G-1-2 (Illness/Accident Long-Term Treatment & Family) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What G-1-2 Is

G-1-2 is for registered foreigners who, while in Korea, develop an illness or have an accident requiring long-term treatment such that they can no longer maintain their existing visa status, as well as for people who entered on a short-term visa and then had an accident requiring unavoidable long-term treatment. It also covers the spouse and direct family of the person needing treatment.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Two distinct eligible pathways: (1) an already-registered foreigner whose illness/accident makes it impossible to keep their current status, or (2) a person who entered Korea on a short-term visa (단기사증) and then suffered an accident requiring unavoidable long-term care.
• Family members (spouse, direct lineal relatives) of the treated person are separately eligible under the same code.
• Required proof includes a medical opinion/certificate establishing the necessity of self-treatment, and documentation of the ability to fund treatment and living costs — plus a 신원보증서 (guarantee of identity/sponsorship letter) and, for accompanying family, family-relationship proof.
• Stay period is described only as 'within a range of [years]' at initial issuance and, on renewal, 'in principle, per grant, within a range of [months]' — the digits themselves were not recoverable from the extracted text.

3. Criteria Summary

• G-1-2 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