How to Get a Korean Visa: Types, Sponsor Routes and the Steps

How the visa system is organised

Korean visas are grouped by the purpose of your stay, and each group has its own rules, documents and sponsorship. Knowing the family you fall into is the first step, because the visa you need determines everything that follows.

The main families:

• Study: D-2 for degree courses, D-4 for language study and short-term training.
• Employment: E-2 for language teaching, E-7 for a defined list of professional occupations — the two most common employer-sponsored routes.
• Business and investment: D-8, for foreign investment and business management.
• Job-seeking: D-10, for looking for work after study.
• Family: F-6 for marriage, F-4 for overseas Koreans.
• Residence: F-2-7 by points, F-5 permanent residency — the long-term statuses.

We have a dedicated guide for each of these — see the links in the last section. If you are not sure which family you belong to, start with our overview of the F visa family and the visa document checklist.

Sponsored routes vs. direct application

The single most important distinction in the Korean system is between sponsored and direct applications.

Sponsored visas are the majority. For E-2 and E-7, your employer in Korea applies for a Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance with the local immigration office before you apply. For D-2 and D-4, your school issues the certificate. For F-6, your Korean spouse initiates the family relationship sponsorship. In each case you cannot apply for the visa itself without that Korean-side step having happened.

Direct applications are the exception. Some short-stay and working-holiday routes (H-1 working holiday) are applied for directly at a Korean embassy or consulate. F-4 overseas Koreans and F-2-7 points applicants apply on the strength of their own status rather than an employer’s sponsorship.

So a practical first question: does my employer, school or spouse need to act first in Korea? If yes, that step is the beginning of the process — start it before you prepare your own documents. See our change of status guide if you are already in Korea on one status and want to move to another.

The documents that come up every time

While every visa has its own list, a common core appears in almost every application (as of August 2026):

• Passport valid for the required period with blank pages
• Completed application form — filled in through the Korean visa portal (visa.go.kr) where applicable
• Passport photos meeting the specification
• Proof of the purpose: admission letter (study), employment contract (work), marriage or family certificate (F-6)
• Financial proof: bank statements or sponsorship documents, which some statuses require as evidence you can support yourself
• Background check / criminal record for certain statuses, particularly teaching and residency

Because requirements change and vary by nationality and mission, the reliable move is to check the current list on the official portal or with the mission that will process your application rather than relying on a summary. Our document checklist walks through what is usually asked and how to prepare it.

From visa to alien registration

The visa gets you through the door; the alien registration card (ARC) is what makes the stay functional.

Anyone staying longer than 90 days must apply for alien registration at the local immigration office within the required period after entry. The ARC is what opens a bank account, a postpaid phone plan, and the identity-verified apps that dominate daily life in Korea. Our alien registration guide covers the process.

Two things worth knowing before you arrive:

• Extension and renewal are separate processes from the visa itself. Long-term statuses are renewed periodically, and the rules differ by status — see visa extension and visa renewal.
• Some changes happen inside Korea. If your situation changes after arrival — new employer, different status — a change of status application replaces a new visa from abroad. That is a different process with its own rules.

Decisions on visas, certificates and registration belong to the immigration office that reviews the application. This article describes the published structure; it does not indicate whether a specific application will be approved.