Your Overseas Shopping Customs Code Now Needs Renewing Every Year -- Miss the 30-Day Window Around Your Expiry Date and It Is Cancelled, So Check the 150-Dollar Limit and Return Refunds Too

The personal customs clearance code now has an expiry date

The personal customs clearance code is the number you use instead of your resident registration number when an overseas purchase clears customs. In June 2025 the Customs Service amended the rules so that from 2026 a one-year validity period and a renewal system apply. The aim is to cut down on outdated personal information and misuse of the number, and each person can hold only one code.

Work out your own expiry date first

The expiry date depends on when you got the code. If you were issued a new code in 2026 or later, it is valid for one year from the issue date. Codes issued before 2026 are set to expire on your birthday in 2027. For example, if someone who got a code in 2024 has a March 10 birthday, the expiry date is March 10, 2027. Check your actual expiry date on the code issuance and lookup screen of the Customs Service's UNI-PASS system.

Renewal is possible only for 30 days before and after the expiry date, 60 days in total

Renewal requests are accepted from 30 days before to 30 days after the expiry date. After that the code administrator may cancel it, and a code that is not renewed is described as cancelled automatically. The method is simple. Verify your identity on UNI-PASS, press edit on the issuance and lookup screen, change the usage status to reissue and save; the Customs Service says this takes about 30 seconds. You can also apply at a nearby customs office. Even if a code is cancelled you can get a new one and keep buying from abroad, but reissues and new issues after cancellation are limited to five times a year at most, and you must correct the old number saved in every shopping site.

Check that your delivery address and postal code match the code as well

The Customs Service also tightened verification to prevent smuggling and tax evasion through misused codes. According to the government's policy briefing, it used to check the name and phone number, and from the February 2 rollout it also checks whether the delivery postal code matches, and you can register up to 20 delivery addresses in advance. If you often have parcels sent to your office or your parents' home, register those addresses. If you suspect misuse, reissuing the code is one option, and you can check whether your name was used elsewhere with the M-safer registration lookup.

Above 150 dollars, duty and VAT apply

Even with a valid code, the clearance route depends on the price. According to Customs Service guidance, goods for personal use priced at USD 150 or less (USD 200 or less when shipped from the United States) qualify for simple list clearance and are exempt from duty and VAT. Above that you must file an import declaration, and tax is charged on the total taxable value, meaning the goods price plus freight and insurance, with no deduction. The key point is that exceeding 150 dollars by even one dollar makes the whole amount taxable. International freight to Korea can be excluded from the goods price if it can be separated out. Items excluded from list clearance, such as medicines, herbal medicines, health supplements, food, alcohol and tobacco, are exempt only up to 150 dollars regardless of country. Alcohol still carries liquor tax and education tax even when the amount is duty-free. You can estimate the tax in advance with the expected tax calculator on the Customs Service website.

Several small orders can still be added together

According to the Customs Service, if you order several items from the same seller on the same day, the amounts can be combined even when they arrive separately, and that can push you past the duty-free limit. Conversely, press reports say purchases made on different days are excluded from combination. Check the cart total before you pay. If you get a text saying a parcel has arrived and it asks you to pay through a link, it may be impersonating a customs notice, so first read what to do if you tapped a fake parcel text link.

If you returned the item, you can get the duty back

If you paid tax and then returned the goods, you apply for a refund. According to Customs Service guidance, it covers overseas purchases with a goods price of KRW 2 million or less that were returned to the seller within six months. Submit the refund application together with the import declaration certificate, a copy of your bank book, the purchase invoice, the return waybill, the document confirming the return between buyer and seller, and the refund receipt. You can apply electronically through UNI-PASS or by visiting a customs office, post or fax, and goods above KRW 2 million require an export declaration when returned. For who is responsible when a parcel is damaged or lost along the way, see the 14-day notice rule for damaged or lost parcels.

What to check before you buy from abroad

First, look up the validity period of your personal customs clearance code on UNI-PASS. Second, if you are within 30 days either side of the expiry date, renew by reissuing and enter the new clearance information in your shopping sites. Third, before ordering, calculate whether the same-day total from one seller exceeds 150 dollars (200 dollars from the United States). Fourth, check whether items that may be excluded from list clearance, such as supplements, food and cosmetics, need an import declaration. Fifth, keep return receipts and waybills until you file for a refund. You can check whether your data has already leaked with the leaked-data lookup service. This article is general information based on Customs Service guidance published in October 2026; for an individual customs decision, ask the Customs Service customer center at 125 or your customs office. Rules can change, so confirm the official guidance again before you apply.