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      South Korea’s Ministry of Justice announced in April several new requirements to the dependent visa (F-3 visa) application process.  This visa type is applicable to accompanying family members of applicants/holders of several work visa types, including but not limited to visa types such as D-7, D-8, E-7, F-2, and F-4.

      Also, the immigration authority in South Korea (“Korea”) announced, with effect from July 2025, changes in the criteria and requested documents for proving the main work visa applicant’s financial capability in respect of an accompanying family member’s F-3 dependent visa application.

      WHY THIS MATTERS

      While it was formerly possible for accompanying family members to file the F-3 dependent visa application in-country, this pathway has been completely suspended effective April 2025.  Simultaneously, the immigration authority has also gradually continued to tighten the existing document requirements for F-3 dependent visa applications, causing a need for additional measures during document collections and thereby significantly lengthening processing times. 

      Additionally, new financial capability proof requirements potentially add another layer of complexity and challenge for the foreign-national work visa holders.

      The changes could make the F-3 visa application process involving accompanying family members more challenging and burdensome and there could be repercussions with respect to an employee’s decision to take an assignment in Korea.

      Key Changes Explained

      1.     Suspension of In-Country F-3 Dependent Visa Applications

      Effective from April 2025, the South Korean immigration authority no longer permits the filing of F-3 dependent visa applications in-country.  Previously family members of work visa holders have had the option to enter Korea on a visa-free basis (if permitted according to their nationality) and submit a “change of status” application to the F-3 dependent visa within Korea, either together with the main work visa applicant or separately after the work visa and residence card had been obtained for the main visa holder.

      This type of in-country application for the F-3 dependent visa is no longer permitted, unless required due to the unavoidable individual circumstances of the applicant (humanitarian reasons such as the applying family member being pregnant, having given birth recently, illness, etc.). 

      As a result, all work visa applicants wishing to invite their family members to South Korea should now follow either of the below two pathways available for F-3 dependent visa application filings:

      1. Application for Visa Issuance Confirmation Number (VICN) for the F-3 dependent visa via the immigration office in Korea, filed together with the VICN for the work visa application of the main applicant.
      2. F-3 visa consular application at a South Korean diplomatic mission in the home country/country of residence after the work visa and residence card have already been granted to the main applicant. 

      KPMG INSIGHTS

      With the implementation of the above change, more careful planning should be exercised regarding the visa application timeline in cases where foreign nationals are planning to enter Korea with accompanying family members.     

      2.     Tightening Document Requirements for All F-3 Dependent Visa Applications

      A.      Document Legalization Required for Family Relationship Documents Submitted for F-3 Dependent Visa Applications1

      • Effective April 2025, the immigration authority in Korea now requires family relationship documents (marriage certificate for spouse’s application, birth certificate for a child’s application) to go through a document legalization process before submission of the application.
      • The document legalization should be completed according to local requirements in the country where the document was issued.  If the country where the document was issued is a part of the Hague Apostille convention, the family relationship documents should have Apostille legalization.
      • All family relationship documents should also be translated into Korean or English in case the originals are not available in either language.  The translation should include a confirmation from a certified translator.

      B.      Submission of Letter of Guarantee and Proof of Residence Mandatory for All Applications2

      • Effective April 2025, a Letter of Guarantee (from the inviting Korean company / inviting foreign national) and Proof of Accommodation/Residence in Korea should also be provided for all new F-3 dependent visa applications, irrespective of which of the two pathways is used for the application filing.
      • If no concrete proof of residence (e.g., lease agreement, company accommodation, hotel booking confirmation, etc.) is available at the time of application, other residence-related documents proving, e.g., how the accommodation/residence search in Korea will be arranged for the applicant, are subject to the responsible immigration officer’s review.

      C.      Changes in Criteria and Requested Documents for Proving Main Visa Applicant’s Financial Capability for Bringing Dependents to Korea3

      • The immigration authority in Korea announced, effective July 2025, changes in the criteria and requested documents for proving the main visa applicant’s financial capability during the F-3 dependent visa application.
      • Visa applicants bringing family members to Korea on an F-3 dependent visa should meet the following income criteria going forward:

      FOR STAYS OF 12 MONTHS AND LONGER

      – Financial ability exceeding the below criteria

      Household size (including main applicant)

      2 persons

      3 persons

      4 persons

      5 persons

      6 persons

      7 persons

      Income standard (KRW / year)

      23,595,948

      30,152,118

      36,586,638

      42,649,638

      48,388,830

      53,930,568

      Income standard for households of 8 persons and more: increases by KRW 5,541,738 per each additional household member

      Source: KPMG Samjong Accounting Corp.

      [KRW 1 = USD 0.00072 | KRW 1 = GBP 0.00054 | KRW 1 = EUR 0.0006245 | KRW 1 = AUD 0.0011 | KRW 1 = CNY 0.00517 |  Source: www.xe.com]  

      FOR STAYS OF LESS THAN 12 MONTHS

      – Financial ability exceeding a standard amount, which is calculated by multiplying the number of months of stay in Korea and the below standard monthly amounts (depending on household size):

      Household size (including main applicant)

      1 person

      2 persons

      3 persons

      4 persons

      5 persons

      6 persons

      7 persons

      Standard monthly amount (KRW / month)

      1,196,007

      1,996,329

      2,512,677

      3,048,887

      3,554,096

      4,032,403

      4,494,214

      Income standard for households of 8 persons and more: increases by KRW 461,811 per each additional household member

      Source: KPMG Samjong Accounting Corp.

      • In cases where the above criteria are not met, but the shortfall is less than 10 percent of the above standard amounts, the criteria for financial ability can be fulfilled by holding deposits of at least five times the amount of the shortfall.*

        *Applies only to cases where the financial ability can be objectively proven with the submission of a Certificate of Income as issued by the National Tax Service in Korea.

      • Going forward, the main visa applicant’s financial ability should be proven with any of the following documents:

        • Cases where a certificate of income can be issued in Korea:

          A.  Certificate of Income for the preceding year as issued by the National Tax Service for the main visa holder;

          B.  In case the income amount on the Certificate of Income falls below the above standard amounts: Certificate of Income for the preceding year + Certificate of domestic deposit balance held for more than six months under the name of the main visa holder.

        • In case the main applicant is/will be employed in Korea: Standard employment contract with wages stated.

        • In case of income received abroad: Certificate of Dispatch/Certificate of Employment and proof of income paid abroad (e.g., pay-slips).

        • In cases where income verification is not possible and the bank deposit amount is used to verify coverage of living expenses: Certificate of domestic/overseas deposit balance held for six months or more (a joint account in the name of both the main applicant and spouse).

      KPMG INSIGHTS

      With the implementation of the above changes, it is anticipated that the South Korean immigration authority will continue to place more scrutiny on both the qualifications of the foreign nationals bringing family members to Korea as well as the authenticity/substance of any supporting documents presented for F-3 dependent visa applications.

      It is especially recommended to pay attention to the two pathways available for application filing as well as the newly-implemented requirements regarding the financial capability of prospective foreign employees who are planning to bring their family members to Korea.

      Furthermore, in cases where the main applicant plans to enter Korea together with his or her family members, it is advised to take into account that the increased complexity of gathering documents for the family members’ applications, in some cases, could also cause the main applicant’s visa application filing timeline to be delayed.  Therefore, it is recommended that employers exercise more careful planning regarding the timeline of gathering and preparing the visa application documents for their employees’ accompanying family members as well.

      The Global Mobility Services team in South Korea will continue to monitor the situation and will endeavor to keep GMS Flash Alert readers informed if any important developments occur.

      These are significant new rules and procedures and any questions about who falls within the scope, appropriate next steps, and timing should be directed to your qualified immigration adviser or a member of the GMS team with KPMG Samjong Accounting Corp. (see the Contacts section).

      FOOTNOTES:

      1  (In Korean) Updated parts of “Dependent (F-3)” sections on both the “Application Manual for All Visa Types (사증민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼)” and “Instruction Manual for All Statuses of Sojourn (체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼)” available on HiKorea – updates effective from April 3, 2025. 

      2  Ibid.

      3  (In Korean and English) “Required documents and criteria for demonstrating financial capability when inviting accompanying family members(F-3) (related to the <Enforcement Rule of Immigration Act> Appendix 5)” available on HiKorea – released May 1, 2025.

      Contacts

      so-hyeon-jung
      So-Hyeon Jung

      Partner, ATO

      KPMG in South Korea

      Han Moi Matt Park
      Han Moi Matt Park

      Director

      KPMG in South Korea

      Henna Puumala
      Henna Puumala

      Supervisor

      KPMG in Korea

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      * Please note the KPMG International member firm in the United States does not provide immigration or labour law services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.

      The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in South Korea.

      GMS Flash Alert is a Global Mobility Services publication of the KPMG LLP Washington National Tax practice. The KPMG name and logo are trademarks used under license by the independent member firms of the KPMG global organization. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to clients. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any other member firm vis-à-vis third parties, nor does KPMG International have any such authority to obligate or bind any member firm. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

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