List of Korean visas

What kind of visas can I get to stay in Korea?

The period that you can travel in Korea without visa is maximum 90 days. So, in order to stay in Korean for more than 90 days, Korean visa is required.

But it is too vast and complicated to find what is suitable in your case.

Here the kinds of Korean visas and numbers of those who take it in each years are tabulated.

A visas

B visas

The B-2 status allows travelers who are passport holders of various jurisdictions, including the People’s Republic of China mainland, to stay in South Korea for a maximum period of 30 days, provided that they are using Incheon International Airport as a transit stopover. It applies to ordinary PRC passport bearers when they are travelling between the Chinese mainland and Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan or 30 European countries.^[4] The B-2 status is encoded in Article 7 of the South Korean immigration law.^[5]

B-2-1: Tourist/Transit (General)
B-2-2: Tourist/Transit (Jeju); visiting Jeju Island within 30 days

C visas

C-3-1: Short-term General
C-3-2: Group Tourist
C-3-3: Medical Tourist; enter Korea for medical treatment
C-3-4: Business Visitor (General)
C-3-5: Business Visitor (Agreement); short-term business in accordance with an agreement with ROK
C-3-6: Business Visitor (Sponsored); invited by a company or an organization designated by the Minister of Justice of ROK
C-3-8: Short-term Visitor for overseas Koreans
C-3-9: Ordinary Tourist
C-3-10: Airside Direct Transit

D visas

D-2-1: Associate Degree
D-2-2: Bachelor’s Degree
D-2-3: Master’s Degree
D-2-4: Doctoral Degree
D-2-5: Research Study
D-2-6: Exchange Student
D-3-11: Industrial Trainee
D-3-12: Industrial Trainee (Technology); who plans to receive a training at a technology-exporting entity which the need of the training at the entity acknowledged by the Minister of Justice of ROK
D-3-13: Industrial Trainee (Plant)
D-3-14: Industrial Trainee (Others)
D-4-1: Korean Language Trainee; A person with at least high school diploma or the equivalent, or a current student of high school or below, who plans to study Korean language at an academic institution affiliated with a foreign academic institution in ROK
D-4-2: General Trainee (Others)
D-4-3: Elementary/Middle/High School Student
D-4-5: Trainee Chef (Korean Cuisine)
D-4-6: General Trainee (Private Institute); who plans to receive training at a private academic institute with an outstanding performance
D-4-7: Foreign Language Trainee
D-10-1: Job Seeker; A person who plans to engage in a training or find a job in a field qualified for a visa of Professor(E-1), Foreign Language Instructor(E-2), Research(E-3), Technical Instructor/Technician(E-4), Professional(E-5), Artist/Athlete(E-6), and Foreign National of Special Ability(E-7); The activities not only include a job seeking or on-the-job training (including short-term paid internship) at an organization or company in ROK; The activities related to Artist/Athlete(E-6) status only includes pure art or sports, and excludes adult entertainment businesses.
D-10-2: Business Startup

E visas

E-2-1: Foreign Language Instructor (General); plans to teach “conversational language” at a foreign language institute, affiliated- language research institute or educational institute of higher than elementary school, or language training institute affiliated with an enterprise or broadcasting company, or other equivalent organization.
E-2-2: Teaching Assistant; signed an employment contract with the Minister of Education (or superintendent of a school district) to teach foreign language at an elementary, middle, or high school as an assistant teacher
E-2-91: Foreign Language Instructor (by FTA); who meets the qualifications of the Agreement between the parties involved, and plans to teach conversational language at a foreign language institute, affiliated- language research institute or educational institute of higher than elementary school, or language training institute affiliated with an enterprise or broadcasting company, or other equivalent organization.
E-6-1: Artist; plans to engage in profitable activities such as music, fine arts, and literature, or professional acting, or professional entertainment activities in accordance with the Public Performance Act
E-6-2: Hotel and Adult Entertainment; engage in performance or entertainment activities at hotel business facilities and adult entertainment facilities in accordance with Tourism Promotion Acts. (Any form of activities such as music, fine arts, and literature, professional acting, or professional entertainment in accordance with the Public Performance Act are not included.)
E-6-3: Athlete
E-7-1: Foreign National of Special Ability
E-9-1: Manufacturing
E-9-2: Construction
E-9-3: Agriculture
E-9-4: Fishery
E-9-5: Service

F visas

Some of the F visa sub-types:

F-2-1: Awarded to the spouse of a Korean.^[12]
F-2-2: A single-entry visa valid for 90 days or less issued to an underage foreign child of Korean national.^[13]
F-2-3: Single-entry resident visa valid for one year or less issued to the spouse of a resident visa holder (F-5).^[13]
F-2-7: Awarded on a points-based system.^[14] It seems difficult to find details of this system on Korean government agency websites. More up-to-date information on the points system is available on various sites around the web.
F-2-99: May be awarded upon fulfilment of additional requirements after 5 years on an E-2 visa.^[12]
F-4-11: Overseas Korean
F-4-12: Descendent of Overseas Korean
F-4-13: Former D or E visa holder
F-4-14: University Graduates
F-4-15: Permanent resident of OECD country
F-4-16: Corporate Executive
F-4-17: Entrepreneur of $100,000
F-4-18: Multinational Company
F-4-19: Representative of overseas Koreans organization
F-4-20: Government Employee; Overseas Korean with a foreign nationality of a country, who is currently a member of National Assembly, or has worked for 5 years or more at government office/enterprise
F-4-21: Teacher; Overseas Korean with a foreign nationality of a country notified by the Minister of Justice of ROK, who is a university professor (including associate professor and lecturer), or a teacher at an elementary/middle/high school
F-5-11: Special Talent; recognized by the Minister of Justice for his/her excellence in a specific field including science, management, education, cultural arts, and athletics
F-6-1: Spouse of a Korean National
F-6-2: Child Raising; Father or mother of minor child born after a marriage with Korean (including de facto marriage), but not qualified for F-6-1 (spouse of Korean citizen), who is raising or is planning to raise the child in ROK

G visas

Some of the G-1 visa sub-types:

G-1-1: Medical treatment due to industrial accidents and the family member.
G-1-2: Undergoing medical treatments as a result of diseases or accidents (or are a guardian of such a person).
G-1-3: Involved in a lawsuit.
G-1-5: Refugee status.
G-1-10: Treatment and recuperation.
G-1-11: Fallen victim to prostitution, sexual assault/harassment, human trafficking, etc.

H visas

H-2-1: Work and Visit (Family Connection)
H-2-2: Work and Visit (Parents/Spouse of D-2 Student)
H-2-5: Work and Visit (By lottery)
H-2-7: Work and Visit (Expired Visa); Overseas Korean aged 25 or older with foreign nationality in accordance with the 「Act on Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans」 who is 60 years or younger at the time of complete departure from ROK after the expiration of the (H-2)

M visas

T visas

Notes

Bureau of Immigration (2006). “체류자격별 외국인 입국자”. 2005년도 출입국관리 통계연보 (Electronic version). Seoul: Author. p. 17.Retrieved from http://immigration.go.kr(자료실:통계) on 2006-11-26.
Bureau of Immigration (2011). “체류자격별 외국인 입국자”. 2010년도 출입국관리 통계연보 (Electronic version). Seoul: Author. p. 14.Retrieved from http://immigration.go.kr(자료실:통계) on 2015-03-23.
Bureau of Immigration (2014). “체류자격별 외국인 입국자”. 2010년도 출입국관리 통계연보 (Electronic version). Seoul: Author. p. 27.Retrieved from http://immigration.go.kr(자료실:통계) on 2015-03-23.
(in Chinese)Epoch Times, Xinhuanet.com
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea^{[permanent dead link]}
Short-term general (단기종합) before 2011.
Business supervisor (상사주재)before 2009.
Various sub-types exist. Formerly also given to foreign spouses of Korean citizens.
Limited to those married to a visa holder.
Also includes returning Korean adoptees.
Bureau of Immigration (2006). “국적 및 체류자격별”. 2005년도 출입국관리 통계연보 (Electronic version). Seoul: Author. pp. 420–473.Retrieved from http://immigration.go.kr(자료실:통계) on 2006-11-26.
crossmr (26 March 2011). “F2-99 visa – 5 years continuous employment: advice please”. Dave’s ESL Cafe. Retrieved 7 March2015.
Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice (1 August 2014). “Visa Instruction Guide (English)”(PDF). http://www.hikorea.go.kr/. p. 224. Retrieved 7 March2015.External link in |website=(help)
Shannon Heit (17 May 2010). “Setting record straight on new F-2-7 visa”. The Korea Herald. Retrieved 7 March2015.
Bureau of Immigration (2006). “국적 및 체류자격별 외국인 입국자(승무원·상륙허가자 제외)”. 2005년도 출입국관리 통계연보 (Electronic version). Seoul: Author. pp. 166–231.Retrieved from http://immigration.go.kr(자료실:통계) on 2006-11-26.
5 years multiple-entry visa for oversea Koreans in China and former Soviet Union (available since March, 2007)[1]
72,806 of these were from the United States of America.See USFK