Questions by situation
Each answer starts with the conclusion, then who it applies to, the documents and the timing. Jump here from “Choose your situation” above.
How do I check whether my job counts as an E-7-1 occupation in Korea?
E-7-1 covers only the 67 occupations (15 manager and 52 professional occupations) that the Minister of Justice selected from the managers and professionals groups of the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations. If your role does not match the list exactly, it can be allowed as the most similar occupation after a combined review of that occupation's requirements, the need for the hire and whether Koreans could fill it; for professional occupations that judgement is at the discretion of the head of the Immigration Office. So the first step is matching the duties in the employment contract to an occupation code.
I have a bachelor's degree but less than 1 year of experience. Can I still get an E-7-1 visa?
The general requirement is one of: a related master's or higher, a related bachelor's plus at least 1 year of experience in the field, or at least 5 years of related experience, so a bachelor's alone normally needs one more year of experience. Only experience after the degree or qualification counts, except that workers in high-tech fields such as IT, bio and nano can count related internships before graduation. Graduates of Korean universities or of top-ranked universities abroad may be exempt from the 1-year experience rule under the special requirements, so start by checking where and from which school you got your degree.
Can I get an E-7-1 work visa in Korea with work experience but no university degree?
Yes, there is a route. At least 5 years of work experience in a field related to the designated occupation meets the general requirement. The career certificates must clearly show your duties and dates, and documents issued abroad need a Korean or English translation, with consular notarisation or an apostille for the key documents. Where an occupation sets its own education or experience rules, those apply instead.
I graduated from a Korean junior college. Can I work in an E-7-1 occupation, and is it different for 4-year graduates?
Graduates (or expected graduates) of Korean junior colleges are exempt from the 1-year experience requirement when taking a designated occupation related to their major, and holders of a bachelor's or higher from a Korean university can take any designated occupation regardless of major, in both cases if the need for the hire is recognised. These special rules apply only to degrees from universities, industrial universities, universities of education and junior colleges; distance, cyber and technical colleges and miscellaneous schools are excluded. For a change of status within Korea, the employment recommendation can be omitted even for occupations requiring a bachelor's plus 1 year, except for occupations where the recommendation is mandatory.
Are E-7-1 requirements relaxed if I graduated from a top university abroad or worked for a global company?
They can be. Someone with at least 1 year in a professional role at a Global 500 company can be allowed even without the education and experience requirements, and a bachelor's graduate of a Times top-200 or QS top-500 university can be allowed without the 1-year experience requirement, if the need for the hire is recognised. Graduates of overseas universities aged 29 or under who graduated from a Times top-200 or QS top-200 university within the last 3 years, or who majored in Korean studies with TOPIK level 6, may be exempt from the occupation-related degree and experience requirements as promising overseas talent. Prepare ranking evidence together with graduation and employment certificates.
If my salary is high, can I get an E-7-1 visa without the usual degree or experience?
If total annual pay is at least 3 times the prior-year gross national income (GNI) per capita, both education and experience can be waived for any occupation, and no ministry recommendation is needed. At 1.5 times or more with a recommendation from the competent central government agency (or the mayor or governor for designated economic zones (경제자유구역) and similar areas), education and experience can be waived for the 67 professional occupations only. In that case the first permit is limited to 1 year of stay, and at extension the actual pay is checked with an income amount certificate issued by the tax office.
How is the E-7-1 wage requirement set, and how is my salary assessed?
The E-7-1 wage requirement follows the standard the Minister of Justice confirms and announces each year, so check the figure announced for that year as of your application date. The review uses total annual salary, the employment contract must state working hours per day and per month against the monthly total pay, and both hourly and monthly pay must be at or above the minimum wage. Some occupations follow their own standard, small and medium enterprises, venture companies and mid-sized firms outside the capital area may qualify for an eased standard for up to 3 years, and where a special rule and the year's announced figure differ, the more favourable one applies.
Can a startup with no revenue yet hire a foreign professional on an E-7-1 visa?
Small early-stage foreign-invested or venture companies in manufacturing, trade, consulting or R&D that want to hire for the 67 professional occupations can be allowed for up to 5 years from founding even without sales. Domestic job protection rules other than the wage requirement do not normally apply to professionals, but they apply as an exception to occupations such as mechanical engineers, drafters, travel product developers, overseas sales staff and translators/interpreters: firms focused on the domestic market with fewer than 5 Korean employees are restricted, and foreign hires are allowed within 20% of Korean employees. In every case the employer must have no unpaid national or local taxes.
Is an employment recommendation letter required for an E-7-1 visa, and who issues it?
It must be attached only for occupations where the occupation-specific standards make it mandatory; for others you prepare proof of the need to hire, such as an invitation statement. It is waived when a university or public institution is hiring, or when a private company hires someone for a large-company manager role. For mandatory occupations it is issued by the head of the competent central government agency (or the mayor or governor for designated economic zones (경제자유구역) and similar areas) and is handled through the e-recommendation system on the Korea Visa Portal.
What documents do the company and the foreign hire each need for an E-7-1 visa issuance certificate?
The certificate is filed at the Immigration Office covering the inviting company's location, and online filing on the Korea Visa Portal is also possible when the hire has a talent recommendation from a ministry or similar body. The foreign national provides a passport copy, one photo and proof of qualifications such as degree, career and licence certificates; the company provides incorporation documents such as business registration, a copy of the employment contract, national and local tax payment certificates, and proof of the need to hire such as an invitation statement, a foreign staff utilisation plan or an employment recommendation. Some occupations such as designers, mechanical engineers and drafters also need a letter of guarantee, and a proxy filing needs a letter of authorisation and related documents.
Which visas can switch to E-7-1 inside Korea, and which cannot?
Short-term statuses (B and C series), technical training (D-3), seasonal work (E-8), non-professional employment (E-9), crew employment (E-10) and miscellaneous (G-1) are restricted from changing to E-7. Registered foreign nationals staying lawfully on statuses such as study (D-2), job-seeking (D-10), intra-company transfer (D-7) or corporate investment (D-8), and their dependent spouses (F-3), can apply once they meet the occupation requirements and sign an employment contract. Documents are the application form, passport, alien registration card, photo, employment contract, employer incorporation documents, career certificate, employment recommendation or proof of the need to hire, and national and local tax payment certificates.
If I leave my E-7-1 employer before my contract ends, can I move to a new company?
For most E-7-1 occupations, if you meet the requirements for the new workplace you file a workplace change/addition report with the Immigration Office within 15 days of the change, after the fact. However, if you were dismissed through your own fault or quit mid-contract without the original employer's consent to transfer, you fall outside the report system and need a workplace change permit or a new visa issuance certificate. The original employer's consent is waived if you completed the contract term, and can be replaced by evidence or a written explanation if the workplace closed or wages were unpaid; some occupations such as mechanical engineers, drafters and designers need prior permission.
Do I need an income amount certificate to extend my E-7-1 visa? What if my salary dropped?
Yes. At extension the personal income amount certificate (from the tax office, or the employer's withholding record) is mandatory together with the application form, passport, alien registration card and employment contract, along with business registration or the corporate register, proof of residence and the employer's national and local tax payment certificates. The wage requirement is reviewed against that year's announced standard and pay below it is normally restricted, so if your salary changed, reconcile the contract with actual income before extending. Each grant is capped at 3 years.
Can the spouse of an E-7-1 visa holder come on a dependent (F-3) visa and work in Korea?
The spouse and minor children of an E-7 holder can stay as dependents (F-3), and the spouse needs prior permission for activities outside status to work. Permitted fields are professional occupations from E-1 to E-7 (excluding E-6-2) and agriculture, forestry and livestock within the H-2 work scope, for up to 1 year within the spouse's own period of stay (within the employment contract term). To work in an E-7 occupation, the spouse must separately meet that occupation's requirements under the E-7 issuance standards.
After how many years on E-7-1 can I change to the points-based F-2-7 residence visa?
Once you have stayed lawfully on Professional (E-7-1) for at least 3 consecutive years and meet the extension requirements of your current status, you qualify as a professional worker for a change to points-based residence (F-2-7), with a combined score of 80 or more. The 3-year stay requirement is waived if your annual income on the income amount certificate is KRW 40 million or more, or if you were invited under a government-approved programme for overseas science and engineering talent with a recommendation from a central government agency. Checking your income certificate and points items before the 3 years are up helps you plan the timing.
Key terms
- Professional (E-7-1, 전문인력)
- The sub-status of Special Activity (E-7) for foreign nationals in the 67 manager and professional occupations selected by the Minister of Justice from the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations.
- Designated occupation (도입직종)
- An occupation the Minister of Justice has designated as especially needing foreign workers with professional knowledge or skills; Special Activity (E-7) covers 94 occupations as of August 2026.
- General requirement (일반요건)
- The basic education and experience rule: a related master's or higher, a related bachelor's plus at least 1 year of experience, or at least 5 years of related experience.
- Special requirement (특별요건)
- Special rules that waive or ease education and experience requirements for talent such as Korean university graduates, graduates of top universities abroad and high-income professionals.
- Wage requirement (임금요건)
- The annual E-7 salary standard confirmed and announced each year by the Minister of Justice; the figure announced as of the application date is applied, and hiring below it is normally restricted.
- Employment recommendation (고용추천서)
- A recommendation issued by the head of the competent central government agency or similar body; it must be attached for occupations where the occupation-specific standards make it mandatory.
- Domestic job protection standards (국민고용 보호 심사기준)
- Rules on employer size and foreign hiring ratios to protect jobs for Koreans; apart from the wage requirement they do not normally apply to professionals, except for certain occupations.
- Workplace change/addition report (근무처 변경·추가 신고)
- The report an E-7 holder files within 15 days of changing or adding a workplace; some occupations need prior permission instead.
- Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서)
- A document the inviting company obtains from the Immigration Office in Korea, on the basis of which the foreign hire is issued an E-7-1 visa at a Korean mission abroad.
About our office
- Office
- Vision Administrative Office (비전행정사사무소 · VISAS KOREA)
- Principal
- Alex Lee (이원중), licensed administrative agent (행정사)
- Licence
- Administrative agent (행정사) — preparing immigration and residence filings and submitting them on the client’s behalf with written authorization (위임장)
- Scope
- Korean visas (visa issuance certificate, change of status, extension), permanent residency (F-5), foreign-invested company, branch and liaison office setup, immigration violation review and entry-ban response
- Languages
- Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
- Address
- 3F Sungwoo Bldg, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04614, Korea
- Hours
- Weekdays 09:30–17:30 (KST)
Who hires us for this
- Korean companies inviting overseas managers or professionals on E-7-1 for the first time
- Early-stage foreign-invested and venture companies with no revenue yet
- Foreign nationals on D-2, D-10 or similar statuses whose professional job offer is confirmed
- E-7-1 workers worried about the workplace change procedure before switching jobs mid-contract
- Professionals who have completed 3 years on E-7-1 and plan a move to points-based residence (F-2-7)
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