F-2-7 Visa Checklist: Documents and Steps for Korea's Points Residency

The F-2-7 application is document-heavy by design. Every point you claim on the scoring sheet must be backed by a physical document. The immigration officer at the counter will not give you points based on what you say — only on what you hand over. Missing one document in a borderline application is the difference between approval and rejection.

This checklist covers every document category for a standard F-2-7 application. Notes are included where specific documents commonly cause problems.

Step 1: Confirm Your Eligibility Before Gathering Anything

Before spending time on documents, verify that you meet the base criteria to apply:

• You currently hold an eligible visa status (E-1 through E-7, D-5 through D-9, or D-2/D-10 with a Korean degree)
• You have been in Korea for at least 3 consecutive years, OR you qualify for a waiver (annual income of ₩40 million or more, employment at a KOSPI/KOSDAQ listed company, or graduation from a Korean university with a Master's or higher)
• Your self-calculated point total reaches 80 or above using the official scoring table

Only proceed to document collection once all three conditions are confirmed.

The Core Document Checklist

Identity Documents

• Passport (original + photocopy of biographical page and current visa page)
• Alien Registration Card (original + photocopy)

Age Points

Your age is calculated from your passport date of birth. No additional document is needed — the passport covers this.

Education Points

• Degree certificate from each qualifying institution
• If the degree was issued outside Korea: the certificate must be Apostilled by the issuing country and accompanied by a certified Korean translation
• If the degree is from a Korean university: the original Korean-language certificate is accepted directly; no apostille required
• For claims of multiple degrees at the same level (which earn higher points): bring certificates for all degrees claimed

Common problem: Foreign degree certificates without an apostille are rejected at the window. The apostille must be on the original document from your home country — not a photocopy.

Language Points (TOPIK or KIIP)

• TOPIK: Official TOPIK score certificate issued by NIIED. Must be current — TOPIK scores expire two years from the test date. An expired certificate earns zero language points.
• KIIP: KIIP completion certificate from Socinet showing your stage level. KIIP certificates do not expire.

If you hold a TOPIK certificate and also completed KIIP, you can claim the higher of the two for language points, plus the additional 10-point bonus if you completed KIIP Level 5. You cannot double-count language points, but you can stack the KIIP completion bonus on top of TOPIK-derived language points.

Income Points

• Certificate of Income Amount (소득금액증명원) — issued by the National Tax Service via Hometax (hometax.go.kr). This is the document immigration uses to verify your taxable income from the previous year.
• Must reflect the previous calendar year's income, not the current year

Common problem: Only officially reported and taxed income counts. Housing allowances, performance bonuses, and meal subsidies that were paid as untaxed allowances will not appear on this certificate. If these were excluded from your taxable income, they do not count toward your F-2-7 income points.

Employment Documentation

• Current employment contract (Korean-language original preferred; bring a translation if yours is in English only)
• Business registration certificate (사업자등록증) of your employer — shows the company is legally registered and operating

Common problem: Your job title on the contract must align with a recognized professional occupational category under the Korean Standard Occupational Classification. A generic title like "staff" or "assistant" can trigger additional scrutiny even if your actual duties are professional. Review your contract title before filing.

Residence Documentation

• Housing contract (전세계약서 or 월세계약서) — your current lease agreement showing your registered address
• If you live in employer-provided housing: a letter from the employer confirming your accommodation

Criminal Record

• Apostilled criminal background check from your home country — required for first-time F-2-7 applications
• Valid for 3 to 6 months from the date of issue depending on the issuing country — check the expiry carefully
• For US applicants: FBI Identity History Summary (apostilled at the state level)
• For UK applicants: ACRO Police Certificate (apostilled by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
• Korean criminal record: immigration will check this internally; you do not need to obtain a Korean criminal record certificate

Health Documentation (Nationality-Specific)

• TB screening certificate from a designated public health center — required for nationals of countries classified as high-burden by the WHO (most Southeast Asian, South Asian, and some African nations)
• Not required for nationals of Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand

Bonus Point Documentation

If you are claiming additional points, bring the relevant certificates:

• KIIP Level 5 completion (종합평가 pass): certificate from Socinet
• QS Top 500 or THE Top 200 university degree: degree certificate plus a printout from the official QS or THE rankings website showing your institution's placement in the qualifying year
• Volunteer work (3+ years): official letter from the volunteer organization on letterhead, signed by a representative, describing the nature and duration of service
• Government recommendation: letter from the recommending central administrative agency

Submission Process

All documents go to the regional immigration office with jurisdiction over your registered address. Seoul has multiple offices by district; check which serves your gu on HiKorea.

Bring originals and photocopies of everything. The officer will retain photocopies and return originals after verification.

The application fee for a status change is approximately ₩130,000 paid at the immigration office.

Processing typically takes two to four weeks from submission to the issuance of your new Alien Registration Card showing F-2-7 status.

Getting the checklist right the first time matters — a rejected application means starting the appointment process again and potentially losing weeks. The South Korea F-2 Points-Based Residency Guide includes a full document checklist, point calculation worksheets with current GNI figures, and a step-by-step walkthrough of the submission process in English.

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