Guides
The questions a registry table can't answer: how much money, which documents, what order. Every figure is dated and sourced; anything we couldn't confirm against an official source is marked unverified in place, not silently included.
ARC (Residence Card): Deadline, Fee, Documents, Booking Alien registration in Korea: the 90-day deadline, the ₩35,000 card fee, required documents, HiKorea visit reservation, and what the card unlocks. Cost of Living in Seoul: A Verifiable Monthly Budget A Seoul monthly budget for a single foreign resident built from sourced components: NHIS premiums, transport fares and the 기후동행카드, waste bags, and marked-unverified estimates for the rest. D-10 after graduating from a Korean university: 3 years, TOPIK 4 exemption The D-10 job-seeker visa after a Korean degree: maximum 3 years of stay (since the October 2025 reform), points-test exemptions for domestic graduates, and financial-proof rules. D-2 financial proof: exact bank-balance amounts (₩20M / ₩16M) The bank balance a D-2 student visa application must show (₩20,000,000 for capital-region universities, ₩16,000,000 elsewhere), plus deposit-age and account-name rules. D-8 startup visa: OASIS route (D-8-4) vs ₩100M investment route The two D-8 paths for founders in Korea: the D-8-4 technology-startup route via OASIS points (80/368) with no capital floor, and the D-8-1 route requiring ₩100M+ FDI. E-7 sponsorship: employer requirements and 2026 salary floors What a Korean employer must satisfy to sponsor an E-7: the designated-occupation gate, the 2026 minimum salaries (₩31.12M / ₩25.89M / ₩26M), and national-employment caps. E-9 through EPS: step-by-step from a sending country The Employment Permit System route to an E-9 visa: EPS-TOPIK, roster, employer selection, contract, entry, with the 2026 quota (80,000) and the no-broker rule. Extending a Korean visa: window, fee (₩60,000), reservation system Extension-of-stay mechanics: the 4-months-before-expiry window, HiKorea e-application vs immigration-office visit with reservation, and the ₩60,000 fee. F-2-7 points system: how the structure works The F-2-7 points-based residence visa explained structurally: who can apply, what the point categories are, the 80-point pass line, and what the status permits. F-4 eligibility: who counts as an overseas Korean (재외동포) The legal definition of 외국국적동포 for F-4 status, the documents that prove it, and the simple-labor work restrictions set by MOJ notice. F-6 marriage visa: income, language, and process (2026) The F-6 requirements in force for 2026: ₩25,195,752 annual income for a 2-person household, TOPIK 1 or equivalents for language, and the application sequence. Jeonse Deposit Protection: 확정일자, 전세권, HUG Guarantee The legal machinery that protects a jeonse deposit in Korea (fixed-date stamp, jeonse-right registration, HUG/SGI guarantee insurance, and priority repayment), with fees and coverage caps. K-ETA vs visa-free entry: what it is, ₩10,000 fee, 2026 exemption K-ETA is a travel authorization for visa-free entrants, not a visa. Official fee ₩10,000; 22 countries are temporarily exempt through 2026-12-31; only k-eta.go.kr is official. Korean Bank Account: ARC, Limit Accounts, Remittance Opening a Korean bank account as a new arrival: which documents banks require, the 한도계좌 daily caps (₩1m electronic / ₩3m counter), and overseas remittance registration. Moving In: 체류지 변경신고, Utilities, 관리비, Waste The move-in sequence for foreign residents in Korea: the 15-day change-of-stay report, utility transfers, what 관리비 covers, and the 종량제 waste system. NHIS for Foreigners: Mandatory Enrollment, 2026 Premiums Korean national health insurance rules for foreign residents: mandatory enrollment since 2019, employee vs local subscriber premiums, the 2026 rates, and the 6-month rule. NPS Lump-Sum Refund When Leaving Korea: Who Qualifies, How Much The 국민연금 반환일시금 for departing foreigners: the full employee + employer contribution (9% of salary through 2025, 9.5% from 2026) back with interest, the nationality and visa-status rules, the Incheon Airport cash desk, and a leaving-Korea checklist. Phone and SIM in Korea: Prepaid, Postpaid, 본인인증 Getting a Korean phone number as a foreigner: prepaid vs postpaid, the ARC dependency, and why identity verification (본인인증) fails on passport-registered SIMs. TOPIK and KIIP Levels Mapped to Korean Visa Benefits What each TOPIK/KIIP level actually buys in immigration terms: F-2-7 points (3–20), E-7-4 K-point scores (50–120), the D-10 points-test exemption at TOPIK 4, D-2 part-time hour tiers, the F-6 TOPIK 1 requirement, and naturalization. Wolse vs Jeonse: The Two Rent Systems and the Conversion Math Korea's deposit-based jeonse and monthly wolse systems: the statutory conversion cap (base rate + 2%p), 2026 market direction, and the broker fee bands tenants actually pay. Year-End Tax Settlement for Foreign Employees: the 19% Flat-Rate Election 연말정산 for foreigners: the January–February timeline, the 19% flat-rate election under 조세특례제한법 §18-2 (20 years, start work by 2026-12-31), when flat beats progressive, NTS English resources, and what happens if you leave mid-year.