign.
Check before you sign. HUG's online pre-check (보증신청 가입가능여부 확인) and the bank or app will tell you if the home qualifies. If a jeonse home cannot be insured, think hard before paying a large deposit.
What it costs
Fee = guaranteed amount × annual rate × lease days ÷ 365. The rate depends on the deposit size, home type and debt ratio ((prior debt + deposit) ÷ home value).
| Deposit | Apartment | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| ₩100M or less | 0.097% to 0.137% | 0.111% to 0.172% |
| Over ₩100M to ₩200M | 0.102% to 0.146% | 0.117% to 0.184% |
| Over ₩200M to ₩500M | 0.107% to 0.154% | 0.124% to 0.197% |
| Over ₩500M | 0.113% to 0.164% | 0.132% to 0.211% |
The lower figure is for a debt ratio of 70% or less; the higher one for over 80%. If prior debt is over 50% of the home’s value, the fee is 10% higher.
A ₩200 million jeonse in an apartment with a debt ratio under 70%, 2-year lease:
₩200,000,000 × 0.102% × 730 ÷ 365 = ₩408,000 for the whole lease.
Discounts of 40% to 60% exist for low-income households, newlyweds, multicultural families (a Korean married to a marriage migrant) and others. Fees paid can also count toward a tax credit at year-end settlement for deposits up to ₩300 million. Note that the Seoul city fee subsidy (보증료 지원) excludes foreigners.
Documents foreign tenants need
- Your residence card (a copy or photo is fine), and a certificate of alien registration (외국인등록사실증명, from Gov24)
- The lease with a fixed date stamp (or the lease report certificate), stamped by the agent
- Proof you paid the deposit (bank transfer record)
- Registry certificate (등기사항전부증명서), and a building register (건축물대장) unless it is an apartment
- Certificate of registered residents at the address (전입세대확인서)
- HUG forms: application, consent, deposit claim transfer contract
Overseas Koreans with a domestic residence report bring the 국내거소신고 certificate instead. If the landlord is a foreigner, an extra HUG form is needed.
Deadlines and renewals
- New lease: before half the lease term has passed, counted from the later of the final payment date or your address report date.
- Renewed lease: before half of the renewed term has passed.
Apply as early as possible. The registry must be clean on the day the guarantee is issued, so a seizure or new mortgage registered while you wait can block you.
Other guarantors
The Korea Housing Finance Corporation (HF, 한국주택금융공사) and SGI Seoul Guarantee (SGI서울보증) sell similar products, often linked to jeonse loans. Their rules for foreigners differ, so ask them directly.
Common questions
Can I insure a wolse deposit?
Yes, if the converted total is within the limit. Small wolse deposits are often already partly protected by the small-deposit rule, so insurance matters most for large deposits.
What if my landlord refuses to cooperate?
You do not need the landlord’s consent for a standard application. HUG notifies the landlord that the deposit claim has been transferred to it.
Is my deposit 100% covered?
Up to the amount you insured, within the limit. Read your certificate (보증서) for the exact amount.
What do I do if the landlord does not pay at the end?
Contact HUG before you move out and follow its claim procedure. Do not move or change your address until HUG tells you what is needed, which often includes a lease registration order (임차권등기명령).
Official sources
This guide explains the general rules as of the date above. Rules change and every case is different, so confirm with the office named here (or the 1345 Immigration Contact Center) before an important decision. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.