Invest KOREA

In order to facilitate the domestic business activities of foreign investors in Korea, KOTRA’s Foreign Investor Support Center (FISC) provides one-stop services to Business Investment (D-8) visa holders. In particular, officials dispatched from the Minister of Justice process visa and sojourn matters on the same day of application if there are no problems with documentation and evaluation. ※Visa and sojourn services provided by FISC – Granting of status of stay, permission of change of status of stay, alien registration (re-issuance), permission of re-entry, permission of extension of period of stay, report of change in alien registration matters, report of change of place of stay, permission of activities outside the ones permitted under the current status of stay, addition or change of workplace, certificate of entry & exit, certificate of alien registration (including perusal of information) ◎ FISC also provides services for Dependent Family (F-3) members of Business Investment (D-8) visa holders. The services include alien registration, permission of change of status of stay, permission of extension of period of stay, permission of re-entry, and issuance of certificate of entry & exit and alien registration certificate.

When calculating the period of stay, the date of entry is not included, and the period is calculated from the day following the date of entry. When the date of expiration of the period of stay falls on a public holiday, the following day shall be the expiration date. If it falls on a Saturday, two days later (Monday) shall be the expiration date. ◎ For example, when a foreigner has entered the country with a Tourist/Transit (B-2, 30 days) visa on March 31, 2020, the effective period of the visa shall begin from the following day, April 1, and the expiration date of the stay shall be April 30. However, since April 30 is a public holiday (Buddha's Birthday, Thursday), the expiration date shall be the following day, May 1 (Friday). If April 30 (Buddha's Birthday) is not a Thursday but a Friday (a public holiday), the day after the following day (May 2, Monday), shall be the expiration date. ◎ On the other hand, if the foreigner has entered the country on March 31, 2020 with a Tourist/Transit (B-2, 3 months) visa, the effective stay period shall be calculated in months, and the expiration date shall be June 30, 2020. If the expiration date is a public holiday, the following day shall be the effective expiration date, while if the end of the visa period lands on a Saturday, the following Monday shall be the effective expiration date. This is because Korea’s Civil Act prescribes that if a period has been fixed by the week, month or year, the first day of such period shall not be included in the computation, and it shall be computed according to the calendar.

Korea’s status of sojourn system acts as a basic management system for foreigners' immigration and stay. A status of stay is a classification of the status of foreigners in Korea and the social activities that they can engage in, and acts as a standard for the management of foreigners' stay in Korea. ◎ As long as a foreigner who entered Korea under a certain status of stay maintains his/her permitted activities and status, his/her stay in Korea is guaranteed for the permitted period of stay. However, if a foreigner changes his/her status of stay or intends to engage in an activity other than the ones permitted under his/her current status of stay, a permission of the Minister of Justice should be obtained in advance. ◎ Most countries prescribe certain standards for foreigners’ status of stay for convenient management of foreigners entering and staying in the country, and designate foreigner’s status of stay based on such standards. ◎ A status of stay is marked with a combination of capital letters of the alphabet and numbers, and Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act (attached Table 1: Short-term stay; attached Table 2: Long-term stay) classifies the qualifications for each status of stay and the scope of permitted activities. ◎ In Korea, a short-term stay is a period of 90 days or less, and a longterm stay is a period of 91 days or longer. Foreigners intending to stay in Korea for 91 days or longer should complete alien registration within 90 days from the date of entry.

If deemed necessary, the Minister of Justice may issue a visa issuance certificate to a foreigner who intends to enter the Republic of Korea, upon application of the foreigner, before an overseas diplomatic mission issues a visa. An application for a visa issuance certificate may be filed by any person who intends to invite a foreigner to the Republic of Korea on behalf of the foreigner (Article 9 of the Immigration Act). The purpose of issuing a visa issuance certificate is to simplify the visa issuance procedure and to shorten the visa issuance period in order to enhance the convenience of foreigners and their inviters in Korea. When the visa issuance certificate is issued, the inviter sends the issuance number and documents to the foreigner living abroad. When the foreigner applies for a visa at an overseas diplomatic mission of Korea, he/she can receive the visa if he/she submits the documents and the issuance number of the certificate. ※ A foreigner who wishes to receive a visa issuance certificate must submit the application form and required documents to the immigration office with jurisdiction over the residence of the person who wishes to invite him/her. The effective period of the visa issuance certificate is three months from the date of issuance.

1. Types of visas ◎ Single-entry visa – Entry limited to one occasion within the expiration period – Expiration period: 3 months from the date of issuance ◎ Multiple-entry visa – The visa holder can enter the country on two or more occasions within the expiration date. – Expiration period: Entry is permitted for the following period from the date of issuance: ○ Multiple entry visas pertaining to Diplomat (A-1), Government Official (A-2), International Agreement (A-3): Within 3 years ○ Multiple entry visas pertaining to Visiting Employee (H-2): Within 5 years ○ Multiple entry visas issued under an agreement for the issuance of multiple entry visa: The period prescribed in the agreement ○ Other visas mostly have an expiration period of one year. 2. Classification of short-term sojourn and long-term sojourn visas ◎ Short-term sojourn visa – Short-term visas issued to foreigners who intend to stay shortterm (within 90 days): Short-term Press Coverage (C-1) Visa, Shortterm General (C-3) Visa, Short-term Employee (C-4) Visa ◎ Long-term sojourn visa – Visas issued to diplomats, foreign government officials, those exempted in accordance with international agreements (persons subject to SOFA) and their family members: Diplomat (A-1) Visa, Government Official (A-2) Visa, International Agreement (A-3) Visa – Visas that are issued to persons that can engage in employment (visa with E type sojourn status): Professor (E-1) Visa, Foreign Language Instructor (E-2) Visa, Researcher (E-3) Visa, Technical Instructor/Technician (E-4), Professional (E-5) Visa, Arts/Athlete (E-6) Visa, Foreign National of Special Ability (E-7) Visa, Seasonal Worker (E-8) Visa, Non-professional (E-9) Visa, Vessel Crew (E-10), Working Holiday (H-1) Visa, Work and Visit (H-2) Visa – Other general visas: Korean Arts and Culture (D-1) Visa, Student (D-2) Visa, Industrial Trainee (D-3) Visa, General Trainee (D-4) Visa, Longterm News Coverage (D-5) Visa, Religious Worker (D-6) Visa, Intracompany Transferee (D-7) Visa, Business Investment (D-8) Visa, International Trade (D-9) Visa, Family Visitor (F-1) Visa, Resident (F2) Visa, Dependent Family (F-3) Visa, Overseas Korean (F-4) Visa, Permanent Resident (F-5) Visa, Miscellaneous (G-1) Visa