F-4 eligibility check

For ethnic Koreans holding foreign nationality.

Who it is for

• F-4-41 · Former Korean national You held Korean nationality by birth, including emigration before the government was established in 1948, and later took another nationality.
• F-4-42 · Direct descendant of a former Korean national Direct descendants: children, grandchildren and beyond: of a person who held Korean nationality by birth. The same Korean-language note applies: it shapes the length of stay, not eligibility.
• Extending your F-4 stay Current holders file the extension with the p.530 set. The period is granted up to 3 years per the Korean-ability standard; law violations can restrict the permit (체류 p.534).
• Filing the residence report Staying 90 days or more means filing the domestic residence report within 90 days of entry, with the p.530 set (체류 p.534).
• F-4-41 · Change of status: former Korean national A person who held Korean nationality by birth and acquired a foreign one changes to F-4-41 in Korea where the sub-target documents are issuable here or verifiable in the immigration system (체류 p.533).
• F-4-42 · Change of status: direct descendant A direct descendant of a former Korean national who acquired a foreign nationality changes to F-4-42 in Korea on the same domestic-verifiability terms (체류 p.533).

What the check asks

The check asks 15 questions, for example: Where are you applying from, What is your situation in Korea right now, What is your connection to Korean nationality, What is your legal sex. Your answers are never stored.

Documents a result can list

The result lists the documents for your route. Depending on your answers, they include:

• Application form, passport, a standard photo and the fee
• Official records proving overseas Korean status
• Overseas-Korean unified application form (annex No. 1), passport and copy, one standard photo, and the fee
• Proof of where you live (change filing)
• Tuberculosis certificate (change filing)
• Overseas-Korean unified application form (annex No. 1), passport and copy, one standard photo, and the fee (residence report)
• Proof of where you live (residence report)
• Application form and the fee (extension filing)
• Proof of where you live, such as the lease (extension filing)
• Former-national evidence (F-4-41)

Source: 법무부 출입국·외국인정책본부「사증민원·체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼」(2026. 7.), pages 사증 파일 pp.386-418 · 체류 pp.532-536 · 별첨1·2. An estimate. Immigration officers decide.