If you maintain a normal married life with your Korean spouse and have stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status, you can apply to change to permanent residency as a spouse of a Korean national (F-5-2). You must also meet the three requirements set out in Article 10-3(2) of the Immigration Act: good conduct, ability to support yourself, and basic knowledge. This guide is based only on the marriage-migrant part of the permanent residency (F-5) section of the Ministry of Justice "Guide Manual for Foreigners' Stay" (September 2026 edition).
Key points
- Who: a person who maintains a legal marriage with a Korean spouse and has stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status
- Requirements: good conduct + ability to support yourself (income of at least the previous year's per-capita gross national income, or assets of at least the median net assets) + basic knowledge (completion of the Social Integration Program, or 60 points or more in the comprehensive assessment)
- The income criterion and the asset criterion cannot be combined in the calculation
- People raising a child, or whose marriage ended through no fault of their own, can also apply if they meet requirements such as 2 years or more of stay with F-6 status
Who can apply for F-5-2 permanent residency?
The manual divides marriage migrants eligible for permanent residency (F-5-2) into three groups.
| Category | Eligible person |
|---|---|
| Spouse of a Korean national | A person who maintains a normal (legal) marriage with a Korean spouse and has stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with Spouse of Korean National (F-6-1) status |
| Child rearing | A father or mother raising in Korea a child born from a marriage (including a de facto marriage) with a Korean national, who has stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status |
| Marriage breakdown | A person who, while staying in Korea married to a Korean spouse, can no longer maintain a normal marriage because of the spouse's death or disappearance or another reason not attributable to them, and who has stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status |
How many years does it take to go from a marriage visa to permanent residency?
The common requirement for all three groups is continuous stay in Korea for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status. Completing 2 years does not mean permission is granted automatically; you must also meet the three requirements below.
What is the good conduct requirement?
You must be of good conduct, including complying with the laws of the Republic of Korea (Immigration Act, Article 10-3(2)1). As a document, submit an overseas criminal record certificate issued within 6 months before the application date.
How is the ability to support yourself judged?
You must be able to support yourself through the income or assets of yourself or the family members who share your livelihood (same paragraph, item 2). The manual requires you to meet one of the two criteria below.
- Income criterion: the combined income of you or the family members who share your livelihood is at least the previous year's per-capita gross national income (GNI) as announced by the Bank of Korea
- Household asset criterion: the total assets of you or the family members who share your livelihood are at the median level or above (at least the median net assets in the Survey of Household Finances and Living Conditions)
The two criteria cannot be combined in the calculation. This means that making up a small income shortfall with assets is not accepted.
"Family members who share your livelihood" are limited to people who have lived continuously with the applicant for 1 year or more. For the spouse-of-a-Korean-national category, this means the applicant's spouse, the applicant's lineal family members and the spouse's lineal family members.
How do you prove basic knowledge?
You must have basic knowledge, including Korean language ability and an understanding of Korean society and culture (same paragraph, item 3). The manual accepts two methods.
- Completion of the Social Integration Program under Article 39(1) of the Immigration Act — a Social Integration Program certificate of completion (Korean Immigration Permanent Residency Qualification Course or Korean Immigration Naturalization Qualification Course)
- 60 points or more (out of 100) in the comprehensive assessment under Article 48(2)3 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act — a pass certificate for the Korea Immigration Permanent Residency Aptitude Test (KIPRAT) or the Korea Immigration Naturalization Aptitude Test (KINAT)
Document checklist for a permanent residency application (spouse of a Korean national)
| Category | Documents |
|---|---|
| Common | Passport, Alien Registration Card, integrated application form, standard-size photo, fee, proof of place of stay |
| Family relationship | The Korean spouse's Basic Certificate, Marriage Relationship Certificate, Family Relationship Certificate and Resident Registration Certificate; if you have children, the children's Family Relationship Certificates |
| Maintaining the marriage | 3 or more photos of the couple taken together during the marriage, such as at family events, holidays, trips or in daily life |
| Good conduct | Overseas criminal record certificate (issued within 6 months before the application date) |
| Ability to support yourself | Income criterion: income certificate of you or the family members who share your livelihood / Asset criterion: proof of assets of all family members who share your livelihood and a credit information report |
| Basic knowledge | Social Integration Program certificate of completion or comprehensive assessment pass certificate |
| Other | Other documents the commissioner or other officials deem necessary for the review |
If you apply under the income criterion, you may be asked, where necessary, for any income evidence such as withholding tax receipts for earned income, salary deposit records and sales and expense records.
What if you are divorced, widowed or raising a child?
- Child-rearing category: submit the Marriage Relationship Certificate with your Korean (former) spouse, the Basic Certificate and Family Relationship Certificate of the child born from that relationship, 3 or more photos taken while raising the child, and records of child-rearing expenses (allowance, school fees, medical costs, etc.). For this category, the manual states that the ability-to-support and basic-knowledge requirements may be eased or waived under a Ministry of Justice notice (Notice on Criteria for Easing and Waiving Permanent Residency Requirements), and asks applicants to check whether it applies by calling 1345 or contacting the competent immigration office.
- Marriage-breakdown category: it must be confirmed that you maintained a normal married life until the marriage ended and that the main responsibility for the breakdown lies with the Korean (former) spouse. Submit photos taken together during the marriage, messages exchanged, statements from people around you and similar evidence, together with documents proving fault such as a divorce judgment, medical certificates and investigation or criminal record materials.
If you are currently staying with child-rearing (F-6-2) or marriage-breakdown (F-6-3) status, also see the F-6-2 Child Rearing visa and the F-6-3 Humanitarian Grounds visa guides.
Considering naturalization instead of permanent residency?
Article 6(2) of the Nationality Act allows simplified naturalization for people who, while married to a Korean spouse, have had a continuous domicile in the Republic of Korea for 2 years or more, or for whom 3 years have passed since the marriage and who have had a continuous domicile in Korea for 1 year or more while married, among others. A foreign national with permanent residency is not restricted in scope of activity or period of stay (Immigration Act, Article 10-3(1)) and keeps their foreign nationality, whereas naturalization is the procedure for acquiring Korean nationality, so the requirements and effects differ. The first step is to decide which option suits your family situation.
How Vision Administrative Office can help
- Confirming your application category (spouse of a Korean national, child rearing or marriage breakdown) based on your F-6 stay history and family composition
- Working out, based on your documents, whether to prove your ability to support yourself through the income criterion or the asset criterion
- Preparing submission documents such as the integrated application form, translating documents submitted to government agencies, and submitting them on your behalf
Whether permission is granted is decided by the immigration office. An administrative agent cannot promise a result.
Frequently asked questions
How many years do I need to live in Korea on a marriage visa (F-6) before applying for permanent residency?
You must have stayed in Korea continuously for 2 years or more with marriage-migrant (F-6) status. You must also meet the good conduct, ability-to-support and basic knowledge requirements to apply.
Is the income criterion for permanent residency the same as the F-6 invitation income requirement?
No. An F-6 invitation looks at an income threshold by household size, while F-5-2 permanent residency looks at whether the combined income of you or the family members who share your livelihood is at least the previous year's per-capita gross national income (GNI), or whether total assets are at least the median net assets.
If my income is slightly short, can I make up the difference with assets?
The manual states that the income criterion and the household asset criterion cannot be combined in the calculation. You must meet one of the two criteria on its own.
Can I prove basic knowledge with a Korean language test score (TOPIK)?
The documents the manual specifies for F-5-2 basic knowledge are the Social Integration Program certificate of completion (Korean Immigration Permanent Residency Qualification Course or Korean Immigration Naturalization Qualification Course) and a pass certificate showing 60 points or more in the comprehensive assessment (KIPRAT or KINAT).
Who counts as a family member who shares my livelihood?
The applicant's spouse, the applicant's lineal family members and the spouse's lineal family members who have lived continuously with the applicant for 1 year or more. The scope is slightly different for the child-rearing and marriage-breakdown categories.
Can I apply for permanent residency even after a divorce?
If you are raising in Korea a child you had with your Korean spouse, or if the main responsibility for the marriage breakdown lies with the Korean spouse, you are eligible to apply when you meet requirements such as 2 years or more of stay with marriage-migrant (F-6) status.
When should I obtain the overseas criminal record certificate?
It must be issued within 6 months before the application date.
Official basis (summary of the original texts)
- Immigration Act, Article 10-3(1) and (2) (effect of and requirements for permanent residency: good conduct, ability to support oneself, basic knowledge)
- Ministry of Justice "Guide Manual for Foreigners' Stay" (September 2026), permanent residency (F-5) — marriage migrant (F-5-2) requirements and required documents
- Nationality Act, Article 6(2) (requirements for simplified naturalization) Laws and manuals may be amended, so check again with HiKorea or the competent immigration office right before you apply.
Related guides
- Spouse of Korean National (F-6-1) visa guide
- F-6-3 Humanitarian Grounds visa
- F-6 marriage visa refusal and reapplication
- What to check when choosing an administrative agent for an F-6 visa
Consultation
Your application category and how you prove the requirements depend on your stay history and family composition. Check before you start gathering documents.
- Vision Administrative Office — 3F, Seongwoo Building, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Phone +82-2-363-2251 · Email [email protected]
- Consultation languages: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese
- Hours: weekdays 09:30–17:30 (KST)
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