Premium Korea KR INSIDER
🇨🇳 China • Bilateral Pension Protocol

Korea National Pension (NPS) Refund for Chinese Expats

Official 2026 guidelines, statutory formulas, and bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) rules for China citizens departing South Korea.

⚠️

China Citizens: Lump-Sum Cash Refund RESTRICTED (Totalization Only)

Under the bilateral agreement and Korean National Pension Act Article 77, Korean law does not disburse lump-sum cash refunds to Chinese citizens upon departure. Instead, your contributions are preserved and credited toward your home pension (China Basic Pension Insurance (中国城镇职工基本养老保险)) or paid out as a monthly annuity at retirement age.

Target Citizenship 🇨🇳 China
₩

Total contractual salary before tax including regular monthly allowances.

Months

Standard E-2/E-7 contract is typically 12–36 months.

Estimated Lump-Sum Payout

₩0 KRW

≈ $0 USD

Employee Paid (4.5%)

₩0

Employer Match (4.5%)

₩0

Accrued Statutory Interest

₩0

Airport Cash Supported

No

China Reciprocity Status

Lump-sum cash departure refund is not disbursed. Contributions are preserved for retirement or totalized with home pension credits.

📜 China & South Korea Bilateral Treaty Specifications

Agreement Type Bilateral Social Security Exemption Agreement (상호면제협정)
In Effect Since 2003
Home System China Basic Pension Insurance (中国城镇职工基本养老保险)
Airport Cash Pickup Not Applicable
Step-by-Step Departure Workflow

How Chinese Citizens Should Process Their Korean Pension

1

第一步:核实个人签证类型与协定豁免资格

若为中国企业派驻韩国人员,可凭国内参保证明申请在韩免除国民年金缴费;若已在韩参保,确认自身是否符合特殊结算情形。

2

第二步:打印并保存韩国年金公团参保明细

离韩前前往年金公团分部或通过官网打印带有官方防伪印章的英文参保证明书(Certificate of NPS Coverage),妥善保留登陆证号及公团流水。

3

第三步:退休年龄(60-65周岁)申请境外汇款给付

达到中韩法定退休年龄后,可向韩国国民年金公团申请按月发放老龄年金,款项可直接电汇至中国国内银联借记卡。

⚖️

Home Country Tax Compliance: China

No Korean departure refund is issued under standard rules. Contributions can be preserved for retirement age annuities.

⚠️ Critical Pitfalls & Mistakes (Chinese Expats)

  • • 听信非法中介称“可以通过特殊渠道在仁川机场代领年金现金”,此类操作多属诈骗且违反中韩法律。
  • • 离韩时注销了韩国所有手机号与通胀账户,导致日后无法登录 Hometax 或年金系统查询自身累积公积金。
China Departure Pack Updated for 2026 Rules

Download the China Expat NPS & Departure Checklist

Everything you need to successfully wrap up your Korean pension and taxes: exact airport office navigation, overseas wire routing forms, and China tax declaration guidelines.

  • ✓ Incheon Airport T1 & T2 NPS Office maps and same-day currency exchange procedures for Chinese travelers
  • ✓ Official English NPS Certificate request template to prove contributions to China Basic Pension Insurance (中国城镇职工基本养老保险)
  • ✓ Step-by-step foreign pension income tax reporting rules for China

Instant Free Download

Enter your email to receive this checklist & roadmap directly:

100% Free • No Spam Instant PDF

Frequently Asked Questions: China Pension Refund

中国公民真的完全不能在离韩时领回国民年金吗?

对普通就业签证(E-7、E-9、D-10等)而言,是的。因为中国现行社保制度不对离境韩国公民提供一次性退保提现,基于对等原则,韩国对中国公民亦不予一次性现金返还。但已缴金额不会清零,会一直产生法定利息并保留至退休年龄。

F-5永住权或F-6结婚移民签放弃居住权离开韩国可以退吗?

彻底放弃在韩居住权、注销外国人登录证且出入境管理处出具彻底移民证明文件的特殊情况下,可向年金公团个案审查申请。

在韩缴纳的年金可以转移合并回中国社保吗?

目前中韩社保协定主要涵盖“免除双重缴费”,暂未开通两国年金缴费年限与个人账户金额直接转移合并清算通道。

Understanding the Korea-China Pension Framework

根据中韩社会保障协定及韩国国民年金法第77条互惠原则,持有中国国籍的普通外籍雇员(如 E-7, E-9 等)在离开韩国时,原则上无法领取国民年金的离境一次性返还金(반환일시금)。您的参保记录将被韩国年金公团封存保留,待达到法定退休年龄后申请年金给付,或在特定持永住权/结婚移民签证时适用特殊清算规则。

The Reciprocity Principle of Article 77

The National Pension Act of South Korea (Article 77 and Article 126) mandates that foreign citizens receive identical pension treatment to that which Korean citizens receive in the foreign worker's home nation. Because the China and South Korea entered into a Bilateral Social Security Exemption Agreement (상호면제협정) in 2003, administrative procedures are strictly governed by these statutory bilateral articles.

DP
Written by Daniel Park · Updated 2026-10-08

Independent operator of KR INSIDER · in Korea since 2018 · naturalized citizen (2022). Personally navigated ARC, visa renewals, Jeonse contracts, tax filings, and NHIS/NPS enrollment. This page was researched from official sources and verified against 2026 statutory rates. Rules change frequently — always confirm with the relevant office before deciding.