Pension Refund by Nationality

The short answer

If you have paid into the Korean National Pension and you are leaving the country, you may be able to take your contributions out as a lump-sum refund (반환일시금). But this is not a universal right. Korean law treats the refund as something foreign nationals receive only under specific conditions.

You qualify if any one of the following is true:

Route 3 is the one most often missed, and it covers a very large share of foreign workers in Korea. If you came on a non-professional employment or working visit visa, you are almost certainly eligible even if your country appears nowhere on the lists below.

⚠️ The most common misunderstanding

A lot of English-language advice — including, until recently, an earlier version of our own pension guide — states the rule backwards. It says that people from countries without an agreement get the refund, and people from agreement countries do not.

It is the other way round. Americans, Canadians, Germans, Australians, Indians and Filipinos can claim the lump-sum refund. It is the absence of an agreement or reciprocity finding that leaves you with nothing, unless your visa type carries you over the line. If you were told you had no claim, it is worth checking again — this money does not come to you automatically.

✅ Social security agreement countries

Nationals of these countries can claim the lump-sum refund. No minimum contribution period applies.

Quebec maintains its own agreement with Korea separately from the Canadian federal agreement. Switzerland appears here even though its agreement covers contribution exemption only — it is treated as an exception and the refund is paid.

✅ Reciprocity countries

These countries have no agreement with Korea, but their own law provides an equivalent benefit to Korean nationals, so Korea returns the favour. Some require a minimum contribution period.

❌ Agreement, but no refund

This is the group that catches people out. These countries all have totalization agreements with Korea, yet their nationals cannot take the money out as a lump sum.

If you are from one of these countries, your Korean contribution periods are not lost. They can be added to your home country record under the totalization agreement, which may help you qualify for a pension there, and you may be able to draw a Korean pension later if you meet the 10-year minimum. Contact the NPS international team before you assume the money is gone.

❌ Contribution-exemption agreements

These agreements exist only to stop you paying into two pension systems at the same time. They do not create a refund right, and they do not combine your contribution periods.

Chinese nationals are a frequent exception in practice: many work in Korea on H-2 working visit visas, which makes them eligible through route 3 regardless of the agreement type. The same logic applies to anyone from this group holding an E-8, E-9 or H-2 visa.

My country is not on any list

Then your visa type decides it. Workers from Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and many other countries are usually in Korea on E-9 or H-2 visas, and the refund is paid on that basis. Check what is printed on your residence card before concluding that you have no claim.

If you are on a professional visa such as E-7, D-8 or an F-series visa and your country appears nowhere above, the refund is unlikely to be available. In that case ask the NPS whether your contributions can be preserved for a future pension instead.

What you actually receive

The refund is your own contributions plus interest — not the full 9.5% that went into the system. In 2026 the employee share is 4.75% of standard monthly income and the employer pays the other 4.75%, which is not returned to you.

There is a cap. Contributions are calculated on standard monthly income up to 6,590,000 KRW for the period July 2026 to June 2027, so the maximum employee contribution is 313,025 KRW a month no matter how much you earn above that.

Run your own numbers in the Pension Refund Calculator, and see how the deduction appears on your payslip in the Salary Calculator.

How to claim

The pension is only one of several things you can reclaim on your way out. Our leaving Korea checklist covers the income tax settlement, your housing deposit and account closures in the order they need to happen.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and a caution

The country lists above are taken from the National Pension Service, which publishes the recognised agreement and reciprocity countries and updates them as new agreements take effect. Agreements are signed and come into force regularly — Argentina's took effect in 2025 — so a country missing today may be added later.

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice, and eligibility turns on your individual record. Before making any decision based on it, confirm your own position with the NPS international team on 063-713-7101 or the NPS general line on 1355. Our change log records when the figures on this site were last checked and what was corrected.

Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us — corrections are made and dated.