Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Visas are roughly divided into a few different types by letter. “A” visas are assigned to
people in South Korea for diplomatic or official purposes, and “D” visas are a grab bag of
students (D2), factory workers (D3), and investors or employees of foreign enterprises (D8
and D7, respectively). Most foreign residents you'll run into in South Korea hold either “E”
(employment) or “F” (resident) visas. E visas are subdivided into various occupations (E1
for professors and E5 for consultants, to name two), with some requiring special paperwork
or qualifications. E2, the visa for foreign-language instructors, which requires applicants to
complete health and criminal background checks, is the most notorious example.
F visas are unique in that most classes allow the holder to take work or switch jobs vir-
tually at will. While in the past they were almost exclusively awarded to those with fam-
ily (usually marriage) or ethnic ties to South Korea, it's now possible to get them in other
ways, including making substantial investments in South Korea or holding a professional
position and passing a government-created evaluation scheme that awards points based on
things like age (the younger the better), education, income, and Korean language ability.
F visas are also, if desired, a path to a permanent stay. After a couple of years on con-
secutive F visas—two years in the case of those who obtained the visas through marriage,
five years for most other categories—it's possible to apply for “F5,” or permanent resid-
ency status. The F5 visa in theory never loses its validity, even in the case of divorce from
or death of a South Korean partner, though it can be revoked if the holder spends an exten-
ded period of time living outside of Korea. In addition to the usual job mobility benefits,
it comes with a few other perks, such as the right to vote in local elections. In theory, any
foreigner resident in South Korea for five consecutive years or more, in good social and
financial standing, with a solid command of the Korean language and customs, has the right
to apply for South Korean citizenship, though relatively few foreign nationals manage to
obtain it in practice.
Once you've entered South Korea with your visa, regardless of the type, you have 90
days to report to immigration to apply for your rather ominously named alien registration
card, which will function as your ID within the country. The card takes about a week to
process.
Visas in South Korea are usually tied to one employer or sponsor, and they are fairly rigid
in terms of the activities they permit—only holders of certain types of student visas are leg-
ally allowed to take on part-time work, for example. Changing your visa (or changing jobs)
can therefore involve some hassles. While it's sometimes possible to hop jobs within the
