You’ve done enough research to know that Korea’s F-2-7 points-based residency visa exists. Now you need to know whether you actually clear the bar — before you spend weeks gathering documents and paying application fees.
Here is the part most guides get wrong: the F-2-7 is not a competitive lottery with a moving cutoff. It is a checklist with a fixed pass mark. Score 80 points or more on the official table, meet one of the eligibility categories, and you qualify. Score 79, and you don’t. Every number in this guide comes from the Ministry of Justice’s 체류민원 자격별 안내매뉴얼 (residence application manual, March 2026 edition) — the same table immigration officers use.
Want the answer in 60 seconds? Run your profile through our F-2-7 Visa Points Calculator — it implements this exact table.
What the F-2-7 Actually Gets You
The F-2-7 (점수제 우수인재, points-based skilled talent) is Korea’s long-term residency status for professionals. The practical differences from an employer-sponsored visa like the E-7 are substantial:
| Right | E-7 (sponsored) | F-2-7 |
|---|---|---|
| Work authorization | Only your sponsoring employer, designated occupation | Any employer, any field |
| Self-employment / business | Generally not permitted | Permitted (excluding restricted industries) |
| Legal status | Tied to employer — losing your job is an immigration problem | Independent of employer |
| Stay per issuance | 1–3 years, tied to contract | Up to 3 years, renewable |
| Family | Spouse on F-3 cannot work | Spouse may receive F-2-71 with full work rights if your income meets the GNI threshold |
| Permanent residency | Indirect | Direct — F-2-7 time counts toward F-5 |
In short: open work rights now, a permanent residency pathway later. That is why F-2-7 is the target status for serious long-term residents.
Who Can Apply: The Five Eligibility Categories
Scoring 80 points is necessary but not sufficient — you must also fit one of five eligibility categories (manual, p.364–365):
- Listed-company employee — employed at a KOSPI/KOSDAQ-listed company in a managerial, professional, or specialist role. No minimum years.
- Promising industry — working in IT, bio, nano, new materials, energy, or other designated advanced industries, with income of at least 1.5× per-capita GNI.
- Professional visa holder (the most common route) — you hold an E-1 through E-7-1 or D-5 through D-9 visa and have stayed in Korea for 3 continuous years or more.
- Korean university graduate — master’s degree or higher from a Korean university, employed in a professional visa category within 5 years of graduation.
- Potential outstanding talent (F-2-7S) — master’s/PhD track at designated STEM universities and government research institutes, with a university president’s recommendation.
Two details matter more than anything else here:
- The ₩40 million waiver. Under category 3, the 3-year residence requirement is waived entirely if your taxable income on last year’s 소득금액증명 (NTS income certificate) is ₩40,000,000 or more. High earners can apply in year one or two.
- E-7-2, E-7-3 and E-7-4 are excluded from the professional track. K-Point (E-7-4) skilled workers need a different pathway to F-2 or F-5.
The Official Points Table (Base Score: Max 130)
Four base categories. You need 80+ from base plus bonuses, minus deductions.
① Age — max 25 points
| Age at application | Points |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | 23 |
| 25–29 | 25 |
| 30–34 | 23 |
| 35–39 | 20 |
| 40–44 | 12 |
| 45–50 | 8 |
| 51+ | 3 |
The system favors late-twenties applicants. Every year you wait after 30 costs real points.
② Education — max 25 points
| Highest degree | Points |
|---|---|
| PhD — STEM field (or 2+ doctorates) | 25 |
| PhD — non-STEM | 20 |
| Master’s — STEM (or 2+ master’s) | 20 |
| Master’s — non-STEM | 17 |
| Bachelor’s — STEM (or 2+ bachelor’s) | 17 |
| Bachelor’s — non-STEM | 15 |
| Associate degree — STEM | 15 |
| Associate degree — non-STEM | 10 |
Only completed degrees count — coursework without a degree does not.
③ Korean language — max 20 points
| TOPIK / KIIP level | Points |
|---|---|
| TOPIK 5–6 or KIIP Level 5 | 20 |
| TOPIK 4 or KIIP Level 4 | 15 |
| TOPIK 3 or KIIP Level 3 | 10 |
| TOPIK 2 or KIIP Level 2 | 5 |
| TOPIK 1 or KIIP Level 1 | 3 |
| None | 0 |
④ Annual income — max 60 points
This is the heaviest category, and the most misunderstood. The score uses the taxable income on your NTS 소득금액증명 — not the salary in your employment contract. Deductions can make your taxable income meaningfully lower than your gross pay, so pull the certificate before you calculate.
| Previous-year taxable income | Points |
|---|---|
| ₩100M or more | 60 |
| ₩90M–100M | 58 |
| ₩80M–90M | 56 |
| ₩70M–80M | 53 |
| ₩60M–70M | 50 |
| ₩50M–60M | 45 |
| ₩40M–50M | 40 |
| ₩30M–40M | 30 |
| Minimum wage–₩30M | 10 |
| Below minimum wage | 0 |
Income outweighs language three to one. If you are choosing where to invest preparation effort, documented income beats another TOPIK level almost every time.
Bonus Points
Applied on top of the base score:
| Bonus item | Points |
|---|---|
| Top global university degree (THE/QS top 500) — PhD / Master’s / Bachelor’s | +30 / +20 / +15 |
| Korean university degree — PhD / Master’s / Bachelor’s | +10 / +7 / +5 |
| Outstanding talent from a Korean War allied nation | +20 |
| Recommendation from a central government ministry | +20 |
| KIIP Level 5 completion (사회통합프로그램 5단계) | +10 |
| Registered volunteer work in Korea — 3+ yrs / 2–3 yrs / 1–2 yrs | +7 / +5 / +1 |
Notes that trip people up: university bonuses don’t stack — only the single highest applies. Volunteering counts only if registered through 1365.go.kr or VMS, with 50+ hours and 6+ sessions per year. And KIIP Level 5 is doubly valuable: 20 base language points plus the +10 completion bonus.
Deductions and Disqualification
| Deduction | Points |
|---|---|
| Immigration Act fines ₩0.5M–1M (within 3 yrs) | −10 |
| Immigration Act fines ₩1M–3M | −20 |
| Fines ≥ ₩3M, departure order, or deportation (within 5 yrs) | −30 |
| Criminal fine under ₩2M (within 3 yrs) | −20 |
| Criminal fine ₩2M–3M | −30 |
| Criminal fine ≥ ₩3M | −40 |
One hard rule: a criminal fine of ₩3 million or more within 3 years is a disqualification ground on its own — no score saves the application.
Three Worked Examples
Profile 1 — the comfortable pass. Age 32 (23), Korean university master’s, non-STEM (17), TOPIK 4 (15), taxable income ₩62M (50). Base: 105. Korean university master’s bonus: +7. Total: 112. Qualifies easily, and the ₩40M+ income also waives the 3-year wait.
Profile 2 — the borderline pass. Age 38 (20), overseas PhD, STEM (25), TOPIK 3 (10), taxable income ₩41M (40). Base: 95 — qualifies even before checking whether the PhD comes from a THE/QS top-500 university (+30 if it does).
Profile 3 — the instructive fail. Age 45 (8), non-STEM bachelor’s (15), no TOPIK (0), taxable income ₩38M (30). Total: 53 — falls short. The fix is methodical: reach the ₩40M income bracket (+10), earn TOPIK 3 (+10), complete KIIP Level 5 (+10 bonus and the language score rises to 20). The same person two years later: 8 + 15 + 20 + 40 + 10 = 93. Qualifies.
Run your own numbers in the F-2-7 Points Calculator before reading further — the rest of this guide is easier to apply when you know your starting score.
What Most Guides Get Wrong
Myth 1: “You need TOPIK 6.” False. TOPIK 5 and 6 score identically (20 points), and plenty of applicants pass with TOPIK 3–4 — or with zero Korean, if age, education and income carry them past 80. Korean helps, but it is a 20-point category in a 130-point base.
Myth 2: “The cutoff changes every application round.” False. The pass mark is a fixed 80 points. There is no competitive intake window; applications are accepted year-round at your local immigration office.
Myth 3: “My contract salary is my income score.” The table uses NTS-certified taxable income. If you have significant deductions, or you arrived mid-year and only have a partial year on file, your documented income may land a bracket (or two) below your salary. Check the certificate first.
Documents You’ll Need
From the manual (p.370): application form (통합신청서), passport, ARC, photo and fee; proof of residence; employment contract; the official points self-assessment sheet (점수표) with supporting evidence for every point you claim — degree certificates, TOPIK score report or KIIP certificate, 소득금액증명 from the National Tax Service, volunteer records from 1365/VMS; an overseas criminal record certificate if you’ve lived abroad 6+ months continuously; and a TB test certificate for nationals of designated countries.
The single most common documentation failure: claiming bonus points without attaching the certificate that proves them.
After F-2-7: The Road to Permanent Residency
F-2-7 time counts toward the F-5 permanent residency requirement (5 years of legal residence, income at or above GNI per capita, and TOPIK 3+ or KIIP completion). For founders and senior employees, the typical arc is E-7 → F-2-7 → F-5 over five to seven years. If your long-term plan includes hiring staff in Korea, our guide to the true monthly cost of hiring in Korea covers the employer-side numbers, and if you ever leave before pension vesting, see the National Pension refund guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need TOPIK 6 to get the F-2-7 visa?
No. TOPIK 5 and 6 both score the maximum 20 points, TOPIK 4 scores 15, and the visa is attainable with low or even zero Korean if your age, education and income total 80+. KIIP Level 5 is an alternative that also adds a +10 bonus.
How many points do I need for F-2-7 in 2026?
A fixed 80 points, applied year-round — there is no competitive cutoff. The base categories are age (max 25), education (max 25), Korean (max 20) and income (max 60), plus bonuses and deductions.
Can I apply before 3 years of residence in Korea?
Yes, if your previous-year taxable income (소득금액증명) is ₩40 million or more — that waives the 3-year requirement for professional visa holders entirely.
Which visas are eligible to switch to F-2-7?
E-1 through E-7-1 and D-5 through D-9 holders qualify under the professional track. E-7-2, E-7-3 and E-7-4 are excluded and need alternative routes.
What income counts for the points table?
The taxable income on your National Tax Service 소득금액증명 for the previous year — not your contract salary. Listed-company employees may substitute the contract amount.
Your Next Step
Pull your 소득금액증명 from Hometax, then spend two minutes in the F-2-7 Visa Points Calculator. Be conservative with your claims, note which bracket boundaries you sit near, and you’ll know whether to apply now, wait for a TOPIK result, or restructure your income documentation first. Verify final requirements at HiKorea or with a licensed immigration specialist (행정사) — point values are updated periodically by the Ministry of Justice.
Disclaimer: This post reflects the author’s experience and publicly available information as of 2026. It is general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Rules and rates change — verify current details with the relevant authority (NPS, NTS, MOJ) or a licensed professional before acting.
Really clear breakdown, especially weighting income at 3x the language category—that reframes where to spend prep effort entirely. The KIIP Level 5 “double value” (20 base + 10 bonus) is a smart nudge. One question for readers in a similar spot: for the top-500 university bonus, does it go by the ranking in the year you graduated or the year you apply? Rankings shift enough that it could matter at the margin. Either way, bookmarking the calculator.