If you are studying abroad in Korea, there may be times when you need to leave the country for a short trip, to visit your hometown, or urgently due to personal circumstances. In such cases, re-entry permission is an important procedure you must check in order to maintain the validity of your visa.
If you are confused about, “When do I need to obtain permission, and when is it exempt?”, please read this article to the end. We have organized the complicated conditions in a simple and clear way.
The purpose of re-entry reporting is to maintain the validity of the visa.
As a rule, when a foreigner departs from Korea, the validity of the visa is immediately suspended regardless of the remaining period of stay.
Re-entry reporting is the procedure of obtaining prior permission so that the validity is not suspended upon departure and you can re-enter without any problems.
Need for re-entry permission for D-2, D-4 international students
Condition | Re-entry permission required | Re-entry permission exempt |
Foreigner registration | Not registered | Registered |
Period of stay abroad | 1 year or more | Less than 1 year |
Time of return | Within the remaining period of stay | |
Foreigners who have the status of stay for Study Abroad (D-2) or General Training (D-4) may freely enter and depart without re-entry permission if they satisfy all of the following three conditions:
1. Foreigner registration has been completed.
2. The period of stay abroad is less than 1 year.
3. Re-entry is made within the permitted period of stay.
1. When the period of stay abroad is 1 year or more
Even if you still have time remaining on your period of stay, if you will stay abroad for 1 year or more, you must obtain re-entry permission.
Example: Taking a leave of absence and staying in your home country for more than 1 year.
2. When foreigner registration has not been completed
If you have not completed foreigner registration, you are not eligible for exemption.
Re-entry permission is not an extension of your period of stay.
Even if you have obtained re-entry permission, you cannot enter Korea if your visa’s period of stay has expired.
Therefore, if your visa is scheduled to expire while you are abroad, you must first extend your period of stay and then apply for re-entry permission.
1. Single Re-entry Permit
Purpose | Allows re-entry only once. |
Fee | 30,000 KRW |
Validity period | Within 1 year (within the permitted period of stay) |
Recommended for | Those who plan to leave the country only once within the validity period. |
2. Multiple Re-entry Permit
Purpose | Allows multiple re-entries during the validity period. * If you will stay abroad for 1 year or more, a multiple re-entry permit is required even if you leave the country only once. |
Fee | 50,000 KRW |
Validity period | Within 2 years (within the permitted period of stay) |
Recommended for | Those who will stay abroad for 1 year or more, or who need to leave the country multiple times within the validity period. |
📋 Related information
🔗 Introduction to D-2 visa
🔗 Introduction to D-4 visa
🔗 GKS scholarship system for international students
🔗 Integrated portal for information on studying in Korea
[Immigration & Foreigners Policy Headquarters Call Center]
Phone: 1345
Language support: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc.
Business hours: Weekdays 09:00
[Hi Korea]
Website: www.hikorea.go.kr
Services: Online application and inquiry for civil petitions, change of place of stay
