01
Start the process
Tell us where you are moving, when you are leaving and the basic facts of your Korean departure.
Korean departure, without the full-service bill
Save $10,000s
in professional fees.
Get clarity for $497.
Stop paying accountants and lawyers premium hourly rates to organize paperwork you can prepare efficiently. ExitSouthKorea walks you through the facts the NTS actually looks at — domicile, family, assets, days in Korea — organizes your evidence, compiles a residency position file, and puts it in front of an experienced reviewer before your final resident-year return and any departure-tax filing.
Guided preparation / Residency file compiled / Human legal review
Your next chapter, organisedExample
🇰🇷 South Korea🇦🇪 Dubai
One move. One organised file.
Your documents, without the guesswork.
Example checklist3 of 4 added
🏠
New-country leaseA home for your next chapter
✓🪪
Residence documentYour status abroad
✓🏦
Bank statementYour everyday financial ties
✓🚗
Driver's licenceAdd it when available
PENDINGKnow what you have. See what's next.Less scattered paperwork. More room for what's next.
Built around your move
Where are you headed?
🇦🇪 Dubai (UAE)🇲🇹 Malta🇨🇾 Cyprus🇬🇧 UK (non-dom / FIG)🇵🇦 Panama🇵🇾 Paraguay
Need a new residence too?
Leaving Korea is one step.
Establishing somewhere new is the next.
Exit Global can help evaluate practical residency pathways in Dubai, Malta, Cyprus and UK and beyond. Some routes can be completed relatively quickly depending on your circumstances. Each destination has its own site — click through.
🇦🇪
Dubai (UAE)
Explore residency pathways ↗
🇲🇹
Malta
Explore residency pathways ↗
🇨🇾
Cyprus
Explore residency pathways ↗
🇬🇧
UK (non-dom / FIG)
Explore residency pathways
🇵🇦
Panama
Explore residency pathways ↗
🇵🇾
Paraguay
Explore residency pathways ↗
Immigration eligibility, processing times and government requirements vary by route and applicant.
The $497 guided departure package
Do the simple work once.
Pay experts for judgment — not administration.
Traditional full-service departure engagements get expensive when accountants, lawyers and valuers each bill hourly for gathering the same facts. Software handles the organization and drafting; experts handle the parts that require judgment.
$497Prepared residency file + written review
Start the process →02
Upload your documents
Add evidence of your new life abroad and the Korean ties you have changed, ended or retained.
03
Answer the questionnaire
Work through structured questions covering housing, family, work, banking, the National Pension, shareholdings, real estate and the other connections the NTS weighs under the domicile test.
04
We compile your residency file
The software organizes your answers and evidence into a structured departure file: your position under the domicile and 183-day rules, whether the large-shareholder departure tax (국외전출세) applies to you, and your final part-year return.
05
Expert review + written evaluation
Our team reviews the file and evidence, provides a written evaluation of your residency position and flags what to fix before you file.
06
You decide how to proceed
You receive the prepared file and review. You decide whether to file on that basis, appoint a tax manager (납세관리인), or obtain specialist advice first.
No open-ended hourly meter.
The core guided preparation and review is $497. Complex tax, valuation or specialist work is scoped and quoted separately, only if your situation requires it.
Your information is sensitive. We treat it that way.
Documents are stored privately when you explicitly save them. We use restricted access and do not sell or share your information.
01 / Understand the rules
There is no NR73 in Korea.
Here is what replaces it.
Korea has no departure form that asks the NTS to rule on your residency. Residency is defined in the Income Tax Act and its Enforcement Decree, ends by operation of law the day after you leave, and is tested on facts — family, assets, occupation, days. The filings that do exist have hard deadlines, several of them <b>before</b> you board the plane.
The tests
Domicile in Korea, or 183 days of abode.
A resident is an individual who has a domicile (주소) in Korea or has kept an abode (거소) in Korea for 183 days or more. Domicile is judged on the objective facts of your life — whether family sharing your livelihood and assets are in Korea. You are deemed to have a Korean domicile if you hold an occupation that ordinarily requires 183 days or more of continuous residence in Korea, or if your family lives in Korea and your job and assets suggest you will stay 183 days or more.
The mirror rule matters most to leavers: someone living or working abroad who holds foreign nationality or a foreign permanent-residence right, has no family sharing their livelihood in Korea, and is not expected to return and live mainly in Korea, is deemed to have no Korean domicile. Employees seconded to a foreign branch or a 100%-owned foreign subsidiary of a Korean company, and public officials posted abroad, are deemed residents regardless.
Income Tax Act art. 1-2; Enforcement Decree arts. 2 and 3 (law.go.kr) ↗When it ends — and the day count
Residency ends the day after you leave. Days are counted across two years.
Under the Enforcement Decree, a resident becomes a non-resident on the day after the day they leave Korea to move their domicile or abode abroad. Your resident taxable period runs from 1 January to the day of departure.
The 183-day abode test now catches stays that straddle two years: the decree treats you as having 183 days of abode if you reach 183 days within one taxable period or continuously across two consecutive taxable periods. Temporary trips out of Korea — tourism, medical treatment and similar reasons set by ministerial rule — count as days in Korea if you come back. Plan return visits with that in mind.
Enforcement Decree arts. 2-2 and 4 (law.go.kr) ↗If you want certainty
There is no residency ruling on departure — only an advance answer on a specific transaction.
The NTS operates a 세법해석 사전답변 (advance answer) procedure: you ask in your own name, before the statutory filing deadline, about a specific transaction that has begun or is objectively about to begin, and the answer binds the tax office if you carry out the facts as stated. It expressly excludes hypothetical facts and questions of fact-finding — which is what most residency questions are. In practice, certainty comes from the file you build, not from a form you submit.
NTS: 세법해석 사전답변제도 안내 ↗Separate from your return
Your final resident-year return is due before you leave.
A resident who must file a final return and then departs has to file the return for the departure year by the day before departure. If you leave between 1 January and 31 May, the previous year's return is due by then too. From the day after departure you are a non-resident, taxed only on Korean-source income under art. 119 — and, if you are a large shareholder, the departure tax on your Korean shares lands in its own separate filing.
Income Tax Act arts. 5 and 74 (law.go.kr) ↗Why this matters
A flight changes
your location.
The facts tell the rest.
Korean tax obligations depend on residency. Residents are taxed on worldwide income; non-residents only on Korean-source income under art. 119. The NTS decides which you are from the objective facts of your life — family, assets, occupation and days — not from your departure date alone.
Read the residency provisions (Enforcement Decree art. 2) ↗Where is your home?
Whether you sold, rented out or kept your Korean apartment or house — and whether you remain registered at a Korean address — goes straight to the domicile question.
Where is your family?
The decree asks whether family who share your livelihood are in Korea. A spouse or dependants staying behind is the single heaviest tie and needs an explanation, not silence.
What does daily life look like?
Occupation, Korean assets, bank and brokerage accounts, National Pension and health-insurance status, and days spent in each country tell the story the tests are asking about.
02 / A simple way forward
From scattered documents
to a clear next step.
You don't need everything on day one. Start with what you know and keep track of the gaps.
01
Tell the story of your move
Choose your destination and record the key facts, dates and Korean ties.
02
Build your document file
Keep new-country evidence and changes to Korean ties in separate, labelled sections.
03
Get reviewed before you file
Our team reviews your residency file and evidence, provides an advisory opinion and recommends revisions before you file or appoint a tax manager.
Guided preparation. Human review.
You do the groundwork.
Our team reviews the final file.
You should not have to start from a blank page, or pay a professional to chase every document. Build the file yourself; have it reviewed before you rely on it.
A reviewed residency file
Our team reviews your position under the domicile and 183-day rules, your supporting documents and departure narrative, provides an advisory opinion and recommends revisions.
A human review of the facts and evidence, not just a completed checklist.
Less administration. Lower preparation costs.
You gather documents and answer the guided questions. We focus professional time on reviewing your prepared file rather than assembling it from scratch.
Designed to cost less than having a firm manage every preparation task.
Specialists for the complex parts
Have a company, a large shareholding, unlisted shares, an apartment you are keeping, or a family business? We can connect you with tax accountants and valuers for the pieces that need them.
The right specialist for the work your situation actually requires.
A more focused way to get there
Do not pay full-service rates
for paperwork you can organise.
Complex, full-service Korean departures can run into tens of thousands of dollars in combined tax, legal and valuation fees once the large-shareholder departure tax, an unlisted-company valuation, a Korean home and a payment-deferral application are in play.
This refers to broader, multi-specialist engagements, not residency preparation alone. Actual fees and savings vary.
Beyond the residency question
The departure tax on large shareholders,
without the guesswork.
Since 1 January 2018 Korea has taxed a deemed sale of Korean shares when a resident who is a large shareholder leaves. You are caught if you had a Korean domicile or abode for 5 years or more in the 10 years before departure and, at the end of the year before you leave, met the large-shareholder thresholds — for KOSPI-listed companies 1% of the shares or KRW 5 billion of market value; 2% / KRW 5 billion for KOSDAQ; 4% / KRW 5 billion for KONEX; 4% or KRW 1 billion for unlisted companies (KRW 4 billion for qualifying venture companies). Your shares are treated as sold at market value on the departure day; after a KRW 2.5 million basic deduction the gain is taxed at 20% up to KRW 300 million and 25% above. You must report a tax manager and your shareholdings by the day before departure, and file and pay within 3 months of the end of the month of departure. With a tax manager and security you can defer payment until you actually sell, for up to 5 years (10 years for overseas study); come back within 5 years without selling and the tax is refunded on application. Most people leaving Korea are not large shareholders — but the ones who are need a valuation and a decision before the flight, not after. An amendment enacted on 23 December 2025 (Act No. 21221) rewrites arts. 118-9 to 118-18 for departures on or after 1 January 2027; professional summaries describe it as extending the deemed sale to overseas shares above a de minimis amount. If you leave in 2027 or later, we check the amended text against your holdings.
NTS: 국외전출자 주식등 양도소득세 ↗세무사 / CPA
Tax analysis and filings
A Korean Certified Tax Accountant (세무사) or a KICPA public accountant registered for tax practice can model your departure-tax exposure, the deferral application, your final part-year return, and act as your tax manager (납세관리인) after you leave.
감정평가사 / VALUER
Share and business valuations
A licensed appraiser or valuation specialist can support the market value of unlisted shares and business interests on the departure day — the number the 20%/25% charge is computed on.
Prepare it yourself. Get it reviewed. Bring in specialists when needed.
Start my guided departure →Team review is a separate, agreed professional engagement. Our advisory opinion is not a determination by the NTS.
03 / Know what to gather
Two sides of the move.
One practical checklist.
These are suggested evidence categories, not a universal NTS document requirement. Include what's relevant to your situation.
Your new country
Establishing your life abroad
- Lease or proof of housingNames, address, dates and the living arrangement.
- New driver's licenceIf issued and applicable to your situation.
- Residence or immigration documentThe visa or permit that applies to your status — and whether it is permanent.
- Local bank statementEvidence of an account in your new country.
Other useful context: employment, utilities, health coverage and travel records.
South Korea
Documenting what changed
- Sale, lease or letting of your Korean homeExplain what happened to it and whether it remains available to you. If the whole household emigrates under the Emigration Act, the one-household-one-home exemption survives only if you sell within 2 years of departure.
- Emigration report and overseas-national registrationA Korean national emigrating files a 해외이주신고 with the Overseas Koreans Agency; it replaces the separate overseas-move report under the Resident Registration Act, and the district office re-registers you as an overseas national (재외국민).
- Tax clearance certificate (납세증명서)The National Tax Collection Act requires a Korean national making the emigration report to submit a tax clearance certificate — it is only issued if you have no arrears. Clear them first.
- National Health Insurance and National PensionHealth-insurance benefits are suspended while you are abroad; tell the NHIS. Emigration is a ground for a National Pension lump-sum refund (반환일시금) — decide whether to claim it, and keep the paperwork either way.
- Bank, brokerage and account updatesChange your accounts to non-resident status, update your address with every institution, and appoint your tax manager before you leave.
Keeping a Korean bank account does not by itself make you a resident. See the domicile factors in Enforcement Decree art. 2 ↗
Still waiting on a document? Mark it pending and keep going.
Start my departure file — $497 →Your file grows as your move does.
04 / When you're ready
You prepare here.
You file with the NTS.
There is no residency-determination form to 'submit' — but there are four things the NTS and the law expect you to do, and most of the deadlines fall before departure. This app does not connect to Hometax.
NTS: departure-tax filing flow and forms ↗01
Report a tax manager (납세관리인)Anyone moving their domicile or abode abroad must appoint a tax manager under art. 82 of the Framework Act on National Taxes — a lawyer, 세무사 or registered CPA — and report them to the tax office (form 별지 제43호). Large shareholders must do this by the day before departure.
02
File your final resident-year returnThe return for 1 January to your departure day is due by the day before you leave; if you leave between 1 January and 31 May, the prior year's return is due then too. From the following day you are a non-resident taxed on Korean-source income only.
03
If you are a large shareholder: report holdings, then file the departure taxReport your Korean shareholdings (별지 제104호 서식) by the day before departure — the penalty for missing it is 2% of the par value of the shares. Then file and pay the capital gains tax (별지 제84호) within 3 months of the end of the month of departure — or, if you reported a tax manager, within the regular May final-return window — and, if you want to defer, apply with security.
04
Keep the fileThe NTS can revisit residency years later, and the departure tax carries a 5-year refund window if you return without selling, with a 1-year deadline to apply. Keep the evidence, your entry/exit records, the tax-manager filing and every receipt.
Good questions. Clear answers.
Before you
get started.
You can organise your evidence before deciding how far to take it.
Will your team review my final file?
Yes. Under an agreed review engagement, our team reviews your residency file and supporting package, provides a written advisory opinion and recommends revisions. That is our opinion — not an NTS determination or an advance answer. This tool is independent and not affiliated with the National Tax Service.
Is there a Korean equivalent of Canada's NR73?
No. Korea has no departure form that asks the NTS to determine your residency. Residency ends automatically the day after you leave to move your domicile or abode abroad, and it is tested on facts. The NTS's advance-answer procedure is limited to specific transactions and excludes questions of fact-finding. NTS advance-answer rules ↗
Is there an exit tax?
Yes, but only for large shareholders. A resident who had a Korean domicile or abode for 5 or more of the last 10 years and met the large-shareholder thresholds at the end of the year before departure is deemed to sell their Korean shares on the departure day: 20% on the taxable gain up to KRW 300 million, 25% above. Payment can be deferred until the actual sale (up to 5 years, or 10 for overseas study) with a tax manager and security, and refunded if you return within 5 years without selling. If you are not a large shareholder there is no exit tax on shares, crypto or other assets. NTS guidance ↗
I heard the exit tax is changing in 2027. What is the status?
Enacted. Act No. 21221 of 23 December 2025 amends arts. 118-9 to 118-18 of the Income Tax Act, and the Act's addenda apply the amended rules to residents departing on or after 1 January 2027. Professional summaries describe the change as extending the deemed sale to overseas shares above a de minimis threshold. If your departure falls in 2027 or later we review the amended text against your holdings before you file. Current art. 118-9 on law.go.kr ↗
What happens to my apartment or house in Korea?
You can keep it, but it stays taxable in Korea and it is a domicile fact you will need to explain. The one-household-one-home exemption is normally lost to a non-resident, with one carve-out: if the whole household leaves under an Emigration Act emigration and you own one home on the departure date, the exemption still applies if you sell within 2 years of departure. Enforcement Decree art. 154 ↗
What about my National Pension and health insurance?
Emigration (국외 이주) and loss of Korean nationality are grounds for a National Pension lump-sum refund of your contributions plus interest — it is optional and it ends your entitlement, so decide deliberately. National Health Insurance benefits are suspended while you are abroad. National Pension Act art. 77 ↗
Do I have to close every Korean account?
No blanket rule requires it. Korean assets are one factor in the domicile test, not a switch. Keep what you need, move accounts to non-resident status, and appoint a tax manager under art. 82 of the Framework Act on National Taxes, which is mandatory for anyone moving their domicile or abode abroad. Once you are a non-resident the overseas-financial-account report, which applies to residents, no longer applies to you. Framework Act art. 82 ↗
What if I come back?
You become a resident again on the day you take up a Korean domicile, or on the day you reach 183 days of abode — and days across two consecutive years now count. If you paid or deferred the departure tax and return within 5 years without selling the shares, you can apply for a refund or cancellation within 1 year of returning. Returning Korean nationals with foreign nationality or permanent residency should keep the 'no domicile' facts documented for every visit. Income Tax Act art. 118-17 ↗
The next chapter starts with a plan
Get clarity before you spend
thousands more on professional fees.
Start my departure file — $497 →Dubai (UAE) / Malta / Cyprus / UK (non-dom / FIG) / Panama / Paraguay
The Exit network
One process. Every country.
Each site covers one departure, in that country's own rules. The destination sites cover where you're going. All reviewed by the same team at Exit Global.
Leaving
🌐Exit GlobalPortfolio home🇨🇦Exit CanadaNR73 + departure file🇺🇸Exit USAExpatriation + Form 8854🐻Exit CaliforniaFTB residency🗽Exit New YorkDomicile + statutory residency🇬🇧Exit the UKStatutory Residence Test🇮🇪Exit IrelandOrdinary residence tail🇫🇷Exit FranceArt. 167 bis exit tax🇧🇪Exit BelgiumSpecial departure return🇳🇱Exit NetherlandsM-form + conserverende aanslag🇪🇸Exit SpainArt. 95 bis + quarantine rule🇮🇹Exit ItalyAIRE + black-list presumption🇩🇰Exit DenmarkFraflytterskat🇳🇴Exit NorwayUtflyttingsskatt🇸🇪Exit SwedenTen-year share rule🇦🇺Exit AustraliaCGT event I1🇿🇦Exit South AfricaSection 9H exit charge🇩🇪Exit Germany§ 6 AStG Wegzugsbesteuerung🇦🇹Exit Austria§ 27 (6) Wegzugsbesteuerung🇫🇮Exit FinlandThree-year rule🇧🇷Exit BrazilSaída definitiva🇯🇵Exit JapanExit tax on ¥100m+ assets🇮🇱Exit IsraelCentre of life + s.100A🇳🇿Exit New Zealand325-day rule + IR886🇵🇹Exit PortugalArt. 16 CIRS residency🇰🇷Exit South KoreaExit tax on large shareholders🇦🇷Exit ArgentinaPérdida de residencia + baja🇮🇳Exit IndiaSection 6 residency + RNOR🇨🇭Exit SwitzerlandWegzug + pension withholding
Arriving
🇵🇦Move to PanamaTerritorial tax, Friendly Nations🇦🇪Move to DubaiNo personal income tax🇲🇹Move to MaltaRemittance basis, EU🇨🇾Move to Cyprus60-day rule, non-dom🇵🇾Move to ParaguayTerritorial tax, fast residency🇺🇾Move to UruguayTax holiday for new residents🇨🇷Move to Costa RicaTerritorial tax🇧🇸Move to BahamasNo income tax🇵🇹Move to PortugalD7, D8, Golden Visa, IFICI🇹🇭Move to ThailandLTR visa, remittance basis🇲🇾Move to MalaysiaMM2H, territorial tax🇮🇩Move to IndonesiaSecond Home visa, Bali🇬🇪Move to GeorgiaForeign income exempt, 1% SBS🇵🇷Move to Puerto RicoAct 60 for US citizens🇮🇹Move to ItalyFlat tax, 7% pensioner regime🇬🇷Move to GreeceGolden Visa, non-dom flat tax🇭🇰Move to Hong KongTerritorial, no CGT🇸🇬Move to SingaporeForeign income exempt, no CGT