Your National Pension (NPS) Lump-Sum Refund When You Leave Korea (2026)
Key takeaways
- The lump-sum refund returns your own contributions plus your employer’s share, with interest, when you meet an eligibility route and a qualifying event such as permanent departure.
- There are three eligibility routes and you only need one: a social security agreement, reciprocity, or an E-8 / E-9 / H-2 visa.
- Departing foreigners can collect a cash refund in foreign currency at Incheon Airport (16 currencies; Korean won is not paid) if their employer has reported the resignation.
- You have five years from becoming entitled to apply, after which the right is extinguished.
- If your country has no refund route but does have a totalisation agreement, you keep your Korean coverage periods and may draw a pension later instead of a refund.
- Applications can be filed in person, by post with notarised documents, through an appointed agent, or via NPS partner institutions in some countries.
What the lump-sum refund actually is
Korea’s National Pension is a mandatory contributory scheme run by the National Pension Service (NPS). Most employees, Korean and foreign, contribute a share of their salary while working in Korea. When a foreign member leaves the country for good, they usually cannot wait until retirement age to draw a Korean pension, so the law provides a “lump-sum refund” that returns the accumulated contributions in a single payment. According to the NPS, the payment includes both the employee’s and the employer’s contributions together with statutory interest (National Pension Service — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
Who is eligible: the three routes
Eligibility for foreigners is governed by nationality or visa. The NPS sets out three independent routes, and meeting any one is enough:
1. Social security agreement. If a social security agreement covering lump-sum refunds has been concluded between your home country and Korea, you qualify. Agreement countries listed by the NPS include Germany, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, India, Switzerland, Brazil, Peru, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, Uruguay, the Philippines and Argentina (NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
2. Reciprocity. If your country’s own pension law grants Korean nationals a benefit corresponding to the Korean lump-sum refund, you qualify by reciprocity. The NPS publishes a reciprocity list of over two dozen countries — including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Cambodia and others — some with a minimum insured period (for example six months or one year) and many with no minimum at all.
3. Qualifying visa. For any insured period during which you held an E-8 (employment for training), E-9 (non-professional employment) or H-2 (visiting employment) visa, you qualify regardless of nationality. This route covers most workers in manufacturing, agriculture, fishing and construction, and Korean-heritage workers on the H-2 visa.
The qualifying event
Eligibility by nationality or visa is not enough on its own — a qualifying event must also occur. The NPS specifies that a lump-sum refund is paid when the foreign member permanently departs Korea, reaches the age of 60, or dies (in which case surviving family claim it). For someone relocating abroad, permanent departure is the usual trigger, evidenced by leaving Korea with no intention of resuming national pension coverage (NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
Countries with no refund: totalisation instead
Nationals of countries that appear on neither the agreement list nor the reciprocity list — and who never held an E-8, E-9 or H-2 visa — generally cannot obtain a lump-sum refund. China and Japan are frequently-cited examples where a refund is not available on ordinary work visas. If your country has a social security (totalisation) agreement with Korea, the trade-off is usually worthwhile: instead of cashing out, your Korean contribution periods are preserved and can be combined with periods in your home system to help you qualify for a pension in either country. Korea maintains a growing network of such agreements administered through the NPS International Cooperation Center (NPS — International Social Security Agreements).
How to claim on permanent departure
The most convenient option for a departing foreigner is the airport refund. The NPS operates counters at Incheon International Airport (Terminals 1 and 2) where eligible foreigners can receive the refund in cash on departure day. Payment is available in 16 foreign currencies including US dollars, euros, Japanese yen and Chinese yuan; Korean won is not paid out. To use this service your departure must be scheduled within one month, and your former employer must have reported your resignation to the NPS by your departure date. The counters do not operate on weekends, public holidays, or 31 December (NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
You will need your passport, your alien registration card, proof of a bank account, and confirmation that your employer has filed the resignation report. If you cannot use the airport counter, apply before you leave at any NPS branch.
Applying from abroad
If you have already left Korea, you can still claim within the five-year window. The NPS accepts applications:
- by postal mail with notarised copies of your identity and bank documents sent to the NPS;
- through an appointed agent in Korea acting under a power of attorney;
- via partner institutions in certain countries with which the NPS has a memorandum of understanding.
Because the refund is paid to a bank account, remember Korea’s foreign-exchange rules when the money leaves the country — see our companion guide on Korean bank accounts and moving money abroad. Crucially, the entitlement is time-limited: the NPS states that if an eligible foreigner does not apply within five years of becoming entitled, “extinctive prescription is completed” and the right lapses (NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
Before you leave: a practical checklist
A little preparation makes the difference between collecting your refund at the airport and chasing it for months from overseas. Before your departure date:
- Confirm your eligibility route with the NPS — agreement, reciprocity, or E-8/E-9/H-2 visa — so there are no surprises at the counter (NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners).
- Ask your employer to file the resignation report to the NPS before you fly; the airport counter cannot pay you until this is on record.
- Gather documents: passport, alien registration card, proof of a bank account, and your flight itinerary showing departure within one month.
- Decide the currency you want at the airport — 16 are available, but not Korean won — or nominate a bank account for a later transfer.
- Note the five-year deadline in case you cannot collect on departure and must apply from abroad.
If you are also moving your remaining savings out of Korea, read our companion guide on Korean bank accounts and moving money abroad, because the same trip abroad triggers foreign-exchange reporting rules that are easiest to satisfy while you still have full resident banking access.
How Flyto can help
Flyto moves households from South Korea to Europe and worldwide, door-to-door; get a quote. We can time your move so your pension claim, tax filing and shipment line up cleanly, and point you to the official NPS channels for your nationality.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get my employer’s contributions back too?
Yes. The NPS lump-sum refund returns both the employee’s and the employer’s contributions, plus statutory interest, in a single payment. See NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners.
My country has no agreement and I was on an E-7 visa. Can I get a refund?
Generally no. Without a social security agreement, reciprocity, or an E-8/E-9/H-2 insured period, no lump-sum refund is payable. Check your status directly with the National Pension Service.
Can I collect the money at the airport as I fly out?
Yes, at Incheon Airport counters in 16 foreign currencies, provided your departure is within a month and your employer has reported your resignation. Details at NPS — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners.
How long do I have to apply after leaving?
Five years from the date you become entitled; after that the right is extinguished, per the National Pension Service.
What is a totalisation agreement and should I keep my coverage instead?
It lets you combine Korean and home-country pension periods to qualify for a pension. If your country has one, keeping coverage can be better than a refund. See NPS — International Social Security Agreements.
Is the refund taxed in Korea?
The lump-sum refund is a return of pension contributions handled by the NPS. Confirm any personal tax treatment with the National Tax Service and, for your destination country, its tax authority.
Sources
- National Pension Service — Lump-sum Refund for Foreigners (eligibility, qualifying events, airport payment, five-year limit)
- National Pension Service — International Social Security Agreements (totalisation)
- National Pension Service — English home
- National Tax Service — English home
- Korea Customs Service — declaration of foreign currency (for moving the refund abroad)
- Bank of Korea — Payments and Transactions: Legislation and Policy