Seoul Foreign Resident Portal ‘MY SEOUL+’ Redesigned: Visa, Housing, Consultation and Education in One Place

The Seoul foreign resident portal was redesigned in September as an integrated living-support platform called ‘MY SEOUL+’. Foreign residents and international students living in Seoul can use a PC or smartphone web browser to access global.seoul.go.kr without installing a separate app and find information on stay, housing, employment, medical care, education and transportation.

The key change is that the site now goes beyond reading policy information: users can find nearby foreign-resident support facilities, reserve consultations, and connect to applications for Korean-language classes and cultural-experience programs from one site.

What is MY SEOUL+?

MY SEOUL+ is a living-information portal for foreign residents operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It organizes information needed through the settlement process by category, from initial foreigner registration and stay guidance to finding housing, preparing for employment, health insurance and hospital use, children’s education, transportation, safety and everyday administrative matters.

Users can also find the locations, contact details and services of on-site support organizations such as the Seoul Global Center, foreign resident centers and global village centers on a map. They can check consultation hours, center schedules and rental-facility information, and follow links to reserve specialized consultations on matters such as law, labor, housing and visas.

What is different about the tailored menu for international students?

The new portal displays information by category while also offering tailored menus by user type, including international students, marriage immigrants, foreign workers, overseas ethnic Koreans and youth with migration backgrounds. In the international-student menu, users can follow information on visa types, extensions of period of stay and changes of status, criteria for permitted work, and frequently asked questions in one flow.

When users do not know the exact search term, a faster approach is to open the ‘International Student’ tailored-information section first and select their situation. Those looking for Korean-language classes or employment training can check courses that are still accepting applications in the education and culture programs section by date and organization.

How have languages and online functions changed?

Main content is provided in Korean, English, Chinese and Vietnamese. Automatic translation is available for other languages. An AI chatbot that searches information based on content registered on the portal has also been added.

The chatbot can be used as a starting point for finding the desired menu, while actual application dates, eligibility and required documents should be checked in the linked institution’s notice. For administrative matters, it is efficient to use the portal to connect with the responsible institution and consultation reservations, then confirm the required procedures in detail.

A suggested sequence for first-time users

On the first screen, choose a language and then select your user type, such as international student, under ‘Tailored Information’. Next, open the area you need immediately, such as stay, housing or employment. If you need a consultation, use the nearby support-facility map to find a close center. If you want education or an experience program, check only items whose application periods are still open under ‘Program Applications’.

Saving each center’s contact details and application links in bookmarks can make it easier to respond to programs with short deadlines. MY SEOUL+ can serve both as a site for reading information about life in Seoul and as an entry point for finding actual support organizations and services.