1) Application Procedures and Qualifications
(1) What is the Immigration Priority Card?
The immigration Priority Card is issued by the Ministry of Justice to enable immigrants to go through the country’s immigration procedures more easily. KOTRA is one of the selected issuers of the card, and receives card issuance applications from foreign investors, etc. For one, the card holders are entitled to use the Fast Track immigration lane (reserved exclusively for aircraft crew and diplomats) for faster passport control at international airports.
(2) Eligibility
Those who fall into one of the following categories are eligibel for Immigration Priority Card issuance.
➊ The officers or employees* of an overseas parent company or an Asian regional headquarters of a foreigninvested company surpassing the following amount in a foreign direct investment (based on the notified amount)
➋ The officers or employees of an overseas parent company or an Asian regional headquarters of a foreign-invested company hiring 100 or more full-time employees
➌ Officers or employees of foreign economic institutions based in Korea
➍ Investment delegations invited by relevant central government agencies or local governments
※ The validity of the Immigration Priority Card is three years. (The card’s validity for investment delegations invited by relevant central government agencies or local governments is six months.)
※ The above is subject to change according to the guidelines o fthe Ministry of Justice.
2) Documents to be Submitted
➊ An application for the Immigration Priority Card
➋ A copy of the foreign-invested company registration certificate for officers or employees of an overseas parent company or an Asian regional headquarters of a foreign-invested company; a certified copy of the corporate register for officers or employees of a foreign economic organization based in Korea; or an invitation for an investment delegation invited by a relevant central government agency or a local government
➌ A certificate of employment by an overseas parent company or an Asian regional headquarters (or a document that proves that the card applicant belongs to the company or organization eligible for the priority card)
➍ One of the following documents depending on the abovementioned classification
- A company running an R&D center: A certificate of recognition of a corporate research institute or an R&D division issued by the Korea Industrial Technology Association (or an official letter from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy designating the facility as an R&D center)
- A company involving new growth engine industry technology: An official letter from the Ministry of Economy and Finance regarding tax benefits in relation to the company’s special status
- A foreign-invested company hiring 100 or more full-time workers: A payroll, a certificate of the insured issued by the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service, or a report on the status of withholding performance issued by the National Tax Service
➎ A copy of the card applicant’s passport
※ An email application is possible with the application and documents attached as a PDF file.
3) Issuance Procedures
* Application between the 1st and the 10th day of a month → Issuance on around the 25th of the same month
** Application after the 10th day of a month → Issuance on around the 25th of the following month
※ Apply to: KOTRA’s Investment Consulting Center
PHONE 82-2-3497-1971
E-mail prioritycard@kotra.or.kr
TIP💡
How is the middle name written in Korea?
Koreans do not have middle names, so there are no related rules. Generally, one can follow the order in which one’s name is written in his/her passport or alien registration card when he/she subscribes to a website or applies for card issuance (last name → first name → middle name). * If your name is extraordinarily long, part of it can be cut off your the immigration priority card, which does not affect your card usage at all.
For further inquiries, please contact the Investment Consulting Center
Call📞 +82-1600-7119 or Visit🖥️ www.investkorea.org
*This article is extracted from Invest KOREA Publications, 2023.
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