Questions by situation
Each answer starts with the conclusion, then who it applies to, the documents and the timing. Jump here from “Choose your situation” above.
Can I get Korea F-5-10 permanent residency with a bachelor's degree from a foreign university?
It depends on the field. An overseas degree counts only if it is a bachelor's or higher in an advanced-technology field (IT, technology management, nano, digital electronics, bio, transport and machinery, new materials, environment and energy, etc.); a science/engineering bachelor's or a master's in other fields must come from a regular course at a Korean university. With an overseas degree, you must have worked at a Korean company in a field related to the degree for 3 years or more after obtaining it. You submit a copy of the degree, and a transcript may also be requested.
I have an MBA from a Korean graduate school — does F-5-10 accept a non-STEM master's?
Yes. A master's or higher earned through a regular course at a Korean university qualifies even outside science, engineering or advanced-technology fields. With a Korean degree your job need not match your major, but for 3 years before the application date until the decision you must not have worked in a business your status did not allow or in entertainment services (including similar businesses), and you need 3+ years of work. The same rule applies to a Korean science/engineering bachelor's.
Can I get Korea F-5-10 with a professional engineer licence but no degree?
Yes. A professional engineer licence (기술사), or a licence the Korean government recognizes in its place under a mutual recognition agreement (MRA), meets the degree/licence requirement. If you apply with a licence, you must work only in a field related to it, and with an overseas licence you need 3+ years of work in a related field at a Korean company after obtaining it. Submit the licence copy with your employment certificate and proof of regular employment.
When does the F-5-10 three-year work period start — does work before graduation count?
The 3 years are counted from after you obtained the degree or licence, so work before that does not count. During those 3 years, if the days you were out of work while changing jobs add up to 90 days or less, the work is treated as continuous. Korean-degree holders must also not have worked in a business their status did not allow or in entertainment services during that time. We first lay out your employment history by date to count any gaps.
I often travel abroad for work — does it still count as 3 years of continuous stay for F-5-10?
Yes, if each trip is 90 days or less and the total days abroad are 180 or less in every 1-year (365-day) block counted back from the application date; the time abroad then counts as stay in Korea. If any one block exceeds this, only the period after it counts as continuous stay, and continuity also breaks if you departed permanently or switched to a status that does not count. We split your entry/exit record into 1-year blocks and check it first.
I changed companies before applying for F-5-10 — how does the one-year regular employment rule work?
At application you must have been in full-time regular employment with a Korean company for at least 1 year; if days out of work while changing jobs total 30 or less in that year, your previous job counts toward it. If you apply with an advanced-technology degree or a licence, the new job must also be in a related field; with a Korean science/engineering bachelor's or a master's, any field other than entertainment services is fine. Regular employment is shown with the workplace insurance enrollment list and employment contract.
What is the F-5-10 income requirement, and can my spouse's income or savings make up the difference?
For F-5-10 only the applicant counts as an income earner, so a spouse's income cannot be added and the asset alternative does not apply. Your own annual income must be at least the previous year's per-capita gross national income (GNI) as of the application date, and only income on which income tax was paid is recognized. The income period is normally January–December of the year before you apply; if that year's income certificate is not yet issued on the application date, the year before is used. It is checked with the tax office income certificate and tax clearance.
Will unpaid health insurance or taxes hurt my F-5-10 permanent residency application?
Yes. Unpaid national or local taxes, health insurance premiums or fines are treated as a negative effect on public finances, and the applicant is then assessed as not meeting the financial self-sufficiency requirement. Income from a business your status did not allow, or from entertainment services, is treated the same way. Settle arrears before applying and prepare a tax clearance certificate; it may be waived if the office confirms no arrears in its system.
Do I have to finish KIIP Level 5 to apply for F-5-10?
F-5-10 is subject to the basic knowledge test, so you need either KIIP (사회통합프로그램) Level 5 completion or 60 out of 100 or more on the permanent-residence or naturalization comprehensive test. However, if you meet the advanced-field PhD (F-5-9) requirements, or earned a doctorate through a regular course at a Korean graduate school, the requirement is waived even when you apply for F-5-10. Submit the pass or completion certificate; any document with an expiry date must be valid on the application date.
I graduated as a GKS scholar or on a work-study (D-2-7) visa — is the F-5-10 income test waived?
Yes, you fall under the waiver. People who graduated normally from their degree program on the work-study student status (D-2-7) or as a GKS scholar of the National Institute for International Education are exempt from the annual income review for permanent residence types that require a degree. Other requirements — degree, work period, basic knowledge and good conduct — still apply, so prepare those as usual.
Do I need a criminal record certificate from my home country for F-5-10, or is it skipped like the PhD types?
Unlike the PhD types (F-5-9·F-5-15), F-5-10 is not exempt by type, so it is normally required. You need one from your country of nationality and from any third country where you lived 1+ year in a row within the last 5 years, issued within 6 months before the application date, apostilled or consular-legalized, submitted as the original with a notarized translation. It may be skipped if you have stayed lawfully in Korea for 10+ consecutive years, or if you submitted one before and have not been abroad for 6+ months in a row since.
What is the full document checklist for Korea F-5-10 permanent residency?
There are common documents and F-5-10-specific ones. Common: integrated application form (with revenue stamp), passport, alien registration card, proof of residence (e.g. a lease valid on the application date), overseas criminal record certificate, identity surety form, tax clearance and income certificate, basic knowledge proof, and the F-5 applicant information form. Specific: copy of degree or licence, employer's business registration copy and employment certificate, and workplace insurance enrollment list and employment contract to confirm regular employment. False statements on the information form can lead to cancellation of permanent residence even after approval, so it must be filled in carefully.
After getting F-5-10 permanent residency, can I stay outside Korea for a long time?
Long absences can cost you the status. If you do not return within the re-entry exemption period (2 years from departure) or your re-entry permit period, permanent residence is lost. The permanent residence card is valid for 10 years from issue and must be renewed before it expires; late renewal leads to a fine.
Key terms
- Bachelor's, master's and licence holder (F-5-10, 학사·석사 및 자격증 소지자)
- The permanent residence type for people with an advanced-industry bachelor's, a master's or higher in general fields, or a technical licence who are employed by a Korean company.
- Advanced-technology field (첨단기술 분야)
- Fields designated under the Industrial Development Act, such as IT, technology management, nano, digital electronics, bio, transport and machinery, new materials, and environment and energy.
- Mutual recognition agreement (MRA, 상호인증합의서)
- An agreement under which the Korean government recognizes a foreign licence in place of a professional engineer licence; licences recognized this way also qualify for F-5-10.
- Continuity of work (근무의 계속성)
- The rule that work counts as continuous if days off between jobs total 90 or less for the 3-year period and 30 or less for the 1-year regular employment period.
- Per-capita GNI (1인당 국민총소득)
- The benchmark for the income requirement — the previous year's figure as of the application date, or the year before if it has not yet been published.
- Basic knowledge requirement (기본소양)
- Met by completing KIIP Level 5 or scoring 60+ on the permanent-residence or naturalization comprehensive test; F-5-10 applicants are reviewed for it.
- Overseas criminal record certificate (해외범죄경력증명서)
- A criminal record issued by the competent authority of your country of nationality (and any relevant third country), issued within 6 months before applying and apostilled or consular-legalized.
- F-5 applicant information form (영주자격 신청자 기본정보)
- A form the applicant fills in to speed up review; false statements found later are grounds for cancelling permanent residence.
- Permanent residence card (영주증)
- The card issued to permanent residents, valid for 10 years from issue and to be renewed before it expires.
About our office
- Office
- Vision Administrative Office (비전행정사사무소 · VISAS KOREA)
- Principal
- Alex Lee (이원중), licensed administrative agent (행정사)
- Licence
- Administrative agent (행정사) — preparing immigration and residence filings and submitting them on the client’s behalf with written authorization (위임장)
- Scope
- Korean visas (visa issuance certificate, change of status, extension), permanent residency (F-5), foreign-invested company, branch and liaison office setup, immigration violation review and entry-ban response
- Languages
- Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
- Address
- 3F Sungwoo Bldg, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04614, Korea
- Hours
- Weekdays 09:30–17:30 (KST)
Who hires us for this
- Employees who finished a master's at a Korean graduate school and have worked at a Korean company for over 3 years
- Engineers with an advanced-technology bachelor's from abroad who have worked in a related field at a Korean company
- Technical staff working in Korea with a professional engineer licence or an MRA-recognized licence
- Applicants unsure how job-change gaps or business-trip days affect their work and stay period
- Employees timing their application around the rule that only their own income counts
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