Workplace Change or Addition for Professionals — The 15-Day Report

Overview

For professional personnel, changing or adding a workplace moved from prior permission to a post-facto report on 15 November 2010 (Article 26-2(1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act).

The foreign national must report to the head of the competent Immigration Office within 15 days of the event; filing by a representative is allowed.

At a Glance

Scope of Activity

• Change of workplace by holders of professional statuses
• Addition of a workplace by holders of professional statuses

Who Qualifies

• Persons registered and residing under the relevant professional status who meet the qualification requirements for the new or additional workplace
• Excluded: persons dismissed or who left early through their own fault and who have not obtained the former employer's consent to transfer, even if otherwise qualified

Required Documents

• Workplace change/addition report (Form No. 38-3), passport and ARC (no fee)
• Business registration certificate
• Consent of the former employer
• Employment contract
• Status-specific additional documents (e.g. for E-4: acceptance certificate of the technology-introduction contract report, the contract or service transaction certificate, or a copy of the defence-industry designation)

Application Process

1. Check eligibility — confirm your current status, career, degree and contract type match the requirements.
2. Prepare documents — documents issued abroad need an apostille from your government or consular confirmation from a Korean mission in that country.
3. Visit in person — the passport must be stamped or have a sticker affixed, so in-person filing is the rule (fax first only in urgent cases near the deadline).
4. File — submit the workplace change/addition report (Form No. 38-3) with your passport, ARC and the documents above.
5. Review — the Immigration Office may request additional documents where necessary.
6. Result — the workplace change/addition sticker or seal is affixed to your passport.

Key Points

• For some statuses (e.g. E-4 and E-5), an employment recommendation from the competent minister is required when changing (as distinct from adding) a workplace.
• Waiver of the former employer's consent: waived where you worked until the contract expiry date or a mutually agreed date; where the former employer suspended or closed business or failed to pay wages, evidence or a written explanation may be substituted.
• Because a sticker or seal must be affixed in the passport, in-person filing is the rule. In urgent cases near the deadline, file by fax first and visit promptly to have the sticker affixed.
• For non-profit D-1, D-2 and D-4 holders, a change of affiliated institution (including a name change), and for D-5 to D-9 holders, a name change of the affiliated body, are handled as alien registration change reports rather than this report.
• Within C-4, seasonal work (C-4-1 to 4) does not permit adding a workplace.
• Documents issued in Korea must normally be dated within 3 months unless another validity period applies.
• Documents already on file in your alien registration record need not be resubmitted.
• Health certificates, drug test results and pre-employment medical reports must be submitted sealed by the issuing hospital (do not open).
• You must be in Korea when applying; leaving the country after filing may result in refusal.
• Screening fees are non-refundable once the application is accepted.
• The head of the Immigration Office may add or waive documents where necessary for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

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