South Korea · Residency by investment
Public Business Investment Immigration (F-2 residence, path to F-5)
Open but repriced. The thresholds were raised sharply in 2023 and figures in circulation vary considerably between sources; the amounts below could not be confirmed against a primary Korea Immigration Service publication and should be verified directly before any commitment. Confidence deliberately set to low.
Korea tripled its investor threshold in 2023 and the market has largely moved on. The zero-interest public-fund structure means the real cost is the opportunity cost on USD 1m+ for five years, in a country with 50% inheritance tax and worldwide taxation after five years — a combination that rarely survives contact with a UHNW family's tax adviser.
Qualifying routes
Reported at KRW 1.5bn (roughly USD 1.1–1.2m) for F-2 residence, up from KRW 500m before the 2023 tightening. Held for five years, after which F-5 permanent residency may be sought. Unverified against a primary source
Reported at KRW 3bn (roughly USD 2.2–2.4m) for immediate permanent residency, bypassing the F-2 stage. Unverified against a primary source
Reported at KRW 1bn following a 2023 doubling from KRW 500m; limited to designated resort zones such as Jeju and specified tourism developments. Programme reported as extended to 30 April 2026 — current status beyond that date unconfirmed
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 1500M KRW
- Total landed cost
- Reported KRW 1.5bn–3bn (roughly USD 1.1m–2.4m) locked for five years, plus legal and translation costs. Treat all figures as indicative pending primary verification.
- Timeline
- 4–12 months — Unverified
- Physical presence
- F-5 permanent residency generally requires genuine residence in Korea; the public-fund route relaxes some conditions but presence expectations should be confirmed
- Family
- spouseunmarried children (age limits apply)
- Permanent residency
- reported at 5 years of maintained investment for the F-2 route; immediate for the high-value route
- Citizenship
- generally 5 years of residence for naturalisation; Korea broadly does not permit dual citizenship for adults naturalising, with narrow exceptions
- Language test
- Korean language and social integration testing applies to naturalisation
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted — you would have to renounce
- Requirements
- Qualifying investment in a designated public interest fund or approved tourism/leisure real estateMaintain the investment for the prescribed holding period (reported as five years)Clean criminal record and standard immigration checks
- Published thresholds vary widely between secondary sources and we could not verify them against a Korea Immigration Service primary publication. Do not act on any figure here without direct confirmation.
- The public-fund route is principal-guaranteed but zero-interest — you forgo all return on the capital for five years.
- Korean inheritance tax reaches 50%, and up to 60% on controlling shareholdings. Becoming Korean-domiciled with a family business is a serious estate risk.
- Once you exceed 5 years of domicile in any 10-year period, Korea taxes your worldwide income.
- Korea does not generally permit dual citizenship for adults who naturalise.
- The real estate route is confined to designated tourism and leisure zones, and those developments have had a chequered commercial history — particularly on Jeju.
- The F-2-8 real estate programme was reported as extended only to 30 April 2026; its status thereafter is unconfirmed.