F-5-10 Permanent Residence Requirements — Degree, 3 Years of Stay, 1 Year of Full-Time Work, GNI Income

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm the degree or qualification type

   First decide which type applies: a bachelor's degree in a high-tech field, a Korean bachelor's degree in science or engineering, a Korean master's degree, a professional engineer qualification, and so on. An overseas bachelor's degree in general business administration and a Korean master's degree in business are reviewed in different ways, so the type must be determined first.

2. 2. Calculate the periods of stay and work

   As of the application date, calculate date by date whether you have 3 years or more of continuous stay in Korea and 3 years or more of work at a Korean company in the related field. Gaps between changes of workplace must total 90 days or less for continuity to be recognized, and periods spent abroad are also reviewed separately.

3. 3. Check the employment and income requirements

   At the time of application you must have been in full-time regular employment for 1 year or more; freelance work or short-hours employment causes a problem. Your own wages must be at or above the previous year's per capita GNI, and a spouse's income is not added to yours.

4. 4. Prepare for the basic knowledge requirement

   You must complete Level 5 of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) or score 60 points or more on the comprehensive evaluation for permanent residence or for naturalization. This takes a long time, so plan it together with the calculation of the period of stay.

5. 5. Check the remaining period of stay, then apply

   If less than 6 months remain on your current status of stay, extend it first and then apply for the change to permanent residence status. Check that the contents of the employment contract, certificate of employment, 4 major social insurance records and income documents are consistent with one another before filing.

Required documents

• Integrated application form, passport, residence card
• Degree certificate (for an overseas degree, one that has gone through the verification procedure)
• Employment contract, certificate of employment, copy of the business registration certificate
• List of persons enrolled in the 4 major social insurances, payroll records, receipt for wage and salary income tax withholding
• Certificate of completion of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program or confirmation of the comprehensive evaluation score
• Materials showing the relevance between the job duties and the major

Fees

Immigration office fees are charged separately. Service fees in the industry are generally around several hundred thousand won and vary with the degree type and the complexity of the work history. We will advise you after a consultation based on your stay and work history.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Immigration Act, Article 10-3
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Article 12-2
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, attached Table 1-3
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 18-4

Checked against the statutes on 2026-09-30

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• If less than 6 months remain on your current status of stay, extend it first.
• If the gaps between changes of workplace total more than 90 days, the continuity of work may be broken.

Frequently asked questions