Work-Visa Ladder (E-7, D-8, F-2, D-10, D-8-4) in South Korea

Researched from official sources ยท May 23, 2026

South Korea operates a five-track ๋น„์ž (visa) ladder for skilled workers, investors, and founders.

The tracks are E-7 employer-sponsored skilled work, D-8 corporate investment, F-2 long-term residence, D-10 job-seeker status, and D-8-4 technology-startup founder visas. The Korea Immigration Service administers the system under the Immigration Act, with category-specific eligibility criteria, distinct documentation, and procedural pathways converging on a common post-arrival Alien Registration Card step.

Estimated time

Six to eight weeks end-to-end for employer-sponsored ๋น„์ž (Bija โ€” Visa) issuance (E-7, D-8); four to eight weeks for in-country F-2 status change; six to eighteen months for the OASIS D-10-2 to D-8-4 founder pipeline including OASIS module enrolment, intellectual-property filing, and corporate incorporation

Cost

โ‚ฉ100,000 to โ‚ฉ200,000 for E-7 administrative fees; โ‚ฉ100,000,000 minimum capital for D-8-1; โ‚ฉ100,000 for F-2 status change; โ‚ฉ5,000,000+ aggregate for the D-8-4 founder pipeline

What You Need

Tap to check off items as you gather them

Additional Items

  • Top-Tier Visa (F-2-T), launched 2 April 2025 (Korea.net official government news; corroborated by EY and Pureum Law Office) โ€” fast-tracks F-5 permanent residence to three years (versus the standard five) for advanced-industry high-earners in semiconductors, biotechnology, secondary batteries, displays, robotics, and defense, with sectoral salary thresholds at three times GNI (around โ‚ฉ149,865,000 at launch reference) or four times GNI (around โ‚ฉ199,820,000) for the salary-only waiver path
  • Startup Korea Special Visa (D-8-4S), launched November 2024 (Korea.net official government news; corroborated by KoreaTechDesk and Pureum Law Office) โ€” decouples the standard D-8-4 academic-credential and residency requirement; evaluation rests on idea feasibility, team capability, and Korean-market fit, typically requiring participation in structured programmes such as the K-Startup Grand Challenge
  • Public Notice No. 2025-106 (Ministry of Justice, effective 1 April 2025) restated E-7 salary thresholds in unified KRW figures: E-7-1 at least โ‚ฉ28,670,000; E-7-2 and E-7-3 at least โ‚ฉ25,150,000; E-7-4 at least โ‚ฉ26,000,000. The 2025 figures are carried into 2026 absent revised notice
  • Regional Specialized Visa expansion [STATUTE-PENDING]: the F-2-R, E-7-4R, and F-4R operational plan extends population-decline-area incentives across 107 designated regions; TOPIK Level 4 minimum was raised from the prior Level 3, with phased rollout published through Korea Immigration Service guidance
  • E-7-4 K-Point Selection Plan refresh [STATUTE-PENDING]: the 2026 March manual restated the K-Point base scale at 300 points with a 200-point pass threshold and independent 50-point minimums in both income and Korean language categories; bonus points compound for workplace tenure exceeding three years, employment in declining-population areas, domestic professional certificates, domestic university degrees, and domestic driver's licences
  • US consular fee range USD 40 to 90 per consular-district published rates โ€” single-entry short-stay typically USD 40 (under 90 days) or USD 45 (most common single-entry NY, LA, SF), long-stay single-entry USD 60, double-entry USD 70, multiple-entry USD 90; certain nationalities (German nationals on E-7 and D-8 categories) exempt under published bilateral arrangement
  • OASIS (Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System) is the founder pathway jointly administered by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development; the OASIS modules span foundational education (modules 1 to 3), entrepreneurship education (module 4), startup mentoring (module 5), investor pitching (module 6), incubation (module 7), incorporation support (module 8), and funding (module 9), with module-specific point values aggregating to the 80-point consolidated D-8-4 floor

Step-by-Step

  1. 1

    Select the Correct Visa Category

    1. Map your situation to one of the five tracks: E-7 (employer-sponsored skilled work across 87 designated occupations), D-8 (corporate investment), F-2 (long-term resident), D-10 (job seeker), or D-8-4 (technology-startup founder under OASIS)
    2. Confirm category eligibility against the per-track salary, points, education, and experience thresholds โ€” the Korea Immigration Service publishes per-case eligibility guidance through the Immigration Contact Center 1345 and the HiKorea portal
    3. Cross-check the consular district covering your state of legal residence before filing abroad โ€” each Korean consulate covers a defined territory and misfiled applications are typically rejected

    ๐Ÿ’ก Tip: The five-category ladder is not interchangeable. E-7-1 (Professional) and E-7-4 (Skilled Technical via K-Point conversion) target distinct entrant profiles; D-8-1 and D-8-4 carry materially different capital and IP requirements. The Immigration Contact Center 1345 confirms per-case routing before committing.

    HiKorea โ€” Korea Immigration Service English portal (hikorea.go.kr โ†—) Korea Visa Portal โ€” visa category lookup (visa.go.kr โ†—)
  2. 2

    Employer Prepares the Certificate of Visa Issuance Application

    ์‚ฌ์ฆ๋ฐœ๊ธ‰์ธ์ •์„œ (Sajeung Balgeup Injeongseo โ€” Certificate of Visa Issuance)

    Expat New Arrival
    For E-7 and D-8 categories with employer or investor sponsorship
    1. Korean employer or investor submits the CVI application at the jurisdictional immigration office, including corporate registration documents, employment contract or executive appointment letter, job description with occupation-code mapping for E-7, capital deposit certificate for D-8-1, foreign-worker cap certification, applicant credentials, and business plan
    2. Korea Immigration Service adjudicates the CVI application; the Certificate of Visa Issuance or Visa Issuance Number is forwarded to the applicant or directly to the Korean embassy or consulate of application
    3. Processing time at this stage typically runs two to four weeks; for D-8-1 capital investments below โ‚ฉ300,000,000 the documentation burden is elevated (purchase receipts, office cost evidence, bank statements all required)

    ๐Ÿ’ก Tip: For D-8-1, the โ‚ฉ100,000,000 statutory floor is firm; investments below the threshold do not qualify under D-8-1 and the application is rejected at the CVI phase. Operators sometimes confuse D-8-1 with the D-8-2 Business Venture or D-8-3 Unincorporated Enterprise thresholds โ€” confirm the correct sub-track before filing.

    โš ๏ธ Watch out: If the CVI is rejected on labour-market-test grounds (the role can be filled by resident workers), reframe the position description to emphasise skills difficult to be replaced by resident workers and resubmit with corroborating scarcity evidence.

  3. 3

    Apply for the Visa Stamp at the Korean Embassy or Consulate

    1. Submit your passport, application form, CVI or Visa Issuance Number, passport photograph, criminal background check, and apostilled credentials at the Korean embassy or consulate covering your state of legal residence
    2. Pay the consular fee in the host-country currency at the in-person counter; payment methods vary by mission (US consulates accept cash, money order, or credit card in person; mail-in restricted to cash and money order)
    3. Processing at the consular phase typically runs two to three weeks; New York consulate processes around three weeks under recent volume; Los Angeles around 10 to 15 business days; San Francisco around two to three weeks

    ๐Ÿ’ฌ Say:

    ๋น„์ž ์‹ ์ฒญ

    Bija Sincheong

    "Visa application"

    ๐Ÿ“‹ Use when: Identifying the application at the consular counter

    ๐Ÿ’ฌ Say:

    ์‚ฌ์ฆ ๋ฐœ๊ธ‰ ์‹ ์ฒญ์„œ๋ฅผ ์ œ์ถœํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค

    Sajeung Balgeup Sincheongseo-reul jechul-hamnida

    "I am submitting the visa issuance application form"

    ๐Ÿ“‹ Use when: Handing over the application form at the counter

    Korea Visa Portal โ€” application form download (visa.go.kr โ†—) Korea Immigration Service English portal โ€” Skilled Worker Points System (moj.go.kr โ†—)
  4. 4

    Travel to Korea and Apply for the Alien Registration Card

    ์™ธ๊ตญ์ธ๋“ฑ๋ก์ฆ (Oegug-in Deungrokjeung โ€” Alien Registration Card)

    1. Travel to Korea on the issued visa; the visa stamp authorises entry under the relevant ์ฒด๋ฅ˜์ž๊ฒฉ (Cheryu Jagyeok โ€” Status of Stay)
    2. Apply for the Alien Registration Card at the local immigration office of residence within 90 days of arrival
    3. Pay the ARC first-issuance fee (โ‚ฉ35,000 inclusive of delivery in most sources) and complete biometric capture; reissuance for lost cards runs โ‚ฉ22,000 to โ‚ฉ30,000

    ๐Ÿ’ก Tip: The 90-day ARC deadline applies to all long-term-stay visa holders (E-7, D-8, F-2, D-10, D-8-4). Failure to register incurs a fine of โ‚ฉ100,000 to โ‚ฉ1,000,000 depending on the duration of the overrun and complicates subsequent extensions or status changes.

    โš ๏ธ Watch out: If you miss the 90-day deadline, apply at the local immigration office immediately. Bring documentation explaining the cause of delay; the clerk has discretion on fine assessment.

  5. 5

    File Status Change or Period-of-Stay Extension as Needed

    For F-2 status acquisition by in-country conversion, D-10-2 to D-8-4 progression, or category-internal extensions

    1. Book a Termin (appointment) at the jurisdictional immigration office via HiKorea before the period-of-stay expiry
    2. Submit the completed status-change or extension application, current ARC, and supporting documents โ€” F-2-7 requires the K-Point self-assessment and Certificate of Income Amount confirming income at least 1.5 times prior-year GNI; F-2-T requires sectoral employment confirmation and salary evidence; F-2-R requires the local government recommendation letter and TOPIK Level 4 certificate or KIIP Level 4 or higher
    3. Pay โ‚ฉ100,000 for status change or โ‚ฉ60,000 for category-internal extension; Korea Immigration Service adjudicates F-2 status changes typically within four to eight weeks

    ๐Ÿ’ก Tip: F-2-T Top-Tier applicants benefit from priority processing via the Immigration VIP Card and qualify for F-5 permanent residence after three years (versus the standard five years for other long-term-resident pathways). The 19% flat income-tax rate on gross annual salary applies for up to 10 years.

    โš ๏ธ Watch out: If the F-2-7 application is rejected on income grounds, the typical recovery is to wait for the next Certificate of Income Amount issuance reflecting the higher base โ€” point bands at 100 million KRW yearly income earn 60 points (the maximum tier) and clear the 50-point income minimum.

Local Tips from the Community

  • The Immigration Contact Center 1345 is the multilingual general-immigration helpline operated by the Korea Immigration Service from within Korea, serving foreign residents in over twenty languages. Use it for per-case eligibility questions before committing to a specific category.
  • HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) is the primary foreigner-facing English portal for application status tracking, document downloads, and appointment booking. The Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr) handles nationality-keyed category lookups and application forms.
  • Korean consular visa fees abroad are revised semi-annually, keyed to currency-pair fluctuations. The next revision boundary lands on 30 June 2026. Confirm the active fee schedule at the consulate covering your state of legal residence before remitting.
  • Apostille your degree, criminal-record check, and supporting credentials in the country of citizenship before travel. Apostilled documents are required across nearly all five categories and re-apostille from abroad introduces multi-week delays.
  • The K-Point system for the E-7-4 Skilled Technical pathway carries non-fungible 50-point minimums in both income and Korean language. High income cannot compensate for low Korean proficiency, and vice versa โ€” calibrate both dimensions early.

Costs

Item Amount Payment Notes
Certificate of Visa Issuance (CVI) โ€” employer-applied โ‚ฉ0 N/A No application fee for the certificate itself; the consular visa stamp fee applies separately at the embassy or consulate of application
Single-entry visa fee (paid in Korea) โ‚ฉ60,000 Cash or approved payment method at the immigration office Statutory under the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act fee schedule
Multiple-entry visa fee (paid in Korea) โ‚ฉ110,000 Cash or approved payment method Statutory under the Enforcement Decree
Alien Registration Card (ARC) first issuance โ‚ฉ35,000 Cash or card at the local immigration office Some sources cite โ‚ฉ30,000 statutory plus โ‚ฉ4,000 delivery; aggregate around โ‚ฉ35,000
Status change within Korea (e.g., E-7 to F-2-7, D-10-2 to D-8-4) โ‚ฉ100,000 Cash or card at the jurisdictional immigration office Statutory status-change fee per Enforcement Decree
Period-of-stay extension โ‚ฉ60,000 Cash or card Filed before the period-of-stay expiry date
Re-entry permit (single) โ‚ฉ22,000 Cash or card Per Enforcement Decree fee schedule
Re-entry permit (multiple, up to one year) โ‚ฉ37,000 Cash or card Per Enforcement Decree
Re-entry permit (multiple, one to two years) โ‚ฉ60,000 Cash or card Per Enforcement Decree
Single-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ45 Cash, money order, or credit card (in-person only); mail-in restricted to cash and money order Royal Korean Consulate General New York published rate for the most common short-term single-entry category (consular district: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). Los Angeles and San Francisco consulates apply the same USD 45 figure for the most common single-entry visa categories filed by US citizens.
Long-stay single-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ60 Cash, money order, or credit card Korean consulates in the United States โ€” long-stay single-entry tier (over 90 days)
Double-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ70 Cash, money order, or credit card Korean consulates in the United States
Multiple-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ90 Cash, money order, or credit card Korean consulates in the United States
Korean Embassy New Delhi โ€” single-entry up to 90 days โ‚ฉ3,400 Per Embassy of the Republic of Korea to India schedule Effective 1 June 2025 per Embassy of the Republic of Korea to India published schedule
OASIS auxiliary expenses (IP filing, incorporation, accountant, office) (Optional) โ‚ฉ5,000,000 Varies by component Aggregate community estimate for the OASIS D-10-2 to D-8-4 pipeline including Korean Intellectual Property Office filing, corporation incorporation, office rent, and accountant fees. OASIS modules one through six are generally free for eligible participants; advanced modules may carry program-specific costs.
Certificate of Visa Issuance (CVI) โ€” employer-applied โ‚ฉ0
Payment:
N/A
Notes:
No application fee for the certificate itself; the consular visa stamp fee applies separately at the embassy or consulate of application
Single-entry visa fee (paid in Korea) โ‚ฉ60,000
Payment:
Cash or approved payment method at the immigration office
Notes:
Statutory under the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act fee schedule
Multiple-entry visa fee (paid in Korea) โ‚ฉ110,000
Payment:
Cash or approved payment method
Notes:
Statutory under the Enforcement Decree
Alien Registration Card (ARC) first issuance โ‚ฉ35,000
Payment:
Cash or card at the local immigration office
Notes:
Some sources cite โ‚ฉ30,000 statutory plus โ‚ฉ4,000 delivery; aggregate around โ‚ฉ35,000
Status change within Korea (e.g., E-7 to F-2-7, D-10-2 to D-8-4) โ‚ฉ100,000
Payment:
Cash or card at the jurisdictional immigration office
Notes:
Statutory status-change fee per Enforcement Decree
Period-of-stay extension โ‚ฉ60,000
Payment:
Cash or card
Notes:
Filed before the period-of-stay expiry date
Re-entry permit (single) โ‚ฉ22,000
Payment:
Cash or card
Notes:
Per Enforcement Decree fee schedule
Re-entry permit (multiple, up to one year) โ‚ฉ37,000
Payment:
Cash or card
Notes:
Per Enforcement Decree
Re-entry permit (multiple, one to two years) โ‚ฉ60,000
Payment:
Cash or card
Notes:
Per Enforcement Decree
Single-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ45
Payment:
Cash, money order, or credit card (in-person only); mail-in restricted to cash and money order
Notes:
Royal Korean Consulate General New York published rate for the most common short-term single-entry category (consular district: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). Los Angeles and San Francisco consulates apply the same USD 45 figure for the most common single-entry visa categories filed by US citizens.
Long-stay single-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ60
Payment:
Cash, money order, or credit card
Notes:
Korean consulates in the United States โ€” long-stay single-entry tier (over 90 days)
Double-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ70
Payment:
Cash, money order, or credit card
Notes:
Korean consulates in the United States
Multiple-entry visa, US consulate โ‚ฉ90
Payment:
Cash, money order, or credit card
Notes:
Korean consulates in the United States
Korean Embassy New Delhi โ€” single-entry up to 90 days โ‚ฉ3,400
Payment:
Per Embassy of the Republic of Korea to India schedule
Notes:
Effective 1 June 2025 per Embassy of the Republic of Korea to India published schedule
OASIS auxiliary expenses (IP filing, incorporation, accountant, office) (Optional) โ‚ฉ5,000,000
Payment:
Varies by component
Notes:
Aggregate community estimate for the OASIS D-10-2 to D-8-4 pipeline including Korean Intellectual Property Office filing, corporation incorporation, office rent, and accountant fees. OASIS modules one through six are generally free for eligible participants; advanced modules may carry program-specific costs.
Total: โ‚ฉ487,665

FAQ

General

Can I apply for E-7 without a Korean employer already lined up?

No. E-7 (Specially Designated Activities) is employer-sponsored โ€” the Korean employer must initiate the Certificate of Visa Issuance application at a Korean immigration office before the consular phase. Foreign nationals seeking employment without a sponsor should consider D-10-1 (General Job Seeker) instead, which permits in-country job search without employer-side filing.

What's the difference between D-8-4 and D-8-4S?

D-8-4 is the standard Technology Startup visa requiring a bachelor's degree, at least 80 OASIS points, and a filed Korean patent, utility model, or design application. D-8-4S โ€” the Startup Korea Special Visa launched November 2024 โ€” is decoupled from academic credentials and residency history. Evaluation under D-8-4S rests on idea feasibility, team capability, and Korean-market fit; the variant typically requires participation in structured programmes such as the K-Startup Grand Challenge.

Can my spouse work on the F-2-T1 (Top-Tier dependent) visa?

Yes. Per the 2 April 2025 launch of the F-2-T Top-Tier visa, dependents โ€” spouse, minor children, parents, parents-in-law, and household staff โ€” may accompany on F-2-T1 derivative status. F-2 derivative status generally confers economic-activity rights subject to category-specific limits.

What happens if I miss the 90-day Alien Registration Card deadline?

Failure to register within 90 days of arrival incurs a fine typically โ‚ฉ100,000 to โ‚ฉ1,000,000 depending on the duration of the overrun and complicates subsequent status extensions or changes. Apply at the local immigration office immediately upon discovery and bring documentation explaining the cause of delay.

Is there a fast track for F-5 permanent residence?

Yes, for F-2-T (Top-Tier) holders. Standard F-5 eligibility requires five years of continuous F-2 or equivalent long-term residence; F-2-T holders qualify after three years. F-2-T holders also receive the Immigration VIP Card for priority processing and a 19% flat income-tax rate on gross annual salary for up to 10 years.

How often do Korean visa fees change?

Korean consular visa fees abroad are revised semi-annually, keyed to currency-exchange-rate movements. The next revision boundary lands on 30 June 2026. Korean immigration-office fees in KRW are statutory under the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act and change only by regulation amendment.

What is the K-Point system and how does it relate to E-7?

K-Point is the 300-point scoring system for the E-7-4 (Skilled Technical Personnel) conversion pathway from E-9, E-10, or H-2 status. Income (maximum 120 points), Korean language (maximum 120 points), and age (maximum 60 points) sum to the base, with bonus points for workplace tenure, regional employment, certificates, and domestic education. The pass threshold is 200 out of 300 with independent 50-point minimums in income and Korean language โ€” neither can substitute for the other. Required minimums also include TOPIK Level 2 or KIIP Level 2 equivalent and an employer recommendation letter.

Can I apply for E-7 if my degree is in a different field from the job?

Possibly. For E-7-1 (Professional), the degree must align broadly with the occupational category, though related-field degrees are often accepted with documented work experience bridging the gap. The 87-occupation list under Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 2025-106 specifies which fields qualify. Where the alignment fails, the application is typically rejected or routed to E-7-2 (Semi-Professional) if applicable.

Does the F-2-R visa require me to live in a specific city?

Yes โ€” within the designated population-decline region of the recommending local government, for a minimum tenure period. Relocation within the same metropolitan area is permitted after two years; relocation outside the designated region during the five-year initial period typically forfeits F-2-R status. The 107 designated regions span Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam provinces.

Can I switch between consular districts when applying abroad?

No. Each Korean consular district covers a defined territory โ€” for example the Korean Consulate New York covers New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; the Korean Consulate Los Angeles covers California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; the Korean Consulate San Francisco covers Northern California, Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. Apply at the consulate covering your state of legal residence; misfiled applications are typically rejected or transferred with delay.

After This Process

  • โ†’ Alien Registration Card issuance โ€” apply at the local immigration office within 90 days of arrival
  • โ†’ Status change to F-2-7 or F-2-T after meeting points or sectoral salary thresholds โ€” files within Korea via HiKorea appointment
  • โ†’ F-5 permanent residence โ€” eligible after five consecutive years (or three years for F-2-T Top-Tier holders)
  • โ†’ OASIS module progression โ€” D-10-2 holders advance through OASIS 7 to OASIS 9 to reach the 80-point D-8-4 threshold

Sources

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    The end-to-end OASIS pathway (D-10-2 โ†’ D-8-4) typically runs six to eighteen months including OASIS application, training, IP filing, incorporation, and D-8-4 adjudication. D-10-2 grants six months per issuance, extendable up to three renewals for a two-year cumulative ceiling. D-10-2 visa issuance in Korea is โ‚ฉ100,000; extension is โ‚ฉ60,000; ARC first issuance post-grant runs around โ‚ฉ35,000. The D-8-4 grants 12 months initial stay, extendable while the business sustains operation.

    startcompanykorea.com
  11. T3
    digitalnomadskorea.com โ€” South Korea's Startup Visa: The Complete OASIS Guide 2026-05-23

    The OASIS D-10-2 to D-8-4 pipeline aggregates a community-estimated minimum of โ‚ฉ5,000,000 in auxiliary costs inclusive of Korean Intellectual Property Office filing, corporation incorporation, office rent, accountant fees, and ID photo. OASIS modules one through six are generally free for eligible participants; advanced modules may have programme-specific costs. The D-8-4 standard variant requires a bachelor's diploma (apostilled), while the November 2024 D-8-4S Startup Korea Special Visa variant decouples the educational requirement.

    digitalnomadskorea.com
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