When must a Korean student abroad get a military service overseas travel permit?
From the year a Korean national liable for military service turns 25, simply staying abroad requires a permit from the Military Manpower Administration (MMA).
The filing deadline, the day the permit ends, whether the degree fits inside the permit and how long a home visit may last are all date questions, yet the rules are spread across the Act, the Enforcement Decree and an MMA directive.
This calculator turns Korea’s 2026 Military Service Act, its Enforcement Decree and the MMA directive on overseas travel into date arithmetic, so a birth year, programme and graduation date are enough to see the whole deadline timeline.
This calculator is based on Korean rules: Korean rules verified on 2026-11-01, and it is a planning aid, not legal advice or an MMA decision.
Who this is for
- Parents tracking the permit period and extension deadline of a son studying in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or elsewhere
- Students weighing a two-year master’s, a longer master’s or a doctorate against military service deadlines
- Students aged 25 or over who come home in the holidays or after graduation and must stay under three months
- Overseas Korean families with permanent residence who need to stay below 183 days in Korea in any one-year window
- Families preparing early for the filing timing and documents before a child turns 25
What the calculator does and does not cover
- From the birth year it finds the day a permit becomes necessary (1 January of the year of 25) and the first filing deadline (15 January of that year if you left before 25, otherwise two days before departure).
- It applies the school age limits of Decree Article 124 for the basic permit end, and shows the maximum extension: the age limit plus one year (up to 29) for enrolled students who cannot finish in time, or 30 June of the year of 30 for doctorates.
- It compares graduation plus six months with the cap to give the expected permit end, which is also the return deadline, and rates the degree as within the basic range, needing the discretionary extension, or not feasible.
- For each planned home visit it lists the days, the two-month notice date and the latest exit that keeps the stay under three months.
- In emigrant mode it adds up the days in Korea in the year counted back from the as-of date, and simulates the last day to leave on the next visit before the rolling count reaches 183 days.
Only the dates set by the law and the directive are calculated.
Short trips, overseas employment and training permits, arts, sports and research personnel rules, enlistment dates after return and exemption ages are not covered.
The MMA grants permits and extensions only where military duty is not hindered, so a result never guarantees approval.
The Military Service Act counts age by birth year
Article 2(2) of the Act says “from age N” means from 1 January of the year you turn N, and “until age N” means until 31 December of that year.
Birthdays do not matter, only the birth year, so the calculator asks for a birth year instead of a full date of birth.
Permit required from
1 January of birth year + 25
Born 2003 → 2028-01-01
Age limit ends
31 December of birth year + limit
Born 2003, four-year degree → 2027-12-31
Emigration permit
31 December of birth year + 37
Born 2001 → 2038-12-31
Article 70(1)1 requires an MMA permit for overseas travel by reservists in waiting, supplementary or alternative service personnel aged 25 or over who have not been called up.
So study abroad needs no permit until the year you turn 24, but every day abroad from 1 January of the year you turn 25 must be covered by a permit.
School age limits and extension caps at a glance
The table summarises Enforcement Decree Article 124(1) (MST 290421, in force from 2026-10-02), checked on 2026-11-01 through Korea’s national law information Open API.
The extension cap is the proviso of Article 147(2), the age limit plus one year but never past 29, and the date columns use someone born in 2003 as an example.
School age limit, extension cap and the matching dates for someone born in 2003, by programme| Programme | Age limit | Extension cap | Born 2003: limit ends | Born 2003: maximum |
|---|
| Two-year junior college | 22 | 23 | 2025-12-31 | 2026-12-31 |
| Three-year junior college | 23 | 24 | 2026-12-31 | 2027-12-31 |
| Junior college advanced degree course | 24 | 25 | 2027-12-31 | 2028-12-31 |
| Four-year bachelor’s degree | 24 | 25 | 2027-12-31 | 2028-12-31 |
| Five-year undergraduate programme | 25 | 26 | 2028-12-31 | 2029-12-31 |
| Six-year undergraduate programme | 26 | 27 | 2029-12-31 | 2030-12-31 |
| Six-year medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, veterinary or pharmacy | 27 | 28 | 2030-12-31 | 2031-12-31 |
| Master’s of two years or less | 26 | 27 | 2029-12-31 | 2030-12-31 |
| Master’s longer than two years | 27 | 28 | 2030-12-31 | 2031-12-31 |
| Graduate medicine and similar, or medical/dental school master’s | 28 | 29 | 2031-12-31 | 2032-12-31 |
| Doctorate (2033-06-30 if the degree comes by June of the year of 30) | 28 | 29 | 2031-12-31 | 2032-12-31 |
High-school study abroad is not a study permit purpose under Decree Article 146(1)10, and the Judicial Research and Training Institute (age 26) is a domestic body, so both are left out.
For four-year degrees (24) and junior colleges (22 to 24) the age limit ends before the permit age, so a new departure for study after 25 cannot be permitted; only students already enrolled abroad get the extra year.
The filing deadline depends on when you left
Left before the year of 25
File through the Korean consulate by 15 January of the year you turn 25 (Act Article 70(3), Decree Article 145(1)).
Directive Article 7(5) lets you file from the year you turn 24, and the permit period starts on 1 January of the year of 25.
Leaving at 25 or later
File with the MMA at least two days before departure (Decree Article 145(1)).
For study, the permit may start six months before admission (directive Annex 1 item 2).
Extending the permit
If you cannot return within the period, obtain an extension at least 15 days before it expires (Act Article 70(3)).
Study extensions can go straight to the MMA without the consulate and are processed within 10 days (directive Article 12).
The calculator picks the route by checking whether the departure date falls before 1 January of the year of 25, and if you enter your current permit expiry it shows the extension deadline 15 days earlier.
Formula for the expected permit end
Expected permit end = min(graduation + 6 months, applicable cap)
Applicable cap = age limit end → if enrolled and unable to finish, age limit + 1 year (up to 29)
Doctorate rule = 30 June of the year of 30 if the degree can be earned by June of that year
Directive Annex 1 item 2 sets the study permit period “until six months after the expected graduation date”, but only within the school age limit.
The six months count from the day after graduation, so graduating on 2028-05-15 runs to 2028-11-15, and graduating on 2028-08-31 runs to 2029-02-28.
The assessment has three levels.
- Within the basic range: graduation falls on or before the end of the age limit.
- Needs the discretionary extension: graduation falls within the age limit plus one year (or the doctorate rule), so an extension is needed to finish.
- Not feasible within the permit: graduation comes after the maximum, so plan to enlist and resume studies afterwards.
How to use the calculator
- Choose the mode: study abroad for degree programmes, or emigrant if you hold an emigration permit through permanent residence or birth abroad.
- Birth year and as-of date: enter the four-digit birth year and keep today as the as-of date.
- Programme and dates: pick the Korean equivalent of the foreign programme and enter the departure date, the graduation date and whether you are enrolled. Add the expiry on your permit if you already have one.
- Home visits: add up to six holiday or post-graduation visits with arrival and departure dates.
- Review and save: read the assessment card, timeline and visit check, then save a TXT report for your MMA enquiry.
Worked example: a 2003-born undergraduate in the United States
A fictional student born in 2003 left on 2022-08-15 for a four-year US university and expects to graduate on 2028-05-15; the as-of date is 2026-11-01.
- Earliest filing
- 2027-01-01 (year of 24)
- Permit required from
- 2028-01-01 (year of 25)
- First filing deadline
- 2028-01-15 (D-440)
- Age limit ends (four-year, 24)
- 2027-12-31
- Maximum extension (25)
- 2028-12-31
- Expected permit end and return deadline
- 2028-11-15 (graduation + 6 months, D-745)
- Assessment
- Degree finishes within the discretionary extra year
Because the four-year age limit (2027-12-31) ends before the permit start, this student must be permitted within the extra year to 2028-12-31 on proof of current enrolment.
Filing by 2028-01-15 with enrolment and expected-graduation certificates and returning by 2028-11-15 is the plan to follow.
For the same programme at a Korean university, the student enlistment deferral limit would also be 2027-12-31.
Keep home visits under three months
Decree Article 147-2(1)3 allows cancellation when a permit holder aged 25 or over returns during the permit period and stays in Korea three months or more in a row.
Directive Article 27(2) sends an advance cancellation notice at two months and cancels the permit at three months.
The entry day counts and the exit day does not, and three months are counted in calendar months.
Arriving on 2028-06-10
- Leave 2028-08-09: 60 days, within the rule
- Leave on or after 2028-08-10: two months or more, notice band
- Leave 2028-09-09: 91 days, the last day under three months
- Leave 2028-09-10: 92 days, three months or more and a cancellation ground
A winter visit over 1 January of the year of 25
A student born in 2003 who arrives on 2027-12-19 and leaves on 2028-01-09 spends 1 January of the year of 25 in Korea.
Leaving again then needs a permit two days before departure, by 2028-01-07, so it is safer to file from abroad before flying home.
The 183-day limit for emigrants
People who hold an emigration permit through permanent residence or birth abroad, or who are deemed to hold one until the year of 37 under Decree Article 149(1), can lose it and be called up if they stay in Korea six months or more in total within one year (Decree Article 147-2(1)1(c)).
Directive Annex 4 defines “within one year” as counted back from the calculation date (for example 2026-06-30 back to 2025-07-01) and “six months in total” as 183 days or more.
The fictional records below belong to someone born in 2001, counted on 2026-11-01.
Example emigrant stays with days and whether they are counted| Record | Entry → exit | Reason | Days | Counted |
|---|
| Stay 1 | 2025-12-20 → 2026-02-10 | Ordinary stay | 52 | 52 |
| Stay 2 | 2026-06-01 → 2026-08-30 | Ordinary stay | 90 | 90 |
| Stay 3 | 2026-09-20 → 2026-10-05 | Sibling’s wedding (60 days or less) | 15 | Excluded |
Within the window from 2025-11-02 to 2026-11-01 the counted total is 142 days, leaving 40 days before 183.
Entering again on 2026-12-15, older days drop out of the moving window, so the last day to leave is 2027-03-17 and up to 92 consecutive days are possible.
The five-month notice band (an estimated 153 days) starts on 2027-02-15, so the planned 60-day stay fits without a notice.
Stays that are not counted and separate cancellation grounds
- Family events and sports, 60 days or less: your own wedding, your spouse giving birth, attending the funeral, 60th birthday or wedding of a sibling or lineal relative of you or your spouse, or competing in a Korean Sport & Olympic Committee event is not counted if the stay lasts 60 days or less. Longer stays count in full.
- Studying in Korea: time at a Korean school within the age limit plus one year, an overseas Korean programme, or a language institute (one year in total) is excluded while your parents or spouse are not in Korea (directive Article 21).
- Earning in Korea: salaried work or business for 60 days or more in a year, or income from performances or personal services of KRW 10 million or more while staying 60 days or more, is a separate ground regardless of the day count (directive Article 22).
- Three-month grace: the 183-day and earnings grounds come with one three-month grace period (Decree Article 147-2(2)). Supreme Court case 2014Du36624 held that leaving within the grace period and re-entering is not by itself a reason to cancel.
- Second-generation overseas Koreans: while confirmed in that status, the 183-day and earnings grounds do not apply. Staying in Korea more than three years in total after 18 can end the status (directive Article 14-2).
What happens if a deadline is missed
- Leaving or staying abroad without a permit, or not returning within the permit period without justifiable cause, carries up to 3 years’ imprisonment (Military Service Act Article 94(2)).
- Where the aim is to evade or reduce military duty, the penalty is 1 to 5 years’ imprisonment (Article 94(1)).
- Directive Article 16 requires a referral to investigators when someone has not returned 15 days after the permit ends without justifiable cause.
- A past violation restricts any later overseas travel permit (Decree Article 145(4)3).
If the degree looks likely to slip, prepare the extension documents a month or two ahead rather than just before expiry.
When to use it
Choosing a master’s or doctorate
Compare a two-year master’s (26), a longer master’s (27) and a doctorate (28, special rule to June of the year of 30) to see which cap the graduation date fits before paying tuition.
Parents planning tuition
Paying for a programme beyond the permit risks losing the fees when the student must come home mid-degree.
If the result is not feasible, settle enlistment timing and leave or re-enrolment first.
Returning after graduation
Check whether you must be back within six months of graduating, and that a short visit home in between stays under three months.
Permanent residents visiting Korea
Add summer, winter and family-event visits together to see how many days the next trip can last and when to leave.
Frequently asked questions
From what age is an overseas travel permit needed?
From 1 January of the year you turn 25.
Age is counted by birth year, so someone born in 2003 needs a permit to stay abroad from 2028-01-01.
Until the year of 24 no permit is required.
I left before 25. When must I file?
By 15 January of the year you turn 25, through the Korean consulate.
You may file from the year you turn 24, and the permit runs from 1 January of the year of 25.
Does a study permit end on graduation day?
It runs until six months after the expected graduation date.
It cannot pass the school age limit, or the limit plus one year (up to 29) for enrolled students.
The dates on the actual permit take precedence.
Why do two-year and longer master’s programmes differ?
Decree Article 124 sets age 26 for master’s programmes of two years or less and 27 for longer ones.
Graduate medicine and similar programmes and medical or dental school master’s are 28.
How long can a doctorate run?
The doctorate age limit is 28, and enrolled students may be extended to the end of the year of 29.
If the doctorate can be earned by June of the year of 30, a permit to 30 June of that year is possible.
How long can I stay in Korea in the holidays?
Permit holders aged 25 or over must stay under three months.
Leaving by the entry date plus three months minus one day keeps you under, and two months or more triggers a notice.
Leave a few spare days for flight delays.
How many days a year can a permanent resident stay in Korea?
Counted stays reaching 183 days in the year back from the calculation date are a cancellation ground.
The entry day counts and the exit day does not, and family-event or sports stays of 60 days or less are excluded.
When is the extension deadline?
Fifteen days before the permit expires.
With an expiry of 2027-12-31, file by 2027-12-16.
Study extensions go straight to the MMA and are processed within 10 days.
Tips and cautions
- If the foreign system differs from Korea’s, such as a three-year UK bachelor’s or a one-year master’s, ask the MMA which Korean programme it matches before relying on the date.
- Even a one-term delay can cross the cap, so get an adviser letter and an expected-degree certificate early.
- Consulates can take longer, so file at least a month before the deadline.
- Days are counted from the official entry and exit record, and transits or the date line can shift an entry date by a day.
- If your emigration permit depends on living with a parent, count the parent’s days in Korea separately as well.
Laws, case law and update policy
Korean rules verified on 2026-11-01 by comparing the current status and full text through Korea’s national law information Open API.
- Military Service Act Articles 2, 60, 70 and 94, MST 290783 (promulgated 2026-08-04, in force 2026-10-02)
- Enforcement Decree of the Military Service Act Articles 124, 128, 145, 146, 147, 147-2 and 149, MST 290421 (promulgated 2026-09-29, in force 2026-10-02)
- MMA directive on overseas travel of persons liable for military service Articles 5, 7, 12, 16, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 28 and Annexes 1, 2 and 4, administrative rule 2100000287084 (in force 2026-10-19)
- Supreme Court judgment of 4 September 2014, case 2014Du36624 (cancellation of an overseas travel permit) · Enforcement Rule MST 291527, Form 132
Military service rules change most years, so the age table, deadline articles and directive annexes are re-checked once a year and whenever an amendment is promulgated.
This tool does not replace an MMA decision or legal advice.