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South Korea Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Regulations 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental (STR / Airbnb / Vrbo / holiday let / vacation rental) regulations for 4 cities and regions in South Korea. Select a location below for current permit requirements, tax obligations, and compliance details.

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South Korea Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in South Korea encompasses 4 tracked jurisdictions: 4 with restrictions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.

Approximately 100% of tracked jurisdictions in South Korea require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.

Tax obligations apply in 4 of 4 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.

Cities with significant restrictions on vacation rentals include Nationwide, Seoul, Busan. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors South Korea STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.

BusanBusan
STR is illegal in residential apartments and officetels. Legitimate STRs must be primary residences where the host lives, valid for up to 120 days per year.
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Jeju IslandJeju Special Autonomous Province
Jeju has unique governance as a Special Autonomous Province with its own STR rules. Entry fee of ~$11/person introduced for overtourism management. STR caps und…
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Nationwide
Standard urban homestay business legally serves only FOREIGN tourists — hosting Korean nationals is otherwise illegal except via licensed pilot platforms (e.g.,…
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SeoulSeoul
Hanokstay (traditional Korean house) businesses open to both Koreans and foreigners; Wehome regulatory sandbox allows legal domestic home-sharing in Seoul/Busan…
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