SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign residents with an F-5 (permanent foreign resident) visa in South Korea will be exempted from fines even if they fail to renew their visa on time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Justice announced on Monday that foreign residents with F-5 visas will not be levied fines for the time being if they fail to renew their visa on time due to the COVID-19 crisis, a measure that will be retroactively applied to all F-5 visa renewals since Aug. 25.
Thus far, foreign residents with F-5 visas have been required to renew their visa every ten years.
If they fail to renew their visa in the two years after it expires, fines of up to 2 million won (US$1,680) can be imposed as a punitive measure.
Foreign residents who will be exempted from fines are those who acquired their F-5 visa before Sept. 20, 2008 but failed to apply for renewal due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Foreign residents who will be exempted from fines are those who acquired their F-5 visa before Sept. 20, 2008 but failed to apply for renewal due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, those who lost their right to permanent residence because more than two years have passed since the expiration of their re-entry permission period will still have to pay a fine.
To be exempted from fines, F-5 visa holders should submit documents required for the re-issuance of the F-5 visa to the immigration office within 30 days after entering the country.
The number of foreigners living in South Korea with the permanent residency visa was estimated at about 100,000 as of June 2020.
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