National Pension Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners Leaving Korea

At a glance

• Foreigners receive the lump-sum refund only if they meet the nationality and status requirements (NPS guidance).
• The amount is the contributions paid (for workplace members, including the employer share) plus interest set by Presidential Decree.
• You claim at any National Pension Service (NPS) branch. There is also an airport payment service that pays foreign-currency cash at Incheon Airport on the day of departure.
• If you do not claim within 5 years from the date the right arises, the limitation period expires.

Who needs to do this

• Under the National Pension Act, the reasons for paying the refund include "losing Korean nationality or emigrating abroad".
• In principle the refund rules do not apply to foreign members. Exceptions: foreigners from countries whose law pays Koreans an equivalent lump sum, foreign workers under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, and persons with industrial trainee status.
• Where Korea has a social security agreement with another country, coverage and benefit payment follow that agreement.
• According to NPS, the refund is paid only if your home country pays Koreans an equivalent benefit, if a social security agreement on the refund has been signed, or if you were enrolled under E-8 (training employment), E-9 (non-professional employment) or H-2 (working visit) status.
• The E-8 (seasonal work) status created after 2019-12-24 is not eligible for the refund.

Eligible countries (published by NPS, as of May 2026)

Some countries recognized for equivalence require a minimum enrollment period (6 months or 1 year or more). Check the conditions by country and the latest list on the NPS benefits for foreigners page.

Where to apply

• You can claim at any NPS branch nationwide.
• While abroad, you can appoint a representative in Korea to claim at a branch, or claim by post from abroad yourself.
• A foreign beneficiary leaving for home via Incheon Airport within 1 month can apply for the airport payment service to receive foreign-currency cash at the airport on the day of departure.
• Airport payment counseling on the day of departure: Incheon Airport Terminal 1, floor 1, booths 7 to 8 between exits 1 and 2 (09:00~18:00).
• Enquiries: NPS call center 1355 with no area code (weekdays 09:00~18:00), from abroad +82-63-713-6900.

What to bring

• When applying for airport payment (branch visit): passport, residence card, a flight ticket for departure within 1 month, a copy of an additional account, etc.
• Common documents for an in-person claim: benefit claim form, a copy of ID (for foreigners, residence card, domestic residence report card, passport, etc.), and the beneficiary’s bank account.
• If you want an overseas transfer, also submit an overseas remittance application and proof of your own account, such as a bankbook or transaction statement.
• When a foreigner claims by post from abroad, the benefit claim form must be notarized by a notary in the country of residence and confirmed by a Korean consulate or embassy, and a copy of the passport and the bank account are submitted with it.
• Documents in foreign languages must be understandable, for example through notarized translation (NPS benefit claim methods and documents).

Cost

• The refund is the contributions paid (for workplace members, including the employer share) plus interest set by Presidential Decree.
• Interest uses the 3-year time deposit rate. The 2026 3-year time deposit rate published by NPS is 2.2% (as of 2026).
• Airport payment is made in 16 currencies such as dollars, euros, yen and yuan, and cannot be received in Korean won.

Procedure

• Step 1: check that your company has filed the resignation report (loss of workplace membership). If the loss is not processed by the day before departure, airport payment is not possible.
• Step 2: within 1 month before departure, visit an NPS branch to claim the refund (apply for airport payment at the same time if you want it) and receive the refund receipt.
• Step 3: airport payment applicants submit their passport and receipt at the NPS counseling center in Incheon Airport on the day of departure and receive the payment decision notice and payment order.
• Step 4: before departure immigration, submit the payment order at the Woori Bank exchange counter in the terminal and receive an exchange receipt (10,000 dollars or more at the branch on basement floor 1, less at the exchange counter on floor 3).
• Step 5: after departure immigration, submit your passport and exchange receipt at the Woori Bank exchange counter in the airside tax-exempt area (Terminal 1 near gate 11, Terminal 2 near gate 250) and receive the foreign currency.
• Step 6: without airport payment, the NPS branch checks the eligibility requirements, decides on payment and deposits it into your account. The payment decision is notified within 1 month from the claim date.

Common sticking points

• A claim for returning home is paid only once departure is confirmed. If you submit a flight ticket or similar proof of departure within 1 month, the claim can be filed before departure.
• Airport payment is not possible if the departure day is a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or the last business day of December.
• Airport payment is possible only if the scheduled flight departure is on a weekday between 10:30~24:00 at Terminal 1 or 11:00~24:00 at Terminal 2.
• You must also submit a Korean or overseas account in case airport payment fails or an additional payment arises.
• Telephone or fax claims for the refund or death lump sum (KRW 2,500,000 or less) are not accepted for foreigners.
• When a voluntary representative claims for a foreign beneficiary, payment is in principle made only to an account in the beneficiary’s name (except a claim by a relative because the beneficiary is abroad).
• If the refund is not claimed within 5 years from the date the right arises, the limitation period expires (10 years for the age-60 reason).

This guide is general information and does not decide individual eligibility. Laws and standards can change, so check the original text through the official links and with the competent authority.