Chuseok 2026 Immigration Closures in Korea: Deadlines, HiKorea, 1345

Last checked: 2026-09-28 · Sources: Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices (law.go.kr) · KASA 2026 calendar notice · Immigration Act (law.go.kr) · HiKorea e-application list · HiKorea notice board · Gov24, extension of stay · Seoul Immigration Office civil-affairs leaflet (2021) · Framework Act on Public Administration (law.go.kr) · What changed recently: the holidays regulation was amended on 2026-04-30 (Labor Day and Constitution Day added; the Chuseok rules did not change), and the Immigration Act Enforcement Decree was amended on 2026-09-15 (social-integration courses and the F-1 domestic-helper scope; no change to deadlines).

Update, September 28: the counters are open again

The Chuseok closures ended on Sunday, September 27, and immigration counters reopen today, Monday, September 28. Two more closed stretches come before mid-October. I cross-checked them against the same KASA 2026 calendar notice cited above: October 3–5 (National Foundation Day falls on a Saturday, so Monday, October 5 is a substitute holiday) and October 9–11 (Hangul Day on Friday plus the weekend).

Counter days	Closed days
Mon Sept 28 – Fri Oct 2	Sat Oct 3 – Mon Oct 5
Tue Oct 6 – Thu Oct 8	Fri Oct 9 – Sun Oct 11
From Mon Oct 12	—

If a deadline fell during September 24–27 and you did not file, read the "Which deadlines keep running" section below before assuming you got an extra day: the immigration authorities have not published how they apply the holiday rules, so call 1345 or book the earliest counter slot this week. For the October closures the decision table below works the same way, with the target dates moved to the counter days in this table.

Chuseok 2026 gives Korea a four-day weekend, and every immigration office counter in the country is closed for all four days. For a tourist that is trivia. For a foreign resident whose stay expires on September 25, whose 90th day since arrival is September 26, or who moved house on September 12, it decides whether the paperwork is on time.

This guide works from the statute text and the Ministry of Justice's own pages. It covers which days the counters are shut through mid-October, which deadlines keep running while they are shut, what HiKorea accepts online, and what the government helpline does on a holiday. Where the official pages are silent or dated, the text says so.

The closed days, from the regulation itself

Korean government offices close on the days listed in the Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정). Article 2, item 9 lists "the day before Chuseok, Chuseok, and the day after Chuseok (lunar calendar August 14, 15 and 16)." The Korea AeroSpace Administration's 2026 calendar notice, posted on 2025-06-30, puts Chuseok (lunar August 15) on Friday, September 25, 2026. That makes the three statutory days Thursday September 24 to Saturday September 26, and Sunday September 27 follows.

There is no substitute holiday this time. Checking the text of Article 3(1), item 2: for the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, a substitute day is given only when one of those days "overlaps with a Sunday." September 26 is a Saturday, so Monday September 28 is an ordinary working day and the counters reopen then.

October is different. National Foundation Day, October 3, is a national holiday under item 2 of the same article, and Article 3(1), item 1 gives national holidays a substitute day when they fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. October 3, 2026 is a Saturday, so Monday October 5 is closed. Hangul Day, October 9, is a Friday.

Dates (2026)	Day	Why the counters are closed
Sept 24	Thu	Day before Chuseok (Art. 2, item 9)
Sept 25	Fri	Chuseok
Sept 26	Sat	Day after Chuseok, and a Saturday
Sept 27	Sun	Sunday
Sept 28	Mon	Open: no substitute holiday (Art. 3(1), item 2)
Oct 3-4	Sat-Sun	National Foundation Day, weekend
Oct 5	Mon	Substitute holiday for Oct 3 (Art. 3(1), item 1)
Oct 9-11	Fri-Sun	Hangul Day, weekend

Between September 24 and October 11 that is 18 calendar days with only 8 counter days in them: September 28, 29 and 30, October 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. Wednesday September 23 is the last counter day before the break.

Which deadlines keep running

Three Immigration Act deadlines apply to almost every long-stay foreigner. Checking the statute on law.go.kr:

• Alien registration, Article 31(1): a foreigner who intends to stay more than 90 days "from the date of entry" must register "within 90 days from the date of entry." Our guide to the 90-day alien registration deadline covers the booking screens and the penalty table.
• Change of address, Article 36(1): a registered foreigner who moves must report "within 15 days from the date of moving in," to the new city, county or district office or to the immigration office with jurisdiction.
• Extension of stay, Article 25(1): a foreigner who wants to stay beyond the permitted period must obtain an extension "before the period of stay ends."

None of these articles mentions holidays. The general rules on counting periods sit elsewhere, and they point in two directions.

Article 6(1) of the Framework Act on Public Administration (행정기본법) says that periods in administrative matters are counted under the Civil Act unless another law says otherwise. Article 161 of the Civil Act reads: "If the last day of a period falls on a Saturday or a public holiday, the period expires on the following day."

Article 6(2) of the same Framework Act sets a different rule for periods during which "a right is restricted or a duty continues": the period expires on its last day "even if the last day is a Saturday or a public holiday." Then it adds a proviso: that rule does not apply where following it "is disadvantageous to the public."

Immigration authorities have not published, on HiKorea or the Ministry of Justice site, how they apply these two provisions to a registration or address deadline that ends during Chuseok. A reader should not treat Civil Act Article 161 as a guaranteed extra day. The stay period itself is also a different kind of date from a filing deadline: Article 25 asks for the extension before the stay ends, and nothing in the text makes a holiday move the end of a granted stay. The safe reading is the plain one: file before the closed days start, or online if the application type allows it.

What HiKorea takes online

HiKorea's e-application page has a table of 31 civil affairs, each marked with an "e-application" icon, a "visit reservation" icon, or both. It also states that "a permit granted through online e-application has the same effect as a permit granted by visiting an office." Reading the icons row by row on 2026-09-23:

Application	e-application icon	Visit reservation icon
Extension of stay, registered foreigner	Yes	Yes
Extension of stay, F-4 residence-report holder	Yes	Yes
Extension of stay, short-term visitor	Yes	Yes
Change of address / residence report	Yes	Yes
Change of status, registered foreigner	Yes	Yes
Change of status, short-term visitor	No	Yes
Re-entry permit (multiple)	Yes	Yes
Part-time work permit, D-2 and D-4-1	Yes	Yes
Passport change report	Yes	Yes
Alien registration	No	Yes
Activities outside status	No	Yes
Reissue of residence card	No	Yes

An icon means the channel exists, not that every status qualifies. The Seoul Immigration Office's civil-affairs leaflet, published in April 2021, lists the statuses it accepted online for registered foreigners as D-1, D-2, D-4, D-5, D-6, D-7, D-9, D-10, E-1 to E-6, E-9, E-10, F-1 (with limits), F-3, F-4, H-1 and H-2. Its FAQ adds two details that matter this week: applications for an extension open 4 months before expiry, and the last day to apply is the expiry day at a counter but the day before expiry for e-application.

Two cautions about that leaflet. It is from 2021, and it gives the e-application hours as "weekdays 07:00 to 22:00." The current HiKorea e-application page, checked on 2026-09-23, lists the services but states no hours. The 2021 hours are the most recent official figure found; whether e-application accepts filings on Chuseok days in 2026 is not confirmed. Treat September 23 or September 28 as the dates to file online, not the holiday itself.

Planned outages are announced on the HiKorea notice board. The most recent one, posted 2026-09-09, covered a server switch on Saturday September 12 from 09:30 to 16:00. As of 2026-09-23 the board carried no outage notice for the Chuseok period.

Fees and processing time

The Gov24 service page for an extension of stay lists three ways to apply (internet, visit, post) and the fee: 60,000 won in general, 30,000 won for marriage migrants, and exemption for those covered by Article 74 of the Enforcement Rule. Postal applications are accepted only from residents of island areas.

The same page gives the processing period as 15 days for a standard case and 60 days when an investigation is needed. Those are not calendar days. Article 19(2) of the Civil Petitions Treatment Act (민원 처리에 관한 법률) says a processing period of six days or more is counted in days, including the first day, and that "public holidays and Saturdays are not counted." An extension filed on Wednesday September 23 therefore does not start using its 15-day clock again until Monday September 28, and the October closures stretch it further.

Filed on	Working days counted by Oct 11	15th working day falls on
Sept 23 (Wed)	9	Oct 19 (Mon)
Sept 28 (Mon)	8	Oct 20 (Tue)
Oct 6 (Tue)	3	Oct 27 (Tue)

The right-hand column comes from counting working days under Article 19(2) against the closed days in the first table. It is the end of the standard period, not a promised decision date; offices can finish earlier, and an investigation case runs to 60 days.

The helpline on a holiday

The Immigration Contact Center number is 1345 inside Korea, and +82-2-1345 or +82-2-6908-1345 to 1346 from abroad. The footer of every HiKorea page, checked on 2026-09-23, gives its hours as "Monday to Friday 09:00 to 22:00, public holidays excluded, charged." On that wording the line is not staffed on September 24, 25 or 26.

The 2021 Seoul leaflet described 1345 as a 24-hour service with Korean, English and Chinese only after 18:00 on weekdays and on weekends and holidays. The current HiKorea footer does not say that, and the current page wins. The electronic fax line for reports, 1577-1346, was listed in the same leaflet as Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00 excluding holidays.

A decision table for this week

The target date in every row below is a counter day, not a holiday.

Your situation	Your next step	Where
Stay expires Sept 24 to 27	File the extension on Sept 23, online if your status allows it, otherwise at your reserved counter slot	HiKorea e-application or the office
Stay expires Sept 28 to Oct 2	File online by the day before expiry, or book a counter slot on Sept 28 to 30	HiKorea
90th day since arrival falls Sept 24 to Oct 11	Registration is visit-only; book the earliest slot, ideally before the closed days	HiKorea visit reservation
Moved house on or after Sept 9	The 15-day address report is online; file it before the holiday	HiKorea or the local district office
Need advice on Sept 24 to 26	1345 is not staffed on public holidays per HiKorea; call on Sept 23 or Sept 28	1345
Need a status change as a short-term visitor	No e-application icon for this row; book a counter slot	HiKorea visit reservation

If you are a newcomer who has not yet filed anything, the K-ETA exemption through 2026 note explains the entry side, and Chuseok 2026 in Seoul lists which palaces and museums are open while the offices are not.

Checklist before the counters close

• Use HiKorea's "inquiry of stay expiry date" service to confirm the exact expiry date on file before choosing a filing date.
• Use the e-application route only if your row in the icon table shows it; otherwise book the first free visit slot on or after September 28.
• Call 1345 on a weekday between 09:00 and 22:00 if your status is not on the online list.
• Save the permit confirmation from the "e-application status" page once a permit is granted; HiKorea tells applicants to print and keep it.

FAQ

Are Korean immigration offices open during Chuseok 2026? No. September 24 to 26 are public holidays under Article 2, item 9 of the holidays regulation and September 27 is a Sunday. Counters reopen on Monday September 28, 2026.

Is there a substitute holiday for Chuseok 2026? No. The regulation gives Chuseok a substitute day only when one of its three days falls on a Sunday. September 26 is a Saturday. October 5 is a substitute holiday, but for National Foundation Day, not Chuseok.

My visa expires on September 26. Does the holiday give me extra time? Do not count on it. Article 25 requires the extension before the stay period ends. The Civil Act rollover rule is for the last day of a period, and immigration has not said how it applies it here. File on September 23 or earlier, online if your status is on the e-application list.

Can I extend my visa online during the holiday? HiKorea lists the extension of stay among online applications, and online permits carry the same effect as counter permits. Current e-application hours are not stated on the page; the 2021 official leaflet said weekdays 07:00 to 22:00. The 2021 leaflet also sets the online deadline one day before expiry.

How much does a visa extension cost in Korea? Gov24 lists 60,000 won in general and 30,000 won for marriage migrants, with exemptions under Article 74 of the Enforcement Rule.

Does the 15-day processing period count holidays? No. Under Article 19(2) of the Civil Petitions Treatment Act, periods of six days or more exclude public holidays and Saturdays.

What this guide could not confirm

• Whether HiKorea e-application accepts submissions on public holidays in 2026. The only official hours found are in the 2021 Seoul leaflet.
• How immigration offices apply Civil Act Article 161 and Article 6(2) of the Framework Act on Public Administration to registration and address deadlines that end on a holiday. No published guidance was found.
• Office-by-office arrangements such as extra weekday hours after the holiday. None were posted on the HiKorea notice board as of 2026-09-23; check your regional office's page or call 1345 on a weekday.

Related on this site

• Korea Alien Registration: 90-Day Deadline, HiKorea Booking, Fines
• K-ETA Temporary Exemption Extended Through 2026
• Chuseok 2026 in Seoul: Free Palaces Sept 24-27, Museums Closed Sept 25