Shipping to Korean shoppers? The new one-time customs code check

A Korean customer reaches your checkout, types their customs code, and is then asked for a second number they have never heard of. Since 28 August 2026 that is how overseas orders start to work for a growing share of Korean shoppers. If your shop does not explain it, the basket may simply be left behind.

What changed on 28 August

Every parcel a Korean consumer buys from abroad clears customs under a personal customs clearance code, known in Korean as 개인통관고유부호 and on the customs portal as the PCCC. It stands in for the national ID number, so shoppers type it into checkout pages, forwarders and courier forms. That is exactly why it leaks.

In a briefing on 24 August 2026, the Korea Customs Service (KCS) said e-commerce goods now account for 92% of all import cases, and announced a dedicated e-commerce clearance platform. Its pilot started on 28 August 2026, with formal opening planned within the year. The central change: for each order, the buyer also enters a one-time verification code that KCS sends by email or text message. If the code and the PCCC do not match, the import cannot go through on that buyer's name.

The reason is in the numbers. According to KCS data reported by Herald Business on 13 September 2026, reports of suspected PCCC misuse rose from 16,355 in 2023 to 24,741 in 2024 and 71,440 in 2025. Another 33,545 had been filed by August 2026.

Who has to enter the code, and when

Not every Korean shopper meets the new step at once. KCS set out a phased start in the briefing.

Shopper	When the one-time code applies
Gets a new PCCC, or changes its details, after 28 August 2026	Immediately
Already holds a PCCC	From the renewal in their birthday month in 2027
Buys through an "authorised e-commerce company" (협력 인정 업체)	The shop verifies on the buyer's behalf, so the buyer does not type the code

The codes themselves now expire. Since 2026 a PCCC has to be renewed every year, which is how the birthday-month renewal fits in. For a shop abroad this means the share of Korean customers who face the extra step will grow month by month through 2027, not on one fixed day.

Korean shoppers are already searching for this. Typical queries are "개인통관고유부호 인증번호" (customs code verification number), "해외직구 인증번호 어디서" (where to get the overseas purchase code) and "통관부호 갱신" (renew customs code). If your Korean FAQ answers those, you save a support email and possibly an abandoned basket.

The rule behind it: registration under Article 254

Article 254 of the Customs Act lets low-value e-commerce goods clear with a simplified procedure. Paragraph 2 says that online sellers, marketplaces and shipping forwarders who want that simplified clearance must register with KCS, and it expressly includes businesses with no address or office in Korea. Paragraph 3 allows KCS to ask registered businesses for order and payment information before the goods are imported. Registration lasts three years and can be renewed.

KCS opened the registration system on 5 June 2026, as Taxtimes reported on 28 May 2026. The UNI-PASS e-commerce portal has an English section for overseas companies, with menus to apply for an e-commerce business code, submit purchase information by Excel, validate a PCCC and send one-time verification codes.

The duty-free threshold has not changed. Under Article 45(2)(1) of the Enforcement Rule of the Customs Act, goods for personal use worth up to USD 150 are exempt from duty, except repeated or split imports that meet the KCS criteria. The new platform is about identity and information, not a new tax.

Why it matters for a European brand shipping direct

KCS said it will now manage clearance by risk. Goods arriving through businesses whose transaction information is complete and reliable are to clear quickly. Goods with thin information, or not moving through the platform, are where X-ray reading and inspections will concentrate. Put simply, a parcel from an unknown sender with patchy data is the one most likely to wait.

The authorised company status is the other lever. In the briefing, the head of the KCS e-commerce clearance division listed the conditions: the shop must have verified the buyer's identity at sign-up (the Korean CI value), submit transaction information for at least 90% of orders, have no Personal Information Protection Act violation in the past year, and have no record of PCCC misuse. KCS said sales volume is not a criterion, small firms can submit data by Excel instead of an API, and authorised firms may say so on their site. Large platforms are aiming for authorisation from January 2027.

For a small brand, the realistic picture is this. If you sell through a Korean marketplace or a forwarder, that partner will likely handle the code for your customers. If you ship from your own web shop, your Korean customers will meet the code step themselves, and your checkout has to make room for it.

What to put on your own checkout and Korean pages

None of this needs a new system. It needs clear Korean wording in three places.

Checkout: a field labelled 개인통관고유부호 with a short note that some customers will also be asked for a one-time code from KCS.
Korean FAQ: one answer covering where the code comes from, that it is renewed yearly, and that orders under USD 150 for personal use are normally duty free.
Partners: one email to your courier or forwarder asking whether they are registered with KCS and whether they plan to apply for authorised status.

Customs friction tends to show up as Korean reviews about late parcels, and those reviews sit next to your brand name on Naver. If you want to see what Korean shoppers find when they search your brand today, ask for a free visibility check. We send the report the same day or the next morning. This article is general information and not legal or customs advice; check the details with a licensed Korean customs broker before changing your process.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Check with a professional before acting on it.