You need 80 or more points out of a maximum 170 to qualify for the F-2-7 (점수제 우수인재) residence visa. The scoring table has four base categories: age, education, Korean-language ability, and annual income. Korean ability is capped at 20 points. Income alone can reach 60. This guide prints the full current table, category by category, drawn from Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2025-408 (법무부고시 제2025-408호), effective October 24, 2025. Three worked examples at the end show where different applicant profiles actually land.
If you want the broader picture of how F-2-7 fits into the F-2 visa category, start with F-2 Korean Resident Visa: How to Upgrade From Your Work Visa. For how TOPIK and KIIP compare across F-2-7, F-5, and naturalization, see KIIP vs TOPIK: Which Path Gets You to F-5 or Citizenship.
How the scoring works
The F-2-7 table has three components.
Common items (공통 항목): Four categories: age, education, Korean ability, and annual income. These cap at 130 points combined.
Bonus items (가점 항목): Additional rows for Korean War allied-nation talent, government recommendation letters, top-university and domestic-university degrees, KIIP Stage 5 completion, and volunteer service. These cap at 40 points, even if the raw total of qualifying rows exceeds 40.
Deduction items (감점 항목): Point penalties for immigration-law violations or criminal records. These can remove up to 70 points.
The maximum possible score is 170 (130 common points plus 40 bonus points). The pass line is 80.
A note on stale published tables: third-party sites and older blog posts frequently publish widely varying point totals. Some list a 학력 (education) maximum of 35. That figure is real, but it reflects the notice's structure before its December 2020 revision; every version since, including the current one, caps education at 25 and Korean ability at 20. The table has been revised multiple times. Treat any source that does not cite 법무부고시 제2025-408호 as potentially outdated, and check the current numbers at law.go.kr before planning your application around a specific total.
(As of October 2025, verify at law.go.kr before applying.)
Age: up to 25 points
Points are assigned by the applicant's age on the application date, calculated from the date of birth on the passport.
| Age range | Points |
|---|---|
| 25-29 | 25 |
| 18-24 | 23 |
| 30-34 | 23 |
| 35-39 | 20 |
| 40-44 | 12 |
| 45-50 | 8 |
| 51 and above | 3 |
The peak band is 25-29, not the youngest applicants. Points drop sharply after 40. An applicant in the 51-and-above band receives only 3 age points, which puts significant weight on income and education to carry the total.
Education: up to 25 points
Only degrees with a conferred certificate count. Program completion without a conferred degree (수료) is explicitly excluded by the notice.
| Degree | Field | Points |
|---|---|---|
| PhD (박사) | STEM (이공계) or 2 or more degrees | 25 |
| PhD (박사) | Other fields | 20 |
| Master's (석사) | STEM or 2 or more degrees | 20 |
| Master's (석사) | Other fields | 17 |
| Bachelor's (학사) | STEM or 2 or more degrees | 17 |
| Bachelor's (학사) | Other fields | 15 |
| Associate degree (전문학사) | STEM | 15 |
| Associate degree (전문학사) | Other fields | 10 |
STEM (이공계) covers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Holding two or more degrees at the same level (2개 이상) qualifies for the STEM-equivalent points regardless of field.
The degree must be verifiable through the issuing institution. The notice is silent on which degree to use when an applicant holds degrees at multiple levels; confirm with your caseworker if this applies to you.
Korean ability and KIIP: up to 20 points
TOPIK (한국어능력시험) grades and KIIP (사회통합프로그램) stage completion share one scoring column. They are not graded separately. Reaching the same tier through either route earns the same points.
| Tier | TOPIK grade | KIIP stage | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced (고급) | Level 5 or 6 | Stage 5 (5단계) | 20 |
| Upper intermediate | Level 4 | Stage 4 (4단계) | 15 |
| Lower intermediate | Level 3 | Stage 3 (3단계) | 10 |
| Upper basic | Level 2 | Stage 2 (2단계) | 5 |
| Lower basic | Level 1 | Stage 1 (1단계) | 3 |
No qualifying credential in either system: 0 points.
This category is capped at 20 points. TOPIK and KIIP cannot be combined across the two systems for more than 20. The table treats them as alternative routes to the same tier.
KIIP Stage 5 earns a separate 10-point bonus
Completing KIIP Stage 5 earns an additional 10 points in the bonus category (가점 항목), on top of the 20 points in the Korean-ability category above. TOPIK has no equivalent bonus row anywhere in the table.
The total Korean-language-linked contribution from the KIIP Stage 5 path is therefore 20 + 10 = 30 points, versus 20 points maximum from TOPIK alone. This is the concrete number behind the claim that KIIP is the higher-value long-term investment for F-2-7 specifically: not just the same credential, but 10 more points.
For more on how TOPIK and KIIP compare across F-2-7, F-5, and naturalization goals, see KIIP vs TOPIK: Which Path Gets You to F-5 or Citizenship and TOPIK for F-2 and F-5 Visa Points.
Annual income: up to 60 points
Income is the single highest-weighted category, at 60 of the 130 common-item points. That is 46% of the common-item ceiling. The scoring uses the applicant's most recent annual income certificate (소득금액증명) issued by Korea's tax office, not the employment contract.
| Annual income | Points |
|---|---|
| ₩100 million and above | 60 |
| ₩90 million to under ₩100 million | 58 |
| ₩80 million to under ₩90 million | 56 |
| ₩70 million to under ₩80 million | 53 |
| ₩60 million to under ₩70 million | 50 |
| ₩50 million to under ₩60 million | 45 |
| ₩40 million to under ₩50 million | 40 |
| ₩30 million to under ₩40 million | 30 |
| Minimum wage to under ₩30 million | 10 |
| No income proof, unemployed, or below minimum wage | 0 |
The tax-office certificate reflects taxable income only. Untaxed allowances, including meal and transportation subsidies, are not included. Your contract salary and your scored income figure may differ. Check your 소득금액증명 well before calculating your total.
(As of October 2025, verify at law.go.kr.)
Bonus points: up to 40
Bonus-item points cap at 40 even if the sum of qualifying rows exceeds 40. The notice states this ceiling but does not describe a mechanism for handling an over-40 raw total. Do not assume specific rows can be selected in preference to others.
| Bonus category | Points |
|---|---|
| Korean War allied-nation talent (한국전 참전국 우수인재) | 20 |
| Central government agency recommendation letter (중앙행정기관 추천서) | 20 |
| KIIP Stage 5 completion (사회통합프로그램 5단계 이수) | 10 |
| PhD from top-ranked university (박사, 우수대학) | 30 |
| PhD from Korean domestic university (박사, 국내) | 10 |
| Master's from top-ranked university (석사, 우수대학) | 20 |
| Master's from Korean domestic university (석사, 국내) | 7 |
| Bachelor's from top-ranked university (학사, 우수대학) | 15 |
| Bachelor's from Korean domestic university (학사, 국내) | 5 |
| Volunteer service: 3 years or more (18 or more sessions and 150 or more hours) | 7 |
| Volunteer service: 2 years or more, under 3 years (12 or more sessions and 100 or more hours) | 5 |
| Volunteer service: 1 year or more, under 2 years (6 or more sessions and 50 or more hours) | 1 |
Top-ranked university (우수대학): A degree from a university appearing in the QS World University Rankings top 500, or the Times Higher Education World University Rankings top 200, within the five years before the application date. Either ranking alone qualifies.
Volunteer service: The session count and hour count must both be met to qualify for each tier. Service history that falls below the minimum threshold for the lowest tier earns no bonus at all (가점 불인정).
Deductions: up to -70
Point penalties apply for immigration-law violations and criminal records. For the criminal-fine-or-harsher-sentence row below, the dividing line between a deduction and outright disqualification is timing, not severity: the same violation blocks the application outright if the sentence became final within the past 3 years, and only converts to a -40 deduction once more than 3 years have passed.
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Immigration Act violation with fine of ₩3 million or above, or a deportation order (출국명령/강제퇴거) | -30 |
| Immigration Act violation with fine of ₩1 million to under ₩3 million | -20 |
| Immigration Act violation with fine of ₩500,000 to under ₩1 million | -10 |
| Criminal fine of ₩3 million or above, or a harsher sentence, more than 3 years since the sentence became final | -40 |
| Criminal fine of ₩2 million to under ₩3 million | -30 |
| Criminal fine under ₩2 million | -20 |
Disqualifying grounds (결격사유) are separate from this table. Certain violations bar an F-2-7 application outright regardless of total score. These include a prison sentence (including a suspended sentence) within the past five years, a criminal fine of ₩3 million or above or a harsher sentence where the sentence became final within the past 3 years (this same violation converts to the -40 deduction above once more than 3 years have passed), three or more Immigration Act violations totaling ₩5 million or more in fines within the past three years, and submitting false documents within the past three years. An application with disqualifying grounds is refused before the points table is applied.
The two different meanings of 기본소양
The Korean term 기본소양 appears in two completely different legal contexts, and the two are frequently confused.
In F-2-7: 기본소양 is the 20-point Korean-ability scoring category in the points table, covered above. TOPIK and KIIP both compete inside it. It is a scored category with a points value, not a pass/fail test.
In F-5 permanent residency: 기본소양 요건 is a separate pass/fail basic-competency requirement for permanent residency. Only KIIP Stage 5 Basic completion, or a score of 60 or higher on the Permanent Residency Comprehensive Evaluation (영주용 종합평가), satisfies it. TOPIK does not. The F-5 requirement and the F-2-7 points category share a name but are legally distinct mechanisms.
For detail on the F-5 basic-competency requirement, see KIIP vs TOPIK: Which Path Gets You to F-5 or Citizenship.
Three worked examples
These examples use the verified scoring table from 법무부고시 제2025-408호. Run your own numbers against the same source before submitting an application.
Example 1: Income and age carry the total; Korean ability is one piece
A 32-year-old with a non-STEM bachelor's degree, employed on an E-7 visa, with ₩45,000,000 annual income on their tax-office certificate, and a TOPIK Level 4 certificate. No other bonus or deduction items.
| Category | Band | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30-34 | 23 |
| Education | Bachelor's, non-STEM | 15 |
| Korean ability | TOPIK Level 4 | 15 |
| Annual income | ₩40 million to under ₩50 million | 40 |
| Total | 93 |
This applicant clears 80 by 13 points. The same applicant with no Korean credential at all (0 points instead of 15) would score 78, just 2 points short. Korean ability matters for this profile, but it is not the only path to margin. A ₩5 million income increase, for example, would move the income band from 40 to 45 points without any language study at all.
Example 2: KIIP Stage 5 completion beats an equivalent TOPIK score by 10 points
A 29-year-old with a STEM bachelor's degree, ₩38,000,000 annual income, and KIIP Stage 5 completed. No other bonus or deduction items.
| Category | Band | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 25-29 | 25 |
| Education | Bachelor's, STEM | 17 |
| Korean ability | KIIP Stage 5 (20-point tier) | 20 |
| Annual income | ₩30 million to under ₩40 million | 30 |
| Bonus: KIIP Stage 5 completion | Separate bonus row | 10 |
| Total | 102 |
The same applicant with a TOPIK Level 5 or 6 certificate instead of KIIP Stage 5 would score 92. The Korean-ability category is the same 20 points for both routes. The difference is the 10-point bonus row, which only KIIP Stage 5 completion earns. For F-2-7 specifically, KIIP Stage 5 is worth 10 more points than an equivalent TOPIK score.
Example 3: Korean ability is the deciding factor at the margin
A 42-year-old with a non-STEM master's degree and ₩55,000,000 annual income. No Korean credential. No bonus or deduction items.
| Category | Band | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 40-44 | 12 |
| Education | Master's, non-STEM | 17 |
| Korean ability | No credential | 0 |
| Annual income | ₩50 million to under ₩60 million | 45 |
| Total | 74 |
This applicant is 6 points short. Adding a TOPIK Level 2 certificate (5 points) brings the total to 79, still 1 point short. Adding a TOPIK Level 3 certificate instead (10 points) brings the total to 84, clearing the pass line.
The practical finding here: many applicants assume they need the maximum Korean-ability score to qualify. For this profile, the deciding move is going from no credential to TOPIK Level 3 or KIIP Stage 3 (the lower-intermediate tier, worth 10 points). Reaching the highest Korean-ability tier (20 points) would add only 10 more points and is not necessary for an applicant already above 80 with other category improvements. The marginal value of going from "no credential" to "intermediate" is what actually crosses the line, not the distance between intermediate and advanced.
For Korean-language exam guidance, see TOPIK: A Practical Guide, KIIP: The 2026 Guide to Korea's Social Integration Program, and Korean Language Exams Compared.
Applying for F-2-7
Applications go to your local immigration office or through HiKorea (하이코리아, hikorea.go.kr) for eligible online submissions. The current document checklist is not included in the body text of 법무부고시 제2025-408호 itself; check HiKorea directly for the exact supporting-document list, or call 1345 (available in 20 languages, including Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai) before visiting an office.
Do not rely on processing-time figures published on third-party sites. Ask your local immigration office directly for current estimates.
For the full F-2 visa guide covering sub-categories, eligibility paths, stay-period rules by score, and rights, see F-2 Korean Resident Visa: How to Upgrade From Your Work Visa. For what happens after F-2-7, see F-5 Permanent Residency in Korea.
FAQ
How many points do I need for F-2-7?
You need 80 or more points out of a possible 170. The 170 maximum comes from 130 common-item points (age, education, Korean ability, and income combined) plus up to 40 bonus points. The governing notice is 법무부고시 제2025-408호, effective October 24, 2025. Verify the current table at law.go.kr before submitting, as the notice is revised periodically.
How much do Korean-language points actually matter for F-2-7?
Korean ability is capped at 20 points, out of 130 common-item points and a 170-point maximum. Income alone can provide up to 60 points. For most applicants, Korean ability is meaningful but not the deciding factor. For a mid-career applicant with solid income, going from no Korean credential to TOPIK Level 3 or KIIP Stage 3 (10 points) is often the exact move that crosses the 80-point line.
Does KIIP score the same as TOPIK in F-2-7?
In the Korean-ability category, yes. TOPIK Level 4 and KIIP Stage 4 both earn 15 points. TOPIK Level 5 or 6 and KIIP Stage 5 both earn the maximum 20 points. However, completing KIIP Stage 5 also earns a separate 10-point bonus in the bonus category. TOPIK earns no equivalent bonus. KIIP Stage 5 is therefore worth up to 30 Korean-language-linked points in total, versus 20 points maximum from TOPIK alone.
Is a higher TOPIK score always worth pursuing for F-2-7?
Not necessarily. The value depends on where you start. Going from no Korean credential to TOPIK Level 3 (10 points) can be decisive for applicants close to the 80-point line. Going from TOPIK Level 4 (15 points) to Level 5 or 6 (20 points) adds only 5 more points. If your income and age scores already put you well above 80, the marginal value of reaching the highest Korean-ability tier is small.
What income document does immigration use for F-2-7?
Immigration uses the annual income certificate (소득금액증명) issued by Korea's tax office, not your employment contract or pay slips. This figure reflects taxable income only. Untaxed allowances such as meal and transportation subsidies are excluded, so the figure immigration sees may be lower than your gross pay. Check your 소득금액증명 well before applying, not your contract salary.
Can deductions push my score below the pass line?
Yes. The deduction table can remove up to 70 points. An immigration-law violation with a fine of ₩3 million or above, or a deportation order, deducts 30 points. A criminal fine of ₩3 million or above, or a harsher sentence, deducts 40 points, but only once more than 3 years have passed since the sentence became final; within that 3-year window, the same violation blocks the application outright instead of being scored. Separately, certain violations trigger outright disqualification regardless of score: a prison sentence (including a suspended sentence) within five years, or three or more immigration-law violations totaling ₩5 million or more in fines within three years.
What is the difference between the F-2-7 Korean-ability category and the F-5 basic-competency requirement?
Both are called 기본소양 in Korean but they are legally separate. In F-2-7, 기본소양 is the 20-point Korean-ability scoring category where TOPIK and KIIP compete for points. In F-5, 기본소양 요건 is a pass/fail basic-competency requirement satisfied only through KIIP Stage 5 completion or a passing score on the Permanent Residency Comprehensive Evaluation (영주용 종합평가). TOPIK alone does not satisfy the F-5 requirement. See KIIP vs TOPIK: Which Path Gets You to F-5 or Citizenship for the full breakdown.
Does the F-2-7 points table change?
Yes. The table is set by a Ministry of Justice administrative notice and has been revised multiple times since the F-2-7 category was introduced. The current notice is 법무부고시 제2025-408호, effective October 24, 2025. Third-party sites frequently publish outdated tables from pre-2020 versions. Verify the current table at law.go.kr before calculating your score or submitting an application.