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14-1 · General business permits

Permit Succession and Business Transfer (Succession of Business Operator Status Report)

A person who takes over a business by transfer or inheritance, or who acquires all of a business's facilities through auction, liquidation sale or sale of seized property, succeeds to the previous operator's status. Article 39 of the Food Sanitation Act requires a report within 1 month of succession for restaurants, bakeries and similar businesses, Article 3-2 of the Public Health Control Act requires a report within 1 month for beauty, lodging, bathhouse and similar businesses, and Article 26 of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act requires a report within 30 days of succession, all to the competent city, county or district office; barber and beauty businesses can only be succeeded by a licensed person. A waste treatment business under Article 33 of the Wastes Control Act requires prior permission from the Mayor/Do Governor or other authority rather than a report, and the authority notifies the decision and the scope of legal liability being succeeded within 30 days. Under Article 78 of the Food Sanitation Act and Article 11-3 of the Public Health Control Act, the effect of administrative sanctions such as business suspension imposed on the previous operator passes to the transferee for 1 year from the end of the sanction period, and ongoing sanction procedures may continue, so the sanction history must be checked before signing the contract.

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#Permit Succession and Business Transfer (Succession of Business Operator Status Report)#Official check#14-1
01

Procedure

Procedure

Procedure type
  • Notification Difficulty Low

    You submit the statutory report form and required documents. Once the documents are in order the report is accepted; for some reports the authority checks the contents before accepting it.

  1. 01

    Confirm the business type and succession method: Check the type of permit, report or registration and its governing law from the business report certificate or permit, and distinguish whether it is a report after succession (food, public health, livestock products) or permission before transfer (waste treatment business).

  2. 02

    Check the transferee's qualifications: Review grounds for disqualification and industry-specific qualifications. Only license holders can succeed to barber or beauty businesses, and for food businesses, confirm completion of food sanitation training and whether a health examination is required in advance.

  3. 03

    Check the administrative sanction history: Ask the hygiene department of the competent city, county or district office about any business suspension or fine imposed on the previous operator and any ongoing inspection or hearing, and keep the inquiry record and a confirmation from the transferor before signing the contract.

  4. 04

    Prepare the contract and succession date: Specify the succession date (the day the business is handed over) in the transfer agreement, count the 1-month reporting deadline (30 days for livestock products) from that day, and align it with the balance payment and handover schedule. If you plan to change the business name, check whether it can be reported together with the succession report.

  5. 05

    Submit the succession report: File the industry-specific succession report with documents proving the transfer, the previous business report certificate or permit, and the training completion certificate to the competent city, county or district office. Under the Food Sanitation Act, the authority notifies whether the report is accepted within 3 days of receipt.

  6. 06

    Confirm acceptance and follow-up: The succession report requires acceptance, so operate under the transferee's name only after receiving the acceptance notice and new business report certificate. Multi-use businesses should have proof of fire liability insurance, and waste treatment businesses should manage the scope and schedule of the succeeded liabilities stated in the permit notice.

02

Filing route

Filing route

Competent city, county or district office where the business is located (food, public health and livestock product businesses); for waste treatment businesses, the Metropolitan City/Do or regional environmental office

Confirm the current filing office, jurisdiction, and online availability on the official website.

Official check
Actual processing agencyCompetent Korean authority or official service · Competent Korean authority or official service
Statutory and policy authorityCentral administrative authority responsible for the business sector
Online routeGovernment24
03

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Check deadlines and next steps against the notice, filing date, and any request for additional documents.Official check
04

Basic documents

Basic documents

Basic documents0 / 8

식품영업자 지위승계 신고서(별지 제49호서식)

HWP originalPDF

Source: Korea National Law Information Center, 「식품위생법 시행규칙」 별지 제49호서식(effective 2026.09.01.) · checked 2026.10.26. · the form is in Korean; confirm it is the current version before submitting.

The transferee bears the burden of proving they did not know of the previous operator's sanction or violation at the time of transfer, so without a record of checking the sanction history before the contract, you may inherit the effect of the previous operator's business suspension.

Scope of services

Scope of services

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office prepares and translates documents for administrative agencies, submits them on your behalf, and guides you through permit, application, and notification procedures. Services that require the principal’s personal appearance, principal’s application, or electronic signature may be limited in delegation.