Permanent Residence
- Holders · 2024-12
- 202,968
- Arrivals · 2026-06
- 15,657 -6.2% YoY
- Subtypes
- 34
- Top nationality
- Korean-Chinese (조선족) 130,004
The F-5 (Permanent Residence) visa covers: 영주미분류. 202,968 foreign nationals held it as of the latest MOJ cross-tab (2024-12-31; all sojourners, including short-term), with Korean-Chinese (조선족) the largest group (130,004). Application and extension fees are listed with legal citations on the official fee table.
From the MOJ manual · as of 2026-07-31Who qualifies & how
Eligibility. Permanent residence for 18 statutory categories, including: 5 years' stay on D-7~E-7 or F-2; spouse/minor child of a national or F-5 holder with 2 years' stay; USD 500k investor employing 5 nationals; F-4 holders with 2 years and MOJ recognition; doctorate holders (foreign PhD employed in Korea, or domestic PhD); bachelor's degree or designated certificate holders with 3 years' stay and prescribed income; points-based F-2 holders after 3 years; long-serving H-2 workers; pensioners 60+ with prescribed foreign pension. Common requirements: good conduct, ability to maintain livelihood, and basic knowledge of Korean language and society (KIIP level 5 satisfies this for several categories).
Work rights. No activity restrictions; F-5 holders are exempt from the status-based limits on employment.
Duration. No upper limit of stay (permanent status).
Extension. No stay extension required. Status is kept only if the holder re-enters within 2 years of departure (re-entry exemption) or within a re-entry permit period; serious criminal convictions can lead to loss. Conduct within the last 10 years is reviewed at grant.
Pathways. Terminal immigration status; spouses and minor children may hold F-2 and qualify for F-5 after 2 years. Naturalization is a separate nationality procedure.
Fees: change of status ₩100,000. The full table with legal citations is on /fees.
Document sets differ by category (e.g., the high-value investor visa route requires the FDI registration certificate, corporate documents, and income certificates of the applicant and 5+ regular Korean employees). A points table (필수 30/합산 50 etc.) applies to the 'exceptional-ability' category.
Official taxonomySubtypes (34)
| Code | Name (한국어) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| F-5-1 | 장기체류(F-5-1) | 5년이상대한민국에체류하고있는자 |
| F-5-2 | 국민의배우자(F-5-2) | 국민의배우자 |
| F-5-3 | 국민의미성년자녀(F-5-3) | 국민의미성년외국인자녀 |
| F-5-4 | 영주가족(F-5-4) | 영주자격소지자의배우자및미성년자녀 |
| F-5-5 | 고액투자(F-5-5) | 고액투자자로서 5인이상국민고용자 |
| F-5-6 | 재외동포2년(F-5-6) | 재외동포자격으로 2년이상체류자 |
| F-5-6R | 지역특화형재외동포영주(F-5-6) | 인구감소지역에거주하는재외동포영주권자 |
| F-5-7 | 동포국적요건(F-5-7) | 외국국적동포로서국적취득요건을갖춘자 |
| F-5-8 | 재한화교(F-5-8) | 대한민국출생재한화교 |
| F-5-9 | 첨단박사(F-5-9) | 첨단산업분야박사학위소지자 |
| F-5-10 | 첨단학사(F-5-10) | 첨단산업분야학사학위또는자격증소지자 |
| F-5-11 | 특정능력(F-5-11) | 특정분야능력소유자 |
| F-5-12 | 특별공로(F-5-12) | 특별공로자 |
| F-5-13 | 연금수혜(F-5-13) | 연금수혜자 |
| F-5-14 | 방문취업4년(F-5-14) | 방문취업자격으로 4년이상제조업종등근무자 |
| F-5-15 | 국내박사(F-5-15) | 국내대학원에서정규과정을마치고박사학위를취득한자 |
| F-5-16 | 점수제(F-5-16) | 점수제로거주자격취득후 3년이상체류자 |
| F-5-17 | 부동산투자(F-5-17) | 부동산투자자와그배우자및미성년자녀 |
| F-5-18 | 점수가족(F-5-18) | 점수제로영주자격취득자의배우자및미성년자녀 |
| F-5-19 | 부동가족(F-5-19) | 부동산투자자로영주자격취득자의배우자및미성년자녀 |
| F-5-20 | 영주출생(F-5-20) | 영주자격자의국내출생자녀 |
| F-5-21 | 공익사업투자(F-5-21) | 공익사업투자자로 5년이상계속투자상태를유지한상태 |
| F-5-22 | 공익은퇴가족(F-5-22) | 공익사업투자자로영주자격취득자의배우자및미성년자녀 |
| F-5-23 | 은퇴이민투자(F-5-23) | 은퇴이민투자자로투자상태유지등요건을갖춘사람 |
| F-5-24 | 법인창업영주(F-5-24) | 법인창업자격으로 3년이상체류자 |
| F-5-25 | 고액투자조건부영주(F-5-25) | 30억원이상을투자하고 5년간투자유지서약자 |
| F-5-26 | 연구개발인력(F-5-26) | 외국인투자기업연구개발인력 |
| F-5-27 | 난민인정자의영주(F-5-27) | 난민인정자의영주자격변경 |
| F-5-28 | 특별기여영주자(F-5-28) | 특별기여영주자 |
| F-5-29 | 특별기여영주자의배우자또는미성년자녀(F-5-29) | 특별기여영주자의배우자또는미성년자녀 |
| F-5-S1 | 예비우수인재영주(F-5-S1) | 예비우수인재중대한민국에영주할목적으로체류하는자 |
| F-5-S2 | 예비우수인재영주가족(F-5-S2) | 예비우수인재영주의배우자·미성년자녀 |
| F-5-T | 최우수인재영주(F-5-T) | 국내기업과의계약에따라첨단분야에종사하려는사람 |
| F-5-T1 | 최우수인재영주자가족(F-5-T1) | 국내기업과의계약에따라첨단분야에종사하고있는영주자격자의가족 |
Who holds itF-5 holders by nationality
| Nationality | Registered holders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Korean-Chinese (조선족) 한국계중국인 | 130,004 | 64.1% |
| China 중국 | 37,451 | 18.5% |
| Taiwan 타이완 | 10,428 | 5.1% |
| Japan 일본 | 7,036 | 3.5% |
| Uzbekistan 우즈베키스탄 | 3,139 | 1.5% |
| Vietnam 베트남 | 2,548 | 1.3% |
| United States 미국 | 1,815 | 0.9% |
| Koryo-saram (Russia) 한국계러시아인 | 1,517 | 0.7% |
| Mongolia 몽골 | 838 | 0.4% |
| Canada 캐나다 | 775 | 0.4% |
TrendMonthly arrivals on the F-5
In 2026-06, 15,657 people entered Korea on an F-5 visa, down 6.2% from a year earlier.
| Month | Arrivals | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-07 | 17,292 | |
| 2025-08 | 25,416 | |
| 2025-09 | 16,209 | |
| 2025-10 | 24,545 | |
| 2025-11 | 15,316 | |
| 2025-12 | 14,368 | |
| 2026-01 | 18,153 | |
| 2026-02 | 24,817 | |
| 2026-03 | 19,758 | |
| 2026-04 | 16,653 | |
| 2026-05 | 17,168 | |
| 2026-06 | 15,657 |
Verified against source · 2026-08-17