1. Quick Answer: What the D-7 Visa Requires
The D-7 (Intra-Company Transferee) visa is for a person who has worked at least 1 year at the head office, branch or other business site of a foreign public body, organization or company and is dispatched as essential professional personnel to its affiliate, subsidiary, branch or office in Korea. Corporate-investment (D-8) cases are excluded.
Which documents you need depends on the route: a consulate application for a Korean branch of a foreign company, an overseas affiliate of a listed company or public institution sending staff to its Korean head office, or a visa issuance confirmation issued by an immigration office. Each checklist is below.
Essential personnel means one of three roles:
- Executive: the top-level officer who directs the organization at the first level and receives only general supervision from the board or shareholders.
- Senior manager: responsible for setting and carrying out goals and policies of the company or a department, with authority to hire and dismiss (or recommend).
- Specialist: holds highly specialized, exclusive experience or knowledge that is essential to the service (research, design, technology, management and similar).
There is no job-title threshold such as "department head or above". What counts is whether the person fits one of the roles above and can prove it.
2. The 1-Year Rule and Its Exceptions
- Rule: at least 1 year of work at the foreign entity before dispatch.
- Exceptions: (1) personnel in national key industries or national projects; (2) essential personnel dispatched to the Korean branch of a foreign company whose business-fund inflow record is US$500,000 or more.
- Other exception: besides national key industry or national project personnel, other cases the Minister of Justice finds necessary.
- Overseas affiliate to Korean head office: 1 year or more at an overseas local subsidiary or branch established by a listed company (KOSDAQ included) or a public institution, dispatched to the Korean head office to provide or receive professional knowledge, technology or skills. Excluded if the head office's investment or operating funds in that overseas entity are under US$500,000.
3. Required Documents by Route
Route A. Consulate application, Korean branch of a foreign company
| No. | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visa application form (Form No. 17), passport, one standard-size photo, fee | Standard-size photo, 1 copy |
| 2 | Employment certificate from the foreign company | Company located abroad |
| 3 | Dispatch order | Issued by the foreign entity |
| 4 | Proof the Korean branch or liaison office is established | Copy of the branch or liaison office establishment permit |
| 5 | Proof the branch or liaison office operates normally | Business-fund inflow record; for a new office, an operation plan and tax payment record. A non-profit liaison office with no Korean tax duty may use its operating-fund inflow record instead of a tax record |
| 6 | Proof of essential personnel status | Resume, career certificate and similar |
The consul may add or remove some documents when reviewing the purpose of entry, the genuineness of the invitation and the qualifications.
Route B. Overseas affiliate to Korean head office
| No. | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visa application form (Form No. 17), passport copy, one photo, fee | |
| 2 | Proof of essential personnel status | Resume and career certificate |
| 3 | Head office certified corporate registry | May be omitted if the head office is a public enterprise |
| 4 | Overseas direct investment report acceptance, or overseas branch establishment report acceptance | |
| 5 | Proof of overseas remittance | |
| 6 | Overseas entity corporate registry or business registration | |
| 7 | Overseas entity employment certificate and tax payment proof | |
| 8 | Personnel order (dispatch order) | Must state the dispatch period |
At a consulate, this route is issued as a single- or multiple-entry visa of 1 year or less.
Route C. Visa issuance confirmation
Issued by the head of an immigration office or branch office. Documents listed for this route:
| No. | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visa issuance confirmation application, passport (copy), photo, statement of reason for invitation | |
| 2 | Proof of essential personnel status | |
| 3 | Employment certificate from the foreign company | |
| 4 | Dispatch order | |
| 5 | Proof the Korean branch is established | Copy of the branch or liaison office establishment permit, or of the report acceptance |
| 6 | Proof of normal operation | Business-fund or liaison office operating-fund inflow record; for a new office, an operation plan and tax payment record |
| 7 | If a proxy applies: power of attorney, proxy's employment certificate, proxy's ID | Added documents |
4. Stay Limit and Extension Documents
- Up to 3 years per grant (renewable). There is no separate rule on the initial period.
- For essential personnel of a Chinese-national domestic branch, employed by a public or private company for 1 year or more, and their accompanying family (F-3), the consul may issue a multiple-entry visa valid up to 2 years.
- Moving within the same group in Korea: a D-7 to D-9 holder's move between affiliated companies is handled as a change report of alien registration, filed within 15 days of the change.
Extension documents, Annex 1 item 16 (D-7), sub-item "Ga"
| No. | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Application form (Form No. 34), passport, alien registration card, fee | |
| 2 | Dispatch order (issued by the foreign head office) or head office employment certificate | |
| 3 | Copy of the domestic branch establishment permit or liaison office establishment permit | |
| 4 | Proof of business-fund inflow | Foreign exchange purchase certificate, lease contract and similar |
| 5 | Proof of personal tax payment | Personal tax payment certificate, or last year's earned income withholding receipt, or income amount certificate |
| 6 | Proof of residence | Lease contract, accommodation confirmation and similar |
For sub-item "Na" applicants, the documents are the application form, passport, alien registration card and fee, an employment certificate, tax payment proof and proof of residence.
Change of status from D-8 to D-7
A lawful resident working as essential personnel of a foreign-invested company under D-8, who receives a dispatch (transfer) order to a domestic branch, subsidiary or representative office set up by a foreign company of the same group, can apply for a status change. Listed documents include the application, passport and registration card, photo, fee, a statement of reasons, the original dispatch order issued by the foreign head office (or a prospective employment certificate), the branch or liaison office establishment permit copy, proof of the same-group foreign company such as a corporate registry, annual tax certificate or foreign exchange purchase certificate showing business-fund inflow, the original office lease contract, and a current list of foreign staff. A field investigation applies to newly established branches and to applicants with past immigration-law violations.
5. Procedure
- Confirm which route applies (A, B or C) and check the 1-year rule and its exceptions.
- Collect head office documents: employment certificate, dispatch order (with the dispatch period stated where required) and proof of essential personnel status.
- Collect Korean-side documents: branch or liaison office establishment permit, and proof of normal operation such as business-fund inflow and tax records.
- Apply at the consulate (Routes A and B), or apply for a visa issuance confirmation at the immigration office (Route C). A proxy needs a power of attorney and identification.
- Answer any request from the consul or immigration office to add or remove documents.
- After arrival, complete alien registration; when extending, prepare the required extension documents.
Processing times are not fixed and depend on the case, so please check with the office in charge.