Korea C-4 Visa: Short-Term Work for Up to 90 Days, What Qualifies, How to Apply

What the C-4 visa is

The C-4 (short-term employee) visa is Korea’s visa for foreigners entering to do short-term, paid work for up to 90 days. It covers remunerative activities that are one-off or temporary rather than an ongoing job. It is issued as a single entry and is generally valid for three months from issue, meaning you must enter Korea within that window. As with other short-term visas, an extension beyond 90 days is not normally possible.

The status-of-stay breakdown appears in the immigration service’s official visa navigator, and the rules change periodically — treat the issuing embassy and the immigration portal as the reference points, not any single article.

What qualifies

The main short-term employment category, C-4-5, covers temporary employment other than seasonal work. Common qualifying activities include:

• Temporary performances and entertainment — shows, concerts, paid stage work
• Lectures, research and technical guidance — contract-based teaching, speaking or research at a Korean institution
• Service and technical work — installing, maintaining or supervising machinery under a service or supply contract
• Advertising and fashion work — including model work
• Paid participation in sports or competitions — where the participant receives compensation (not just prize money)

Simple labour does not qualify for C-4. The invitation must come from a Korean sponsor — a company, institution or organiser — and the work must be discrete and short-term rather than ongoing. If the engagement runs beyond roughly 90 days, the activity falls under a long-term work visa category instead.

How to apply

You apply for C-4 from your home country at the Korean embassy or consulate — you cannot enter as a tourist and switch to C-4 in Korea. Core documents are generally:

• Valid passport (at least six months of validity)
• Visa application form and photo
• Employment contract or invitation letter from the Korean sponsor, stating the activity, the dates and the remuneration
• Documents for the inviting organisation — such as a business registration or corporate registration copy
• In some categories, a recommendation letter from the relevant body (for example a sports or performing-arts association)

The exact list and processing time vary by embassy and category, so check the embassy’s own checklist. Processing time also varies — some embassies publish a figure, others do not guarantee one.

C-4 vs C-3 vs long-term work visas

The distinction that causes most trouble is C-4 versus C-3 (short-term visit). C-3 covers tourism, business meetings and simple consultations, and its permitted activities are non-remunerative — you may talk about work but not perform paid work. If the activity involves doing work or providing a service, even paid from abroad, the C-4 is the category intended for it, and working on a C-3 can be treated as misuse of the visa.

Compared with long-term employment visas (the E-1 to E-7 series), C-4 is for engagements of 90 days or less. Ongoing employment, or work tied to a longer assignment, belongs in the long-term categories, which carry their own eligibility and documentation requirements. For the general picture of how work visas fit together, see our work visa guide and how to get a Korean visa.

Staying rules and common mistakes

Two things trip people up:

• Don’t work on a C-3. If your activity is remunerative, a short-term visit visa is not a workaround. Apply for the correct category before you travel.
• Plan the 90 days. The stay is capped and, in the normal course, cannot be extended. If the work may run longer than 90 days, look at the long-term categories before applying.

Because the scope of eligible activities and the required documents are reviewed case by case by the embassy, treat the specific embassy checklist and the official immigration guidance as the authority rather than general descriptions.