Last updated on March 16, 2023
The step-by-step guide to picking up a rental car at Jeju Airport. Learn from my mistakes to save time and money.
Jeju Island is undoubtedly one of the top vacation destinations in South Korea. Every year, millions of local and international visitors travel to Jeju Island to visit this scenic and beautiful Korean island. This tiny island is full of must-see attractions and unique foods just waiting for you to explore.
While it is possible to get around Jeju by public transport, it is not flexible as some of the sights are difficult to reach by bus. The best way to travel in Jeju is self-drive with a rental car.
Below is my personal experience on how to book and pick up my rental car at Jeju Airport.
Driving requirements in Jeju
Make sure you meet the following requirements if you plan to ride alone in Jeju Island or South Korea.
- 21 years older with at least 1 year driving experience
- International Driving Permit (IDP) is issued within one year
- The country must be registered by the Geneva or Vienna Convention
- Indonesia, China, Taiwan are not accepted
- Valid local driver from the country's license
For vehicle type D (for 11, 12 seats),
- At least 26 years older, with at least 3 years driving experience.
- Your IDP must be declared with type D
Tom note: EU driver's license, international driver's license and international driver's license are not accepted in Korea.
choose a car rental company
There is a car rental brunch on Jeju Island. It is sometimes difficult to decide which car rental company offers the best service. I prefer to compare several car rental companies inMietwagen.comto the best price guarantee.
The comparison is simple and straightforward. Once you've made up your mind, just book it directly online! Booking online does not require payment, so you can still cancel or change it if needed.
International Car Rental:
- AJ Rent A Car, Avis Budget in Südkorea
- Lotte Rent A Car, also known as KT Kumho
- Sixty
Local Korean car rental:
- Jeju Mietwagen, Tamra, Jeju One Car
How to pick up your rental car at Jeju Airport
During my trip to Jeju, my car is rented from AJ Rent-A-Car, throughMietwagen.com. AJ Rent-a-car is an international car rental company with English speaking staff. So don't worry about the communication problem. Also, after comparing on RentalCars, AJ provided the cheapest price for my preferred car type.
Bring your passport, IDP, driver's license and credit card (same as when making the reservation) to pick up the rental car. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to pick up your rental car at Jeju Airport.
Step 1#Go to the car rental counter at exit 2
Upon arrival at Jeju Airport, simply collect your luggage and exit customs as usual.
Then look for the AJ rental car counter near exit gate #2. All rental car counters are located at exit 2, so don't worry. AJ is located in the far left corner of all car rental counters.
Step 2#Document verification at the AJ counter
Show your booking confirmation to the staff at the AJ counter. The staff will quickly verify your booking and documents such as passport, IDP, driver's license.
They will not pick up your rental car directly from Jeju Airport. Instead, staff will direct you to the rental station with a simple note.
Step 3: Exit Gate 5 and cross the street
Follow the directions towards Gate 5 and exit Jeju Airport. Cross the road to the parking lot and turn right.
Along the sidewalk you will see many different buses parked in the bus waiting area. Follow the parking number straight ahead. Look for the AJ parking lot at the end of the walkway.
Step #4: Board the AJ Shuttle Bus
The bus runs every 10 minutes from Jeju Airport to AJ Rental office. The bus had just arrived when I reached the waiting area. Get on the bus and we will pick up our rental car.
The bus is clean and comfortable. And it seems to be shared between AJ Rental Car and BillyCar. Several people board the same bus for car rental.
Step #5: Get off at the AJ Rent-A-Car office
It takes about 5 minutes by bus from Jeju Airport to AJ Rent-A-Car office. It's the first stop (I don't know how many stops) on the bus journey. It's the AJ Rental Office as I've seen a lot of rental cars parked in this area.
There is no actual announcement, but the bus driver called out to AJ as he stopped the bus. We confirm the destination with the driver on the way down. Surprisingly few people went down with us.
Step #6: Final document review at AJ office
This is the final step to pick up your rental car at Jeju Airport. We took the queue number and waited our turn. There is only one counter serving and serving the two customers in front of us. It goes pretty fast and soon it will be our turn.
Here, too, we give the staff all the necessary papers including booking confirmation, passport, IDP, driver's license. She will double check the document carefully as this is the last step before picking up our rental car.
To our surprise, our rental car was upgraded from Hyundai RAY to Hyundai Avante for free because the reserved car is not ready yet. She naturally asked about the deal, which we were happy to oblige.
After everything was well explained and ready, we signed the rental car contract and paid with a credit card. Please note that cash is not allowed, as already stated in the booking confirmation email.
Step #7: Visually inspect and inspect the rental vehicle
Finally we can take our rental car outside of the office based on the given location and given car number.
However, this is not the last step in the debt collection process. We need to drive our car to the exit gate for final check out. Another team was waiting for us at the exit gate. This guy helped us with the visual inspection and the fuel level was recorded.
Make sure you don't skip this process to avoid unnecessary charges. Although the team mentioned minor scratches, it was fine upon return. But I personally still took the photo of the current scratches and the fuel level, just in case.
Remember to keep the booking contract and not throw it away.
Step #8: GPS Installed and Demo
This is the final step to pick up the rental car at Jeju Airport. GPS is installed, please ask staff to set GPS language to English. Only the voice guidance changes to English, but the screen remains in Korean.
But don't worry, the phone number is the only thing you need to enter when searching for places. You can also ask the team to do a short demo on how to enter phone number for location lookup. You can always google the places where you are looking for the phone number.
Then the time has come. Overall, picking up the rental car is smooth and easy. Enjoy and explore the beauty of Jeju Island at your own pace after picking up your car. Also read more belowHow to Rent a Car and Drive in Jeju Islandif you need further help.
Bon Voyage!
Get the mobile data: Wifi Egg or SIM card
In case you need help, you can get Wifi 4G Sim Card or Wifi Egg directly at Jeju Airport. The counter is located opposite the exit of the international arrivals hall.
Book in advance for a cheaper priceand pick up at the counter upon arrival.
Ride on Jeju Island
Driving on Jeju Island is very pleasant compared to mainland South Korea. I don't feel any stress even on a busy street, I just drive normally. However, please note that cars drive on the right side instead of the left, which is similar to the US.
Accelerating is difficult as the GPS will continue to warn loudly unless you ignore the warning tone. Speed cameras and cameras are everywhere! So note.
Read more in mine before your visit6 Days Jeju Itineraryfor the travel idea what to eat and where to stay on the small island.
- Exploring Jeju City–Rock of Yongduam | Dongmun Market | Black Pig Street
- West Coast–O'sulloc Theater Museum | Free House Jeju | Cost of Yongmeori
- south coast–Cliff Daepo Jusangjeolli | Jeongbang Waterfall | Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market
- east coast–Sunrise peak Seongsan Ilchulbong|Udo Island
- Montanha Hallasan–Hike to the top of Mount Hallasan
- free and easy. All about the beaches and the sea.