Period of Stay within the Validiy of the Passport

June 24, 2021

Intro

From July 1, 2021, the period of stay will be granted within the valid time of the passport.

Until now, the period of stay of registered foreigners was granted regardless of the validity of the passport. So foreigners did not need to renew the passport and report the change of registered information. That’s why it was difficult for the Korean authorities to understand the exact state of immigration and stay.

Who

This policy will be subject to long term visa holders (registered foreigners) except for the below.

Diplomacy (A-1), Foreign Govenment Official (A-2), Agreement (A-3)
Permanent resident (F-5)
Refugee related: Recognized refugee, Humanitarian status holder, Refugee applicant, and their family
Denationalized people

Application

This policy will be applied to immigration application such as below.

Grant of status of stay
Extension of period of stay
Change of status of stay
Addition and change of workplace

Transitional regulation

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, transitional regulation will be applied.

Until June 30, 2022: Even if the valid time of the passport remains 1 year or less, the period of stay will be up to 1 year.
From July 1, 2022: If renewal will be impossible within the valid time of the passport (6 months or less), the period of stay will be up to 6 months. It will be just one time.