Korea Visa Extension 2026: HiKorea Fees, Deadlines, Documents

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Anyone living in Korea on a fixed-term status has to renew the permission to stay before the date printed on the back of their residence card. The law is blunt about timing: an extension must be obtained before the permitted period runs out, and there is no grace period written into the Immigration Act. Applying the day after expiry is not a late application, it is an overstay.

There are two ways to file. Holders of most student, trainee, professional and visiting statuses, from D-2 and E-2 to F-1 and H-2, can apply through the HiKorea website. Several common statuses are kept off the online route and must book an appointment at their immigration office instead, among them E-7 skilled workers, F-2 and F-6 residents, F-4 overseas Koreans and D-8 investors. The online form opens four months ahead of the expiry date and closes one working day before it, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on working days, and you must be in Korea when you send it.

The official fee for an extension is 60,000 won, or 30,000 won for marriage migrants on F-6. Filing online cuts the fee by a fifth under the enforcement rule, and HiKorea charges 50,000 won once the payment agent's charge is added. A short extension granted so that someone can leave the country is free. At the counter, payment is still by revenue stamp or electronic transfer; card payment is written into a September amendment but only starts in September 2027.

The cost of missing the date is much higher. Staying on without permission is an offence under the Act, and in practice immigration offices issue a fine notice instead of prosecuting. The standard amount starts at 500,000 won for an overstay of under a month and climbs in steps to 30 million won after seven years, adjustable by half either way.

When I reopened the HiKorea guide and the national law database on October 31, the fees, the window and the list of eligible statuses had not changed. A further amendment to the enforcement rule took effect on October 23 and left the fee article as it was.

The full guide on the Playground sets out the whole process: the eligibility lists, the counting rules for the expiry date, the documents for each route, the fee exemptions, the overstay penalty table and a short plan for the weeks before your card runs out. If your status is on the in-person list, book the visit first, because the earliest open slot decides your real deadline.

Read the full guide on Hello Korea Playground → Korea Visa Extension 2026: HiKorea Fees, Deadlines, Documents

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