F-5 Visa Korea: Permanent Residence Visa (영주) (2026)
Permanent residence (영주). Indefinite stay, any field of work, no sponsor.
Who this visa is for
Residents who qualify through marriage, points, income, or a designated F-5 route.
F-5 visa key facts
- →TOPIK is not accepted for F-5. The language requirement is KIIP Level 5 (사회통합프로그램) or a score of 60+ on the permanent-residence comprehensive evaluation (영주용 종합평가)
- →F-5-1, the general 5-year route, requires 5 consecutive years on a qualifying visa plus annual income at approximately 2x Korea's per-capita GNI (approximately ₩104,800,000 as of April 2026)
- →F-5 is not Korean citizenship: you keep your original passport, cannot vote in national elections, and need separate naturalization (귀화) for a Korean passport
- →The status has no renewal deadline; the ARC card itself is renewed every 10 years, and a mobile permanent resident card has equal legal validity since January 2025
- →F-5 auto-cancels if you stay outside Korea for more than 2 years without a re-entry-permit extension
Read the full guide
F-5 Permanent Residence in Korea: The 2026 Guide to 영주권
Korea F-5 permanent residence (영주권) explained: 5-year general route, income threshold, KIIP requirement, K-STAR STEM track, and how F-5 differs from citizenship.
Continue to the full F-5 guideOther Korean visa codes
E-9
Non-Professional Employment Visa (비전문취업)
E-7
Skilled Professional Work Visa (특정활동)
E-7-M (K-CORE)
Manufacturing-track Skilled Visa (특정활동 (K-CORE))
E-2
Conversation Instructor Visa (회화지도)
H-1
Working Holiday Visa (관광취업)
D-2
Student Visa (유학)
D-10
Job Seeker Visa (구직)
F-1-D
Digital Nomad (Workation) Visa (원격근무 (워케이션))
F-2
Korean Resident Visa (거주)
F-3
Dependent Visa (동반)
F-4
Overseas Korean Visa (재외동포)
F-6
Marriage Migrant Visa (결혼이민)
For the full reference on Korean visa categories, see all Seoulstart visa guides.