D7 Visa Korea: Eligibility and the 1-Year Rule

1. What is D7 Visa Korea?

The D7 visa Korea (주재, Intra-Company Transferee) 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.

It differs from the D-8 Corporate Investment visa. D-8 is for investors and investment-company essential personnel, while D-7 is for employees sent by an existing foreign employer.

2. Eligibility Requirements and the 1-Year Rule

• 1 year or more of work at the foreign public body, organization or company (head office, branch or other business site) before dispatch.
• Dispatched to its affiliate, subsidiary, branch or office in Korea as essential professional personnel. There are three defined roles: executive, senior manager and specialist.
• Not a D-8 corporate-investment case (those are excluded).
• Exceptions to the 1-year work rule: personnel in national key industries or national projects, and essential personnel dispatched to the Korean branch of a foreign company whose business-fund inflow record is US$500,000 or more. Other cases the Minister of Justice finds necessary are also exempt.
• Overseas affiliate to Korean head office: 1 year or more at an overseas local subsidiary or branch of a listed company (KOSDAQ included) or a public institution, dispatched to the Korean head office. Excluded if the head office's investment or operating funds in that entity are under US$500,000.

There is no job-title threshold such as "department head or above"; what matters is whether the person fits the executive, senior manager or specialist role and can prove it.

3. Salary Requirements

The D-7 visa has no minimum salary, KRW benchmark or salary tiers by position. Pay levels quoted elsewhere for D-7 are not requirements, so please do not rely on them.

What you do need is evidence around pay and business activity:

• Consulate application: an employment certificate from the foreign company, a dispatch order, and proof that the Korean branch or liaison office operates normally (business-fund inflow record; for a new office, an operation plan and tax payment record).
• Extension: proof of personal tax payment (a personal tax payment certificate, last year's earned income withholding receipt, or an income amount certificate) and proof of business-fund inflow.

Whether a particular pay level will raise questions is decided case by case by the consul or immigration office.

4. Required Documents

Consulate application, Korean branch of a foreign company:

• Visa application form (Form No. 17), passport, one standard-size photo and fee
• Employment certificate from the foreign company
• Dispatch order
• Proof the Korean branch or liaison office is established (copy of the establishment permit)
• Proof the branch or liaison office operates normally (business-fund inflow record; for a new office, an operation plan and tax payment record)
• Proof of essential personnel status (resume, career certificate and similar)

The consul may add or remove some documents to review the purpose of entry, the genuineness of the invitation and the qualifications.

Overseas affiliate to Korean head office: the application form, passport copy, photo and fee; resume and career certificate; head office corporate registry (may be omitted for a public enterprise); overseas direct investment report or overseas branch establishment report acceptance; proof of overseas remittance; overseas entity corporate registry or business registration; overseas employment certificate and tax payment proof; and a personnel order that states the dispatch period.

Visa issuance confirmation route: application, passport copy, photo, statement of reason for invitation, proof of essential personnel status, employment certificate, dispatch order, proof of branch establishment and of normal operation. A proxy adds a power of attorney, the proxy's employment certificate and ID.

Extension: application form (Form No. 34), passport, alien registration card and fee; dispatch order or head office employment certificate; branch or liaison office establishment permit; proof of business-fund inflow; personal tax payment proof; proof of residence. A route-by-route checklist is on our D-7 documents by route page.

5. Application Process

1. Confirm eligibility: check the 1-year rule, the exceptions and the essential personnel role.
2. Prepare documents: head office documents (employment certificate, dispatch order) and Korean-side documents (establishment permit, proof of normal operation).
3. Apply: at the Korean consulate, or by a visa issuance confirmation issued by an immigration office. The consul may add or remove documents.
4. After arrival: complete alien registration.
5. Extend when needed with the required stay documents.

One D-7 grant can run up to 3 years (renewable, with no overall time limit on total stay). There is no standard processing time, so timing depends on the case and the office in charge.

6. D7 vs D8 Visa Korea

FAQ