Living in Korea, explained properly.
Visas, banking, phone plans, taxes and housing — written for people who actually have to do it, and sourced from the published criteria.
F-2 Visa Korea: The Resident Status Family, Requirements and How It Differs From Work Visas
What Korea's F-2 resident visa is, the general requirements to hold it, the points-based F-2-7 as the main professional route, and how F-2 differs from employer-tied visas.
f 2 visa korea requirements — Read guideWhat's in this guide
- F-2 is Korea's resident status family: a long-term residence status held by you, not granted through an employer.
- The points-based F-2-7 is the main route for professionals; other F-2 sub-tracks cover long-term residents, investors, family and other cases granted individually.
- F-2 removes the employer tie, but it carries renewal and income conditions and is a common stepping stone to F-5 permanent residency.
Recently updated
- Visa
Can Foreigners Get South Korean Citizenship? Naturalization, Requirements and the Realistic Route
Yes — through naturalization (gwi-hwa). Here is how general naturalization works under the Nationality Act: the five-year residence test, the permanent residency requirement, self-support, conduct and the Korean language and culture assessment.
- Tax
Korea Business Registration for Foreigners: Visa Rules, Documents and the 20-Day Deadline
How to register a business in Korea as a foreigner: which visa statuses permit it, the 20-day registration deadline, the Hometax or tax-office process, required documents, and what changes on your tax bill.
- Tax
Korea Freelance Tax: The 3.3% Withholding, the May Filing, and Getting Your Refund
How freelance income is taxed in Korea: the 3.3% withholding on business income, why it is only an advance payment, and how the May comprehensive income tax return settles the real amount.
- Visa
Korea Residence Permit: The Residence Card, F-Series Statuses and What 'Residence' Means
How Korea's residence permit system works: the Residence Card as your document of stay, the F-series residence statuses, and the obligations that continue while you live in Korea.
- Tax
Korea Local Income Tax: The 10% Surtax, Who Pays It, and How to File
What Korea's local income tax (jibang sodeukse) is, how the 10% surtax on your national income tax is calculated, who withholds it, and how to file it through Wetax.
- Visa
Korea Work Visa: How the System Works — E-Series, Sponsorship and the Employer-Driven Process
A map of Korea's work visa system: which visa fits which job, how employer sponsorship works through the Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance, and what you must do after arrival.
- Visa
The Alien Registration Number in Korea: What It Is and Where It Appears
The 13-digit foreigner registration number printed on your ARC functions as your identity number in Korea. What the digits mean, where you find it, and what opens only once you have it.
- Tax
Taxes in Korea for Foreigners: The Taxes That Apply and What Opens Them
The taxes a foreigner actually meets in Korea — income tax by residency, local income tax, VAT on spending, and the property taxes that arrive with ownership — with the 183-day rule and the flat 19% option explained.