When your period of stay has already passed — what to do now
This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)
If your period of stay has ended and you are still in Korea (illegal stay · overstay), do not decide on your own — ask 1345 or the immigration office for your area first. The paths and steps left to you differ by situation.
📌 Key points
Staying after your period of stay has ended without an extension permit violates the Immigration Act. Depending on the situation, the immigration office can order you to pay a fine (notice of fine), advise you to leave on your own (departure recommendation), order you to leave by a set date (departure order), or deport you. The base fine depends on how long you overstayed: from 500,000 won for less than 1 month up to 30,000,000 won for 7 years or more. It can be lowered or raised by up to half of the base amount, considering age, circumstances, ability to pay, and so on.
🔢 Do these in order
- Do not hide — ask first. Tell 1345 (Immigration Contact Center) or the immigration office for your area honestly when your period of stay ended and what your situation is now. If you had applied for an extension or a change, bring the receipt when you ask.
- To leave on your own, make a “voluntary departure advance report.” Report between 15 days and 3 days (not counting public holidays) before your departure date, at the immigration office for the area where you live or online on HiKorea. If you go to the office, submit the voluntary departure report form · passport · plane ticket. On the day you leave, immigration at the airport · port checks again.
- If you receive a notice of fine, pay it within 15 days from the day you receive it. If you pay as notified, you will not be punished again for the same matter. If you do not pay in time, you may be reported to the authorities for prosecution.
- For a departure recommendation, the deadline to leave is set within 5 days from the issue date; for a departure order, within 30 days from the issue date. If you cannot leave by the deadline because you are sick or there is no flight · ship, you can apply to postpone the departure deadline with supporting documents.
- The Ministry of Justice sometimes opens a “special voluntary departure” period (fine waived · entry ban postponed). The most recent one ran from December 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, and it has now ended. Check with 1345 or HiKorea notices whether a period is open now.
📍 Where to go
Immigration office for your area · Immigration Contact Center 1345 (no area code)
⚠️ Things to watch out for
From the day after your period of stay ends, your health insurance membership also ends. If you need to go to a hospital, ask 1345 about this too. If you have circumstances such as being married to a Korean or having a child, mention them as well — we do not decide which paths are left; the office decides. For legal problems, you can get free advice from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation (132). Be careful of anyone who says “Pay me and I will fix your stay.”
❗ What happens if you don't
If you stay past your period of stay, you can be punished by up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30,000,000 won, and you can be deported. If you leave after receiving a deportation order, you may be banned from entering Korea for 5 years. Ask 1345 or the immigration office for your area about what happens with your next entry.
See also
Basis
- 출입국관리법 제25조 ① · 제46조 ① 8호 · ② · 제67조 ①③(출국권고 · 5일 범위) · 제68조 ①③④(출국명령) · 제94조 17호(3년 · 3천만원) · 제102조(통고처분 · 범칙금) · 제105조 ①②(15일 · 고발) · 제106조(일사부재리) · 제11조 ① 6호(강제퇴거 후 5년) (법률, MST 290729, 시행 2026-10-02 · 법제처 국가법령정보센터 원문 대조 2026-10-25)
- 출입국관리법 시행령 제31조 ① · 제33조(불허 때 출국통지 · 14일 범위) (대통령령, 시행 2026-10-02 · 법제처 원문 2026-10-25)
- 출입국관리법 시행규칙 제33조(출국기한의 유예) · 제65조 ①(출국명령 30일 범위) · 제86조 ①②(기준액의 2분의 1 범위 경감 · 가중) · [별표 7] 「범칙금의 양정기준」 고목(법 제25조 위반, 1개월 미만 50만원 ~ 7년 이상 3,000만원) (법무부령 제1172호 공포 2026-10-23 판, 별표 7 <개정 2026. 1. 23.> · 법제처 별표 PDF 원문 2026-10-25)
- 국민건강보험법 시행령 제76조의2 ② · 「장기체류 재외국민 및 외국인에 대한 건강보험 적용기준」(보건복지부고시 제2025-69호, 시행 2025-04-23) 제3조 ② 3호 · 제4조 ② 3호 — 체류기간이 종료된 날의 다음 날 (법제처 원문 2026-10-25)
- 법무부 보도자료 「법무부, 2025년 불법체류 외국인 특별 자진출국 제도 한시 시행」 2025-11-28 https://www.immigration.go.kr/bbs/moj/182/600964/artclView.do — 붙임 안내문: 기존 「자진출국사전신고제」 절차 · 출국일 기준 3일(공휴일 제외) ~ 15일(공휴일 포함) 전 · 체류지 출입국 · 외국인관서 또는 하이코리아 · 자진출국신고서 · 여권 · 항공권 · 출국 당일 공항만에서 재확인 · 시행기간 2025-12-01 ~ 2026-02-28 · 문의 1345 (첨부 PDF 원문 확인 2026-10-25)
- 🔴 쓰지 않은 것: 출국명령 · 범칙금 납부 뒤 다시 들어올 수 있는 시기(입국규제 기간은 법률 · 시행규칙 원문에 없다 — 1345 · 관서에 묻기로) · 체류를 다시 허가받을 수 있는 경우(판정하지 않는다) · 특별 자진출국 제외 대상의 자세한 목록(지금 열린 기간이 아니다) · 보호(구금) 절차
This content was checked on 2026-10-25.