F-5 Visa
A complete guide to the F-5-24 Permanent residency visa
Last updated
The Korea F-5-24 visa is the permanent residence route for technology startup founders who, as of the application date, have stayed in Korea continuously for 3 years or more on D-8-4 status. You also need KRW 300 million or more raised from domestic or foreign investors (or equivalent capital, including investment plus the company's capital) and at least 2 Korean nationals employed full-time for 6 months or more, while the income and basic-knowledge requirements are exempt. Vision Administrative Office, a Korea F-5-24 visa agent, reviews these requirements and prepares the investment and employment evidence for your D-8-4 to F-5 application.
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| Who it is for | A corporate founder who has stayed in Korea continuously for 3 years or more on technology startup (D-8-4) status, has raised KRW 300 million or more from investors and employs at least 2 Korean nationals |
|---|---|
| Requirements | ① Continuous stay of 3 years or more on D-8-4 status as of the application date (earlier stay periods excluded) ② KRW 300 million or more raised from domestic or foreign investors, or equivalent capital (raised investment plus the company's capital totalling KRW 300 million or more also counts) ③ At least 2 Korean nationals employed full-time on a regular basis for 6 months or more as of the application date. Livelihood and basic-knowledge requirements exempt; good conduct is reviewed |
| Process | Count continuous D-8-4 stay and days abroad → organise investment / capital evidence → prepare proof of 6+ months of Korean employment → obtain and authenticate the overseas criminal record certificate → apply for change of status to F-5 → review (law-abiding citizen education if applicable) → permanent residence card issued |
| Documents | Integrated application form (with revenue stamp), passport, alien registration card, proof of residence, overseas criminal record certificate, identity surety form, F-5 applicant information form, business registration certificate and certified corporate register, proof of KRW 300 million+ investment raised or equivalent capital (financial statements, investment inflow statement, etc.), proof of 2+ Korean nationals employed for 6+ months (social insurance workplace enrolment list, employees' income amount certificates, employment contracts, regular-employment confirmation, etc.) |
| Processing time | Processing time depends on the immigration office, filing period and any requests for additional documents, and is confirmed at filing. The overseas criminal record certificate must be issued within 6 months before the application date |
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| Object |
|---|
| ○ Requirement prescribed by the Minister of Justice, such as a person who has stayed in the Republic of Korea for three years or more with the status of a technology start-up investment (D-8-4) Equipped |
| Requirements (must meet all of the following requirements) |
|---|
| ○ You must have stayed in Korea continuously for 3 years or more as a technology start-up (D-8-4) as of the date of application (past stay periods are excluded). |
| * D-8-4 refers to a founder of a corporation who holds intellectual property rights or equivalent technology and who has an associate degree or above obtained in Korea, a bachelor’s degree or above obtained abroad, or a recommendation from the head of a relevant central administrative agency. |
| ○ You have attracted investment of 300 million won or more from domestic or foreign investors, or hold equivalent capital |
| ※ It is also recognized if the sum of the attracted investment and the corporation’s capital is 300 million won or more |
| ○ The employment must be continuous full-time regular employment as of the application date. |
| ○ As of the application date, 2 or more Korean citizens must have been employed continuously as full-time regular employees for 6 months or more. |
| Required Documents |
|---|
| • Application form ( Download ) |
| • Passport and a copy |
| • ARC and a copy ( both sides ) |
| • Accommodation documents |
| • Criminal background check |
| • A letter of reference ( Download ) |
| • General information ( Download ) |
| • A copy of Business registration certificate, certificate of registration of all companies registered |
| • Documents certifying that the investor has attracted 300 million won or more, or holds equivalent capital (financial statements, statement of investment introduction, etc.) |
| • Documents that show that you have been hiring two or more people for at least six months |
| -List of subscribers of the four insurance companies and proof of income amount |
| -Employment contract, regular employment certificate, etc. |
Each answer starts with the conclusion, then who it applies to, the documents and the timing. Jump here from “Choose your situation” above.
No. F-5-24 requires a continuous stay of 3 years or more on technology startup (D-8-4) status as of the application date, and earlier stay periods are excluded. Time on D-10-2 or any other status, and an earlier D-8-4 period that was broken off, does not count, so start by checking your current, unbroken D-8-4 period.
If each trip is 90 days or less and, in every 365-day block counted back from the application date, total days abroad are 180 or less, your stay is treated as continuous and the time abroad is included. Leaving Korea for good or switching to a status other than D-8-4 breaks continuity from that point. Split your entry-exit record into one-year blocks and count the days abroad first.
Possibly. The F-5-24 investment requirement accepts not only KRW 300 million or more raised from domestic or foreign investors but also equivalent capital, and raised investment plus the company's capital totalling KRW 300 million or more also counts. For example, KRW 100 million of investment and KRW 200 million of capital are assessed together. The amounts are proven with financial statements, an investment inflow statement and similar documents.
You submit documents showing KRW 300 million or more raised from investors or equivalent capital, typically financial statements and an investment inflow statement. The business registration certificate and certified corporate register show the company's status. Check before filing that amounts and dates match across all documents.
No. F-5-24 requires at least 2 Korean nationals employed full-time on a regular basis for 6 months or more as of the application date, so foreign staff and part-time workers are not counted. The 6 months must be unbroken up to the application date, so if someone was hired recently, schedule the application after their 6 months are complete.
The social insurance workplace enrolment list and the Korean employees' income amount certificates show actual employment and pay, while employment contracts and a regular-employment confirmation show full-time regular employment. Check first that the enrolment period on the list covers 6 months or more up to the application date.
No. Technology startup investors (F-5-24) are exempt from the basic-knowledge requirement, so no KIIP certificate or comprehensive-assessment pass certificate is needed, and the annual income review is also exempt. The good-conduct requirement still applies, so any criminal or immigration-law record in Korea or abroad is checked separately.
No. The types waived by category alone are F-5-5, F-5-9, F-5-15, F-5-11 and F-5-12, and F-5-24 is not among them. You submit certificates from your country of nationality and any third country where you lived continuously for 1 year or more in the last 5 years, issued within 6 months before the application, with an apostille or consular confirmation, as originals with notarised translations. Personal grounds, such as 10 or more years of continuous lawful stay in Korea, may allow it to be omitted.
In principle, yes. The permanent residence types exempt from the identity surety form are set out — tourism and resort facility investors (F-5-17) and their families (F-5-19), public-interest project investors (F-5-21, F-5-23) and their families (F-5-22), and so on — and F-5-24 is not among them. Deciding on the surety early keeps the filing on schedule.
It depends on your status and investment structure. F-5-24 is for founders with 3+ years of continuous D-8-4 stay, KRW 300 million or more raised (or equivalent capital) and 2+ Korean nationals employed for 6 months, while F-5-5 is for those who personally maintain an investment of USD 500,000 or more under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act and employ 5 or more Korean nationals. The documents also differ: a foreign-invested company registration certificate for F-5-5, investment-raising documents for F-5-24.
Common documents are the integrated application form (with revenue stamp), passport, alien registration card, proof of residence, overseas criminal record certificate, identity surety form and the F-5 applicant information form. F-5-24 documents are the business registration certificate and certified corporate register, proof of KRW 300 million+ investment raised or equivalent capital (financial statements, investment inflow statement, etc.) and proof of 2+ Korean nationals employed for 6+ months (social insurance workplace enrolment list, employees' income amount certificates, employment contracts, regular-employment confirmation, etc.). Income and basic-knowledge documents are exempt and not submitted.
Permanent residence is lost if you do not return within 2 years of departure (the re-entry exemption period) or within the re-entry permit period. For a longer stay abroad, obtain a re-entry permit before leaving. The permanent residence card is valid for 10 years from issue and must be reissued before it expires; missing the deadline leads to an administrative fine.
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