Last updated: August 2026
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Extension rules depend on your residence status and your individual circumstances, and they change. Confirm anything that affects your status with the official sources at the end, or with the immigration contact centre, before you act.
Almost every English-language guide to extending your stay in Korea says the same two things: do it on HiKorea, and start about four months early.
The four months is real. It is also not the number that decides your week.
There are two different windows, and nobody separates them. The general rule lets you apply from four months before your permit expires. The online service — HiKorea's e-Application — only accepts extension applications from 60 days before expiry, and stops 3 days before. That gap is why people open the site four months out, find nothing, and conclude they have misunderstood something.
And before any of that matters: six residence statuses cannot extend online at all.
TL;DR
- Two windows, not one. General rule: from four months before expiry. Online (e-Application): from 60 days before expiry until 3 days before — weekends and public holidays excluded.
- Six statuses are excluded from online extension: D-3, D-8, E-7, F-2, F-6 and G-1, plus some F-1 cases. For these, the online route does not exist.
- Two kinds of extension are open to everyone: short-term stay extension, and an extension granted so that you can leave the country.
- e-Application runs weekdays 07:00–22:00. Not a 24-hour service.
- Fee ₩60,000, or ₩30,000 for marriage migrants (F-6). D-8 holders are exempt.
- Processing: within 14 days of receipt — which is why filing at the 3-day edge is a trap.
1. First, Check Whether You Can Apply Online At All
This is the step almost everyone skips, and it decides everything that follows.
The Ministry of Justice publishes a table of which services HiKorea's e-Application accepts and for which residence statuses. For extension of stay by a registered foreign resident, the table says all statuses are eligible — and then lists exclusions.
Excluded from online extension:
- D-3 — industrial trainee
- D-8 — corporate investment
- E-7 — specially designated activities
- F-2 — residence
- F-6 — marriage migrant
- G-1 — miscellaneous
- F-1 — visiting/cohabitation, some cases
If your status is on that list, no amount of clicking produces an online extension. You need an appointment at an immigration office, and our HiKorea appointment guide covers that booking process.
Two other kinds of extension are open to all statuses: extension for a short-term visa holder, and an extension granted specifically so that you can leave the country. If you are simply running out of time before a flight, that second category is the one to ask about.
Extension of stay is HiKorea business and only HiKorea business — if you are unsure which government site you need, our guide to Korea's visa sites sorts that out first.
2. The Two Windows
This is the part that saves you a week of confusion.
| When you may apply | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| General rule | From 4 months before your permit expires | Immigration office, by appointment |
| Online (e-Application) | From 60 days before expiry, until 3 days before — excluding weekends and public holidays | HiKorea, weekdays 07:00–22:00 |
So both statements you have read are true, and they are about different things. Four months is when an application can be made. Sixty days is when the online service will take one.
Two consequences worth planning around:
Opening the site four months out and finding nothing is normal. It is not an error and you have not misread the rule.
Some statuses run on their own, shorter windows. Employment categories in particular are handled under status-specific instructions, so treat the general figures as a starting point and confirm the window for your own status.
If your expiry is approaching and the screen still will not take your application, contact the immigration contact centre rather than waiting for it to resolve itself — the number is on our emergency numbers page.
3. What It Costs and How Long It Takes
- Fee: ₩60,000. Marriage migrants (F-6) pay ₩30,000.
- Exemptions: corporate investment (D-8) holders, and Argentine nationals under 14.
- Processing: within 14 days of receipt.
That 14-day figure is why the 3-day edge of the online window is a trap. File at the last permitted moment and your decision may not arrive before your current period of stay ends. Aim for the earlier half of the 60-day window, not the last week of it.
One overlap worth understanding: D-8 holders are exempt from the fee and excluded from online filing. F-6 holders get the reduced fee and are excluded from online filing. A cheaper application is not an easier one.
4. Applying Online, Step by Step
- Log in to HiKorea. You need an account first — our HiKorea sign-up guide walks through creating one and switching the site to English.
- Open the civil applications menu and select the extension service.
- Attach your supporting documents.
- Pay the fee.
- Track the result in My Page, under the electronic applications area.
e-Application is available weekdays 07:00–22:00, closed at weekends and on public holidays. If nothing loads on a Sunday, the site is not broken.
5. What You Need to Upload
The common document set, per the official service listing:
- The application form (Form No. 34)
- Your passport, or your foreign entry permit
- Your residence card — see our residence card guide if yours is still in progress
- Proof of your residential address
Beyond those, requirements vary by status, and the official answer is to consult the status-specific document manual on HiKorea rather than any general list — including this one.
If your name is written differently across your passport, residence card and the account you are filing from, expect the verification step to stop you. That is a separate problem with its own fix: why your name won't verify.
Common Problems
"There are no dates and my expiry is months away." Normal. The online window opens 60 days out, not four months. Keep checking as your date approaches.
"I'm inside the window and it still won't go through." Check your status against the exclusion list in section 1. D-3, D-8, E-7, F-2, F-6 and G-1 cannot extend online.
"Nothing works at all." Check the clock and the calendar — weekdays only, 07:00–22:00.
"My permission hasn't come back and my stay expires this week." Contact the immigration contact centre rather than waiting. A period of stay lapsing without a decision is not something to manage by hoping.
"I want to leave anyway." Ask about the extension granted specifically so you can depart — it is open to all statuses.
FAQ
Can I extend from outside Korea?
No. Extension of stay is for people who are in Korea and want to remain. If you have already left, you are dealing with a new entry, not an extension.
Why does everyone say four months when the site says sixty days?
Because both are true. Four months is the general application rule; 60 days is when the online service starts accepting. Different rules, different places.
What happens if I miss the deadline entirely?
You fall out of lawful status, which carries penalties and can affect later applications. The published guidance does not state one fixed amount — it depends on circumstances and the office. Contact the immigration centre before the date, not after.
Does an approved extension change my residence card?
Your permitted period changes. Whether you must attend in person for the card itself depends on your status and what else changed, so confirm with your local office.
Is the fee refundable if I'm refused?
Treat it as spent once filed. Ask about your specific case before assuming otherwise.
Official Resources
- Extension of stay for registered foreign residents — Government24: fee, processing time, documents, and the online application window
- Foreigner services: extension of stay — Government24: the four-month rule and e-Application hours
- Electronic Civil Service Window Notice, Annex — services and eligible statuses — Korea Law Information Centre: the exclusion list in section 1
- HiKorea — e-Application, forms and status-specific document manuals
- Korea Immigration Service — official guidance
Planning the rest of your stay? Our settling-in checklist puts this in sequence with everything else, and the guide library has the detail.
Not legal or immigration advice. Fees, windows and eligible statuses change, and your case may differ from the general rule. Figures are as of August 2026 — confirm with Government24, HiKorea or the immigration contact centre before acting on anything that affects your status.