Before you pay for a stay in Korea, check three things: the accommodation permit (not the tax number), that the permit's record is still operating at this address, and that you are paying through the booking platform. A good rating answers none of these. Check the permit with SelectBNBs Verify, then compare the business name, address and status it returns with the place you plan to book.
Which number on a Korean listing is the permit?
A Korean listing can show several official-looking numbers. Only the accommodation permit is the one to check.
| Number | Where you see it | What it identifies | Use it for a permit check? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation license number (허가번호 on Korean-language Airbnb) | Airbnb's Registration details, with Region of issuance and License type | The lodging business registered with the local city, county or district office | Yes, together with the issuing area and license type |
| Business registration number (사업자등록번호) | The host's business details | A business registered with the National Tax Service, for tax | No |
| E-commerce business number (통신판매업 신고번호) | The host's business details | A business reported for selling online | No |
| Airbnb listing ID | The long number in the listing's web address | The listing on Airbnb | No |
| Government management number (관리번호) | The official record, or a Verify result | One record in the national permit data | Yes |
The mix-up is easy to make. Airbnb requires Korean business hosts to display their business name, address, contact details, business registration number and e-commerce business number on their listings. None of those is the accommodation permit. Airbnb's requirements for business hosts in Korea
Airbnb's own Korean guide for hosts puts it in one line: "사업자등록증은 영업신고증이 아닙니다", a tax business-registration certificate is not an accommodation registration document. The permit number comes from the accommodation document issued by the local authority. Airbnb's three-step registration guide
We see this mix-up in Verify searches. In one week in late September, 7 of the lookups that never found a record had been given a tax or town register number instead of the accommodation permit. In the week to 4 October, 5 more had a license number without the area that issued it. A short local number on its own can match businesses in several districts, so copy the whole Registration details box. What Verify needs to find a record
Is the permit still operating?
A real permit number can belong to a business that has closed. Of the 144,673 records in the eight official Korean permit datasets Verify searches, 52,309 are marked closed, 479 temporarily closed and 436 cancelled, deregistered, expired, suspended or stopped (source data dated 5 October 2026). Current coverage and status counts
A number copied from an old listing, a previous business at the same address or another property can still look official. When Verify returns a record, read three fields before anything else:
- Status: "Operating normally" is what you want to see. Closed or temporarily closed needs an explanation from the host.
- Address: the registered address should describe the place you are booking, down to the building and unit where the listing gives them.
- Source date: the record shows the government data as of that date. A business that changed recently may not be reflected yet.
See how the permit records break down by category and status
Does the record belong to this listing?
A matching record shows that a registered business exists. It does not show that the listing you found belongs to it. Compare the registered business name and address with the listing and ask the host about any difference. If the same permit appears on several listings, ask which unit it covers.
If the search finds nothing, that is not proof the stay is illegal: names differ, short numbers repeat and some categories sit outside the covered data. What to do after a no-match result
What does not prove a stay is registered?
- A high rating or many reviews. They describe past stays, not the permit.
- Professional photos or a polished listing. They show the place, not its authorization.
- A business registration number. It identifies a taxpayer. Ask for the accommodation permit as well.
- A badge from the booking site. Read what the badge actually checks before treating it as a permit check.
Should I ever pay outside the platform?
No. Airbnb says that a guest who pays for a booking outside Airbnb loses its AirCover protection, and that paying outside the platform puts the guest at greater risk of fraud. It also says hosts may not ask guests to take a booking off Airbnb or to move the conversation to another messaging service before booking, and asks guests to report a host who does. Paying and communicating through Airbnb
Treat these as reasons to stop and check:
- the host offers a discount for a bank transfer or payment through a messenger app
- the host asks you to continue the conversation on WhatsApp, KakaoTalk or email before you book
- the registration details are missing and the host won't supply them
A message to send the host
If the listing shows only a tax or e-commerce number, or no registration details at all, send this through the booking platform's messages:
Hello, before I book, could you share the accommodation registration details for this listing: the region of issuance, license type and license number from the accommodation registration document (영업신고증)? The business registration number is a tax number, so I'd like the accommodation permit itself. Could you also confirm that the business is operating at this address and that the permit covers this unit? Thank you.
When the details arrive, paste them into Verify and compare the result with the listing.
Questions and answers
Is a Superhost badge or a 4.9 rating proof that the stay is licensed?
No. Ratings and badges reflect guest reviews and the platform's own criteria. They are not a check of Korean accommodation permits. Check the registration details separately. What a permit check establishes
The listing shows a number starting with WEHOME-. Can I check it?
A number beginning WEHOME- is assigned by WeHome, not by a district office, so Verify cannot match it against government accommodation records. Ask the host for a district-issued accommodation license number or the property's road address. WeHome's identifier instructions · Verify's coverage
Can I check a stay I found on Agoda, Booking.com or Stayfolio?
Yes. Use the accommodation's registration details, whichever site you found it on. If the page does not show them, ask the property. Coverage depends on the official datasets, not on the booking site. Verify's coverage
Where can I see a business's tax number or online-sales report?
Korea's National Tax Service runs a business-registration status lookup, and the Fair Trade Commission publishes data on businesses reported for online sales. Both describe the business, not its accommodation permit. National Tax Service business status data · Fair Trade Commission online-seller data
What if the host won't share the registration details?
You can ask the issuing city, county or district office, or choose another stay. A host who will not identify the accommodation's permit before you pay has left the main question unanswered.
Before you pay
Check the permit, not the tax number. Check that the record is operating at this address. Pay through the platform.
Check a Korean stay with SelectBNBs Verify →
Choosing between a few stays? Alo from our team grew up in Korea and still lives here. On a private 30-minute video call in English he can talk through which neighborhood and which stay fit your trip, and you get a written follow-up. It costs $89. The call is trip advice, not a permit check.
Talk your trip through with us
This guide gives general information for travelers, not a legal opinion on an individual property. The relevant local authority can confirm a specific case. SelectBNBs Verify is an independent service using official public data; it is not a Korean government website.