Copy the Registration details box from the listing, paste it into SelectBNBs Verify, then check that the record's name, address and category fit the stay you want to book.
Try it with an example listing →
From 12 November 2026, covered booking platforms in Korea face a ₩5 million fine for brokering a stay whose business certificate they can't verify, under a decree the health ministry announced on 19 October. Ministry of Health and Welfare press release The fine is for platforms, not guests. Your own check is simpler: does the official record describe this exact stay?
What do I copy from the listing?
On Airbnb, scroll near the bottom of a Korean listing to the Registration details box. It has three lines, and Verify needs all three:
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| 발급 지역 (issuing region) | 제주특별자치도 제주시, 애월읍 |
| 허가 유형 (permit type) | 농어촌민박사업 |
| 허가번호 (permit number) | 1729 |
A number on its own is not enough: Verify uses the region and permit type to find the right record. If the box alone doesn't find a record, add the stay's name and address in Verify's optional fields.
Which fields should match?
Verify returns the official record. Compare four things with the listing:
- Registered name. It can differ from the listing title. Look for the Korean name when there is one.
- Road address. A different district, street number or building is a real difference, not a translation detail.
- Category. The record's permit type should fit what the listing says it is.
- Status and date. "Active" describes the record as of its source date.
Korea's public lodging data includes the business name, address, operating status and permit date for each record. Public Data Portal lodging dataset Seoul Economic Daily reported that platforms have struggled to verify the certificates operators submit, which is why reading the record yourself helps. Seoul Economic Daily, 16 April 2026
What does a real match look like?
Our Nuwa page shows a saved check for a hanok stay in Seoul's Nuha-dong.
| Field | Nuwa's record |
|---|---|
| Listing | Nuwa, Nuha-dong, Seoul |
| Registered name | NUWA 누와 |
| Road address | 서울특별시 종로구 필운대로5나길 3-1 (누하동) |
| Category | Hanok experience business (한옥체험업) |
| Status | Active permit record |
| Record date | Updated 11 May 2026 |
The registered name matches the listing, the road address sits in Nuha-dong, and a hanok listing has a hanok experience permit. Every field fits. The check was saved on 29 September 2026, so run it again in Verify before you book.
Does a number prove registration?
Not by itself. Airbnb displays business information for Korean business hosts, including a business registration number. Airbnb Help Center That identifies the business, not the accommodation permit Verify looks up.
Airbnb also required older Korean listings to submit an accommodation license by 16 October 2025. Airbnb responsible hosting in Korea Booking.com asks Korean properties for a registration number and certificate in its partner system. Booking.com licensing requirements Those are platform checks. Verify shows you the government record itself.
Verify searches a daily copy of eight official datasets and keeps the permit finding separate from the listing comparison. Verify methodology Read both parts of the result.
What if Verify cannot confirm it?
SelectBNBs Verify data for 26 October to 1 November: 41 lookups, 14 with an active record found. Another 14 were number kinds Verify can't check yet, so a "can't check" result is about the tool's coverage, not the stay.
In the same week, the largest group of lookups without a confirmed record was seven for special-exception listings, such as WeHome, in SelectBNBs Verify data. These are lookups, not properties, and the count says nothing about whether those stays are registered.
A no-match does not mean a stay is unregistered or illegal. Check that you copied all three lines, then add the name and address. A stay in a different category may sit in a different official dataset.
Why does the category matter?
Korea keeps separate permit datasets for lodging businesses, foreign-tourist urban homestays and hanok experience businesses. An urban homestay is a resident's own city home offered to foreign tourists. Urban homestay dataset A hanok experience business offers stays in a traditional Korean house equipped for guests. Hanok experience dataset
Sideview reports that under the ministry's guidance, stay types outside the Public Health Control Act are checked against their own registration documents, and simply appearing on a platform is not what triggers the fine. Sideview, 20 October 2026 A booking site may call all of these a house or guesthouse. The record's category should still fit what you are booking: a hanok listing with a hanok permit, an apartment with a homestay or lodging permit.
Questions and answers
Is an active record enough?
Almost. An active record means the business is registered as of the record's date. Also confirm the name and address fit this listing.
Should the addresses match exactly?
Yes for the district, street and building number. Spelling of the English version can differ, so compare the Korean address when you can.
What if I see the stay on another site?
Compare the registered name and road address on both. A different listing title alone doesn't mean a different place.
Before you book
- Copy all three lines of the listing's Registration details box.
- Paste them into Verify. Add the name and address if the box alone finds nothing.
- Check that the record's name, road address and category fit the listing, and note the record date.