F-2-3 (Residence – Spouse of a Permanent-Residence (F-5) Holder) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What F-2-3 Is

Issued to the foreign spouse of a person who already holds 영주(F-5) permanent-residence status, allowing the spouse to obtain 거주(F-2) residence status. It requires proof of a genuine marriage, income/financial evidence, mutual criminal-record checks, and health certificates for both the F-5 sponsor and the spouse-applicant.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Issued abroad as a stay period of 1년 이하 (1 year or less), single-entry (단수) visa.
• Listed as item 1 in the 거주(F-2) visa-issuance section, immediately followed by item 2 for F-2-2 (minor foreign child of a Korean national) — the two are adjacent but cover different beneficiaries: F-2-3 is the F-5 holder's spouse, F-2-2 is a Korean citizen's minor child.
• Document list uniquely requires criminal-record certificates from BOTH the F-5 sponsor and the spouse-applicant (not just the applicant), plus health exams for both and a credit report (신용정보조회서) on the inviting F-5 holder — a heavier document set than the general F-1 visit/cohabitation track.
• If the F-5 sponsor already submitted their own criminal-record certificate when obtaining F-5 status, they personally may be exempted from resubmitting it (unless they later spent 6+ months abroad, in which case a certificate covering that period is required).

3. Criteria Summary

• F-2-3 is not a points-based category.
• The definition above is taken from the manual's own wording for this code.
• Numeric thresholds, stay periods and fees are set in the manual's tables and annexes and are deliberately not reproduced here — confirm the current figures before filing.
• Where a rule depends on another status, check that status's own criteria too; several of these codes take their conditions from a principal holder.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• The manual does not attach a salary or contract framework to this code specifically.
• Where income or financial capacity is assessed, it is evidenced with the documents named under that requirement rather than against a published floor.
• If your circumstances involve employment, verify separately whether this status authorises it — several of these categories do not.
• Do not assume the salary rules of a neighbouring code apply; they are set per status.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Employer sponsorship is not the organising basis of this code.
• Any economic activity must fall within what the status authorises; where it does not, activity-outside-status permission is the mechanism.
• Report changes of circumstance that bear on the ground for the status.
• Keep the evidence that established eligibility available for extension reviews.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, standard photograph and the fee.
• Evidence establishing the ground on which this status is claimed, as described above.
• Residence and identity documents as required at the counter.
• Any further documents the reviewing office considers necessary.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow the published schedule for the application type rather than the subtype.
• Processing time varies by office workload and by how clearly the qualifying ground is evidenced.
• Where a principal holder's status governs the period granted, the principal's expiry date is the practical constraint.
• Apply with margin before any existing permission expires.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• The qualifying ground for this specific code is not established by the evidence.
• The circumstances fit a neighbouring code better, making this a category mismatch.
• Supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date.
• An underlying condition the status depends on has ceased to apply.
• Unresolved immigration compliance history.

9. FAQ