KIIP Explained: Levels 0–5, Hours, Fees and What Completion Gives You

The Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP, 사회통합프로그램) is the Ministry of Justice's course in Korean language, culture and society for people who live in Korea. It has six levels, from level 0 (absolute beginner) to level 5 (Understanding Korean Society), and adds up to 515 classroom hours if you start from zero. Most long-term residents meet it for one reason: finishing KIIP, or passing its final evaluations, is how you show the "basic knowledge" Korea asks for when you apply for permanent residence or citizenship.

This guide covers how the levels fit together, the tests between them, what the course costs now that fees exist, and exactly what each finish line gets you. Everything below is as of October 2026 and comes from the Ministry's Socinet site and its 2026 participant FAQ. Rules for residence and nationality change, so confirm your own case with the Immigration Contact Center on 1345 or on Socinet before you make plans around it.

The short version

• Six levels. Levels 0–4 teach Korean language and culture; level 5 teaches Korean society and is split into a 70-hour basic course and a 30-hour advanced course.
• You don't have to start at 0. A placement test (the pre-assessment), a valid TOPIK result or a marriage-visa language certificate can put you higher.
• It is no longer free. Since 1 January 2025: ₩100,000 per level for levels 1–4, ₩70,000 for level 5 basic, ₩30,000 for level 5 advanced. Level 0 is free.
• Two finish lines. The permanent residence evaluation (KIPRAT) after level 5 basic, and the naturalization evaluation (KINAT) after the full level 5.
• Everything is online. Sign-up, course applications and fees go through Socinet (socinet.go.kr); the tests are booked on kiiptest.org.

Levels, hours and the test at the end of each

You can only take the level 5 advanced course after finishing the basic course. The level-end tests at 1–3 are short (20 written and 5 spoken questions). The Ministry-run tests are the ones people worry about, and three of them have their own guides: the pre-assessment, which is a placement test with no pass mark, the permanent residence evaluation and the naturalization evaluation. Every test in the table above uses the same pass mark: 60 out of 100.

"Completed" is not the same as "passed"

The Ministry uses two words that English summaries often blur. 수료 (completed) means you attended enough hours and the course ended. 이수 (passed the level) means you also met the condition to move up, normally 60 points or more on the level's test.

What happens if you fail depends on the level:

• Levels 1–3: repeat the level once and you move up without retaking the test.
• Level 4 (interim evaluation): retake the test, or repeat level 4 and score above 40 on the next interim evaluation.
• Level 5 (comprehensive evaluations): retake, or repeat the course once and score above 40 (the 2026 FAQ puts it as 41 or more).

Who can join

According to the Ministry's 2026 FAQ, KIIP is open to foreigners holding a valid alien registration card or domestic residence report card, and to naturalized Koreans within three years of getting citizenship. People on the C-3-8 overseas Korean visit visa can sit the pre-assessment, but they cannot attend classes until they register as foreign residents.

Two rules catch people out once they are in:

• You apply to a school in the area of the immigration office that covers your registered address. Studying elsewhere needs the office's approval and proof such as an employment certificate.
• Missing 30 days in a row without permission gets you expelled, and everything you did at that level is wiped. If you must stop for childbirth, medical treatment or family reasons, apply for a suspension on Socinet within 15 days. You can come back and keep your hours, but if you don't re-register within two years you are removed.

What completing KIIP gives you (as of October 2026)

Permanent residence (F-5). Since 21 September 2018, applicants for permanent residence must have completed KIIP or passed the comprehensive evaluation (Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Control Act, Article 18-3). A Ministry notice lists who is exempt or gets relaxed conditions. Socinet also lists two benefits for permanent residence applicants: you don't have to prove Korean ability separately, and you are exempt from the residence fact-finding check (실태조사).

Naturalization. Since 1 March 2018, the old written naturalization test has been replaced by the KIIP naturalization evaluation (KINAT). The best result is to complete the whole of level 5 and pass KINAT: that exempts you from the naturalization interview and, according to Socinet, shortens the waiting time for the nationality review. Applicants who haven't done KIIP still have to pass KINAT within a year of applying, but they don't get the interview exemption.

Other visas. Socinet says KIIP results also earn bonus points or replace proof of Korean ability in some other visa and status applications. Which ones, and how many points, depends on the visa, so check your visa category's current rules with 1345 or HiKorea.

Certificates don't expire. Pass and completion certificates have no validity period and can be printed from My Page on Socinet.

How long it takes

The Ministry's FAQ gives a realistic estimate. Someone who starts at level 0 and never fails or pauses needs about 1 year 8 months at a school running three terms a year, or about 2.5 years at a school running two. A failed test or a suspension adds to that.

In 2026 the standard terms are 2 January–10 May, 11 May–16 August and 17 August–13 December. Schools can set their own dates, so ask your school or the immigration office's integration support centre. Your placement is valid for two years: if you don't start a course within that time, you have to be placed again.

Worked example: what it costs from level 3 to citizenship

Suppose your pre-assessment puts you in level 3 and you are aiming for naturalization. Using the Ministry fees:

If you only need permanent residence, you stop after level 5 basic and take KIPRAT instead: ₩38,000 + ₩100,000 + ₩100,000 + ₩38,000 + ₩70,000 + ₩38,000 = ₩384,000. Textbooks are extra, and so is any retake.

The fee notice also offers a 50% reduction for people who attend 100% of a level or whom the teacher recommends as diligent, and some groups are fully exempt. You pay each level online on Socinet. Payment opens shortly before the course ends (you get a text when it does) and must be made before the evaluation application deadline. If the fee is unpaid by then, you can't sit the test.

Where you start

There are four ways into the levels:

1. Start at level 0 by choosing that option in Socinet's placement menu. No test needed.
2. Take the pre-assessment. Your score decides the level; see the pre-assessment guide.
3. Use TOPIK. A valid TOPIK level 1 places you in KIIP level 2, level 2 in level 3, level 3 in level 4, and levels 4–6 in level 5. You apply through the immigration office or a KIIP school with the linkage form and your score report. The TOPIK requirements guide covers what else TOPIK is used for.
4. Marriage migrants who proved basic Korean to get an F-6 visa (TOPIK level 1 or a Ministry-designated course abroad, such as a King Sejong Institute) can be placed straight into level 2.

The next practical step is an account. The Socinet sign-up guide walks through the screens, which are almost entirely in Korean.