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.
I'm ethnic Chinese born in Korea. How do I know which of the three F-5-8 eligibility cases applies to me?
First confirm that you held the former residence (F-2) status, then split by whether you ever made a complete departure. If you never did and are still staying continuously in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 status, that is the first case; if you left completely, came back and have stayed continuously for 2 years or more in those statuses, the second; if the total reaches 4 years or more counting F-1 and F-3 as well, the third. We decide by laying out your alien registration history and entry-exit records status by status.
I lived in Korea on F-2, left completely to live abroad and later returned. Can I still apply for F-5-8?
Yes. After a complete departure and re-entry, you must currently be staying continuously for 2 years or more in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 status, and time across those statuses is added together. Time in other statuses does not count toward those 2 years, so if you are short we also check the 4-year combined case that includes F-1 and F-3.
Can an ethnic Chinese resident on a family visitor (F-1) or dependent (F-3) visa get F-5-8 permanent residency?
Yes, it is possible. If you once stayed on F-2, left completely and re-entered, you fall under the third case when your time on F-1 and F-3 plus D-7 to E-7 or F-2 status adds up to 4 years or more of continuous stay as of the application date. The means-of-support requirement also applies, so income or family asset documents are prepared at the same time.
Does travelling or going on business trips abroad break my continuous stay for F-5-8?
Not if you stay within the limits. If each departure lasts 90 days or less and the total days abroad in each 1-year (365-day) block counted back from the application date is 180 days or less, your stay is treated as continuous and the time abroad is included. A complete departure or a change to a status that is not recognized breaks continuity, so we first split your entry-exit records into 1-year blocks.
What is the F-5-8 income requirement for a household of 3 or more cohabiting family members, and can family income be combined?
With 3 or more cohabiting family members (spouse, parents, children) annual income must be at least the previous year's per-capita GNI; with 2 or fewer, 70% of GNI is enough. Income of a spouse, minor children and parents (not parents-in-law) who shared your address and household during the income period can be added, but your own share must be at least 50% of the benchmark (with exceptions such as when you are raising a minor child). Only income on which income tax was paid counts, and it is checked with the tax office income certificate.
My income is slightly short. Can I combine it with family assets to meet the F-5-8 support requirement?
No, they cannot be combined. The F-5 means-of-support test does not add income and assets together, so you must fully meet either the income standard or the asset standard. For F-5-8, if income is short, the requirement is met when family (spouse, children, your parents) who lived and shared a household with you for 1 year up to the application date hold KRW 60 million or more in assets, regardless of household size.
What documents prove the F-5-8 asset requirement using my parents' home or a jeonse deposit?
The amount is proven with official records for each asset type: a real estate registry extract or sale contract for property, a lease contract for a jeonse or monthly rent deposit, and a balance certificate for savings. The asset holder must be a spouse, child or parent who lived and shared a household with you for 1 year up to the application date, so documents showing the shared address and family relationship are filed too.
What are the Chinese Association household register and birth certificate for F-5-8, and what if I have no birth certificate?
The F-5-8 specific documents are the household register issued by the Chinese Association, which proves family relationships, and a birth certificate. If a birth certificate truly cannot be obtained, a DNA test report may be used instead. Check in advance that the birth and family entries in the register match your alien registration records.
I was born in Korea and have always lived here. Do I still need an overseas criminal record certificate for F-5-8?
It can be omitted if you meet the conditions. If you were born in Korea and have not stayed abroad for 6 months or more in a row since turning 14, the overseas record check can be omitted, and so can it if you have stayed lawfully in Korea for 10 years or more continuously up to the application date. If you did stay abroad 6 months or more in a row, certificates from your country of nationality and that country are issued within 6 months before the application and apostilled or consular-confirmed.
Do ethnic Chinese applying for F-5-8 need to submit an identity surety form?
Normally yes. However, Hwagyo who entered Korea before the founding of the government (August 15, 1948) and their lineal ascendants and descendants who are staying on the former residence (F-2) status are exempt. We check when your grandparents or parents entered and your current status to see whether the exemption applies.
If a family member I live with has unpaid taxes or health insurance premiums, how does that affect the F-5-8 income review?
It depends on who owes. If you as the applicant have unpaid taxes, health insurance premiums or fines, you are found to lack the means of support; if a family member does, that person is removed as an income earner and their income cannot be added. Tax clearance and income certificates are filed per income earner, and tax clearance may be waived if the immigration office confirms electronically that nothing is unpaid.
What is the complete document list for an F-5-8 Hwagyo permanent residency application?
Common documents are the integrated application form (with revenue stamp), passport, alien registration card, proof of residence such as a lease valid on the application date, overseas criminal record certificate (unless omitted), identity surety form (unless exempt), tax clearance and income certificate, and the F-5 applicant information form; the specific documents are the Chinese Association household register and a birth certificate. If you rely on family assets instead of income, add the asset evidence. False entries on the information form are grounds for cancellation even after approval, so complete it carefully.
What happens if I live abroad for a long time after getting F-5-8 permanent residency?
If you do not return within the re-entry exemption period (up to 2 years from departure) or the re-entry permit period, you lose permanent residence. If a long stay abroad is planned, check with the competent office before leaving whether a re-entry permit is needed. The permanent residence card is valid for 10 years from issue and must be reissued before it expires, otherwise a fine applies.
Key terms
- Korea-born ethnic Chinese (F-5-8, 대한민국 출생 재한화교)
- The permanent residency sub-type for ethnic Chinese born in Korea who held the former residence (F-2) status and whom the Minister of Justice recognizes as needing to continue living in Korea.
- Former residence (F-2) status (종전 거주 자격)
- The residence status under the Enforcement Decree before its April 18, 2002 amendment; F-5-8 applicants must have held it or an equivalent earlier status.
- Complete departure (완전출국)
- The dividing line in F-5-8: without one, the question is whether you are still staying continuously; with one, 2 years or a combined 4 years of continuous stay after re-entry is required.
- Continuous stay (계속 체류)
- Treated as unbroken, with time abroad included, when each departure is 90 days or less and departures total 180 days or less per 1-year block.
- Cohabiting family (동거가족)
- The spouse, parents and children counted for the income standard; sharing the same registered address is treated as living together.
- Per-capita gross national income (GNI, 1인당 국민총소득)
- F-5-8 uses 70% of the previous year's figure for 2 or fewer cohabiting family members and the full figure for 3 or more, or the year before if it has not been announced.
- Chinese Association household register (화교협회 발행 호적등본)
- The document that proves family relationships in an F-5-8 application, filed in place of the family relationship documents used for other sub-types.
- Identity surety form (신원보증서)
- A common F-5 document, not required from Hwagyo who entered before August 15, 1948 and their lineal relatives staying on the former F-2 status.
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
- Ethnic Chinese born in Korea who have lived on residence (F-2) status
- Hwagyo who moved abroad, returned to Korea and need their stay periods combined
- Ethnic Chinese residents living with family on F-1 or F-3 status
- Applicants planning to meet the support requirement with a parent's or spouse's assets instead of income
- Applicants who need help from the start with the household register and birth certificate
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