Permanent Residence (F-5): How the Stay Period in Korea Is Counted
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When the stay period in Korea is checked for a permanent residence (F-5) application, temporary trips abroad are recognized as continuous stay if each trip is 90 days or less and the total days spent abroad are 180 days or less each year; the days abroad are then included in the stay period. Here, each year means a block of 365 days counted backward from the application date, including the application date (Stay Civil Service Manual, Permanent Residence (F-5), “Calculation of the stay period in Korea”). This guide is general information and does not judge whether any individual qualifies.
At a Glance
- If each temporary trip abroad is 90 days or less and the total days abroad are 180 days or less each year, the person is recognized as having stayed in Korea continuously, and the days abroad are included in the stay period.
- Each year is not January to December. It is a block of 365 days counted backward from the application date, including the application date.
- Continuity is not recognized after a complete departure, or after a change to a status that is not recognized for that permanent residence type.
- Any extension of stay granted for departure and any grace period for the departure deadline are counted as time abroad.
Standard Table
| Item | Standard | Wording of the manual |
|---|---|---|
| Length of one trip abroad | 90 days or less | “each temporary trip abroad is 90 days or less” |
| Total days abroad each year | 180 days or less | “the total of such days abroad is 180 days or less each year” |
| Meaning of “each year” | Blocks of 365 days counted backward including the application date | “the period of 365 days (including the application date) counted back from the application date is regarded as each year” |
| If the standard is met | Recognized as continuous stay in Korea; days abroad are included in the stay period | “recognized as having stayed in Korea continuously, and the period abroad is included in the stay period” |
| When continuity is denied | Complete departure, or a change to a status not recognized for that permanent residence type | “continuity is denied upon complete departure or a change to a status not recognized for that permanent residence type” |
| Periods tied to departure | An extension of stay for departure and a grace period for the departure deadline are counted as time abroad | “an extension of stay for departure and a grace period for the departure deadline are counted as time abroad” |
How Is It Calculated? Dividing Into Blocks
- Step 1: Fix the application date. The 365 days counted backward, including the application date, form the most recent year (the last block in the manual’s example).
- Step 2: Continue backward in blocks of 365 days until you have as many blocks as the required years of stay. A 5-year requirement means 5 blocks. As in the manual’s example, the oldest block is numbered block 1.
- Step 3: In each block, check that every trip is 90 days or less and that the total days abroad in that block are 180 days or less.
- Step 4: If any one block fails the standard, the period of continuous stay changes. The manual example counts the continuous stay of a person who fails only block 2 as 3 years.
Example: General Permanent Residence (F-5-1) Applied for on 2026-01-01
This is the manual’s example. For general permanent residence (F-5-1), which requires 5 years of continuous stay in Korea, an application on 2026-01-01 divides the past 5 years into 365-day blocks as follows.
| Block | Period (365 days) |
|---|---|
| Block 1 | 2021-01-02 ~ 2022-01-01 |
| Block 2 | 2022-01-02 ~ 2023-01-01 |
| Block 3 | 2023-01-02 ~ 2024-01-01 |
| Block 4 | 2024-01-02 ~ 2025-01-01 |
| Block 5 | 2025-01-02 ~ 2026-01-01 |
- For each block, check that every period abroad is 90 days or less and that the total days abroad are 180 days or less.
- The manual explains that a person who fails only block 2 is counted as having 3 years of continuous stay and must keep staying for 2 more years from the application date to reach 5 years.
- The manual abbreviates years, as in ’21.1.2.~’22.1.1. The table above writes the same periods out in full.
Not Every Permanent Residence Subtype Has the Same Requirement
This counting rule appears once, at the end of the Permanent Residence (F-5) chapter of the manual, and its example uses general permanent residence (F-5-1). Each subtype has its own required stay and its own recognized statuses, and some subtypes, such as investment, employment and points-based ones, have no numeric stay period at all. Check with the immigration office that has jurisdiction whether it applies to your subtype.
Table by Subtype
This summarizes the stay-period requirement of each of the 29 subtypes (F-5-1 to F-5-29) in the Permanent Residence (F-5) chapter of the manual. Check the manual itself for exact wording and exceptions.
| Subtype | Stay-period requirement (summary of the manual) |
|---|---|
| F-5-1 General permanent resident | Continuous stay of 5 years or more as of the application date in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 status |
| F-5-2 Spouse of a Korean national (marriage immigrant) | Continuous stay in Korea of 2 years or more in F-6-1 status |
| F-5-3 Minor child of a Korean national | Continuous stay in Korea of 2 years or more in F-2 status |
| F-5-4 Spouse or minor child of a permanent resident (excluding points-based) | Stay of 2 years or more in F-2 status while the marriage or family relationship is maintained |
| F-5-5 High-value investor | No numeric stay-period requirement stated (investment maintenance and hiring of Korean nationals) |
| F-5-6 Overseas Korean (F-4) with 2 years or more of stay | Continuous stay of 2 years or more in F-4 status |
| F-5-7 Foreign-nationality Korean who meets naturalization requirements | No numeric stay-period requirement stated in the part checked |
| F-5-8 Chinese resident of Korea born in Korea | Three types: continuous stay in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 without complete departure / re-entry after complete departure and 2 years or more in D-7 to E-7 or F-2 / 4 years or more combined with F-1 and F-3 |
| F-5-9 Doctorate holder in an advanced-technology field | No numeric stay-period requirement. Continuous full-time regular employment for 1 year or more up to the application date |
| F-5-10 Bachelor, master or certificate holder | Continuous stay in Korea of 3 years or more before the application date |
| F-5-11 Person with outstanding ability in a specific field | Differs by score band: obtainable regardless of stay period, or 1 year or more of stay after alien registration |
| F-5-12 Person of special merit | No numeric stay-period requirement stated |
| F-5-13 Pension recipient | No numeric stay-period requirement stated (age 60 or older and overseas pension income requirement) |
| F-5-14 Long-term worker in Visit Employment (H-2) | Continuous work of 4 years or more at the same business in H-2 status without changing workplace |
| F-5-15 Doctorate holder in a general field | No numeric stay-period requirement. Continuous full-time regular employment for 1 year or more up to the application date |
| F-5-16 Points-based permanent resident | Continuous stay in F-2-7 status from 3 years before the application date |
| F-5-17 Tourism and resort facility investor | Continuous investment maintained for a total of 5 years or more in F-2-8 (focus is on investment rather than stay) |
| F-5-18 Spouse or minor child of a points-based permanent resident | Holds F-2-71 and stays for 2 years or more while the marriage or family relationship is maintained |
| F-5-19 Spouse or unmarried child of a tourism and resort facility investor | Spouse: keeps F-2-8 for 5 years or more as of the application date and stays continuously / unmarried child: holds F-2-81 and stays continuously for 5 years or more |
| F-5-20 Child born in Korea to a permanent resident | No stay-period requirement. The application is made within 1 year of the date of birth |
| F-5-21 General public-interest project investor | Continuous investment maintained for a total of 5 years or more (focus is on investment rather than stay) |
| F-5-22 Spouse or unmarried child of a public-interest project investor or retirement immigration investor | Holds residence (F-2) status for 5 years or more as of the application date and stays continuously |
| F-5-23 Retirement immigration investor in a public-interest project | Continuous investment maintained for a total of 5 years or more |
| F-5-24 Technology start-up investor | Continuous stay of 3 years or more as of the application date in D-8-4 status |
| F-5-25 Conditional high-value investor | No numeric stay-period requirement stated (pledge to keep the investment for 5 years) |
| F-5-26 R&D personnel of a foreign-invested company | Continuous stay of 3 years or more in D-8 (item a) status and 3 years or more of work as essential specialist personnel |
| F-5-27 Refugee residence status with 2 years or more of stay | The status table lists only 2 years or more of stay; the detailed text is in a separate guideline |
| F-5-28 Special contributor | Continuous stay of 2 years or more as of the application date in F-2-16 status |
| F-5-29 Spouse or minor child of a special contributor | Spouse: continuous stay of 2 years or more as of the application date while the marriage or family relationship is maintained / child: stay of 2 years or more in F-2-16 status |
This guide is general information and does not judge whether any individual qualifies. The manual and its standards can change, so check the latest on HiKorea and with the immigration office that has jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if even one trip abroad is longer than 90 days?
The manual says stay is recognized as continuous when each trip is 90 days or less. A trip longer than 90 days reads as not meeting this condition for that block. Whether it affects a specific case is an individual matter, so check with the immigration office that has jurisdiction.
Do the days I spent abroad count toward the stay period?
The manual says that if each trip is 90 days or less and the total days abroad are 180 days or less each year, the stay is recognized as continuous and the period abroad is included in the stay period.
Is each year January 1 to December 31?
No. The manual defines each year as the 365-day period counted backward from the application date, including the application date.
What happens after a complete departure?
The manual says continuity is denied upon complete departure or upon a change to a status that is not recognized for that permanent residence type.
Does this counting apply to every permanent residence subtype?
The manual places this rule once in the Permanent Residence (F-5) chapter and gives general permanent residence (F-5-1) as the example. Check with the immigration office that has jurisdiction whether it applies to your subtype.
Related Guides
- Extension of Period of Stay Permit Statutory fee and online reduction, where to apply, what to bring, and when to apply
- Alien Registration Card Reissue Reissue fee, where to apply, what to bring
- Bank account & overseas remittance What foreigners need to open a bank account, and how overseas remittance and its limits work.
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