Seoul expands EMS discount to foreign students, workers

International students and foreign workers can now receive a 10 percent discount on express mail service (EMS) at post offices in Seoul, the city government announced, Friday. An additional 3 percent discount is available to those who opt for online pre-registration.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has signed a business agreement with Korea Post to extend the EMS fee discount to include a greater variety of foreign residents. The discount was previously available only to naturalized immigrants and multicultural families under the Multicultural Families Support Act.

Since the initial agreement in 2011, the city has provided nearly 87,000 fare discounts, totaling around 380 million won, to multicultural families as of August this year. Additionally, since July 2023, an extra 3 percent discount has been offered to those who register in advance through the post office website or app.

With the growing number of international students and foreign workers in the city, this latest agreement aims to enhance support by making EMS deliveries more affordable and accessible for these residents.

Eligible individuals for the expanded discount now include foreign nationals holding F-6 visas who are married to Koreans, international students with D-2 or D-4 visas, foreign workers on E-9 and H-2 visas and foreign residents with F-5, D-10, F-1 and F-3 visas.

The discount is available at all post offices across Seoul, with no restrictions on where packages are sent internationally.

To get the discount, the customer must present identification such as resident registration card, domestic resident registration card, family relations certificate or basic certificate to verify their eligibility when visiting post offices.

"Through this agreement, we will collaborate with the local community to enhance support for foreign residents and multicultural families," said Lee Hae-sun, director-general of the Global City Policy Bureau at the city government.

More information can be found on the official websites of 'Seoul Hanultari for Multicultural Familes' and the 'Seoul Foreigner Portal'.