D7 Visa Korea: Complete Guide to the Intra-Company Transfer Visa 2026

1. What is D7 Visa Korea?

The D7 visa Korea — officially the D-7 Intra-Company Transfer Visa — is a Korea business visa issued to employees of multinational corporations who are transferred from an overseas parent company, subsidiary, or branch to work at the Korean entity. It is one of the most common visas for foreign executives and specialists dispatched to Korea by global companies.

The D-7 visa is divided into two categories:

• D-7-1: Dispatch to a branch office, liaison office, or subsidiary in Korea
• D-7-2: Dispatch to a Korean company that has a business relationship (e.g., joint venture, partnership) with the foreign employer

The D7 visa Korea is distinct from the D-8 Corporate Investment Visa. While D-8 is for investors who establish their own company, D-7 is for employees dispatched by their existing foreign employer.

2. Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the D7 visa Korea, applicants must meet all of the following conditions:

• Have been employed at the overseas entity for at least 1 year prior to the dispatch
• Hold an executive, manager, or specialist position
• Be dispatched to a Korean branch, subsidiary, or affiliated company
• The Korean inviting company must be a legally registered Korean corporation (branch office, liaison office, or subsidiary)
• The dispatch must serve a genuine business purpose

3. Salary Requirements

For the D7 visa Korea, there is no fixed statutory minimum salary in the same way as E-7. However, the salary must be reasonable and appropriate for the position and industry, and it must meet or exceed the Korean minimum wage. In practice, immigration officers review salary levels as part of genuineness assessment.

Recommended minimum salary benchmarks (2026):

• Specialists / Senior staff: KRW 30,000,000+ per year
• Executives / Managers: KRW 40,000,000+ per year

A low salary relative to the stated position may raise doubts about the legitimacy of the dispatch.

4. Required Documents

The following documents are typically required for a D7 visa Korea application:

• Visa application form (signed by both applicant and inviting company)
• Passport (valid for at least 6 months)
• Photo (passport-size, recent)
• Certificate of employment from the overseas company (including hire date, position, salary)
• Certificate of dispatch / assignment letter
• Korean business registration certificate of the inviting company
• Corporate registry of the overseas company (apostille or consular legalization)
• Proof of relationship between overseas company and Korean entity (shareholder registry, MOU, contract, etc.)
• Applicant's educational certificates and career documents
• Employment contract with the Korean entity (if applicable)

5. Application Process

1. Prepare documents: Gather all required documents from both the overseas company and the Korean inviting entity.
2. Apostille / Notarization: Legalize all foreign documents through the appropriate authority.
3. Submit application: Apply at the Korean Immigration Service (Hikorea.go.kr) or through a licensed Korean visa agency.
4. Review period: Standard processing time is 2–4 weeks; complex cases may take longer.
5. Visa issuance / Alien Registration: Upon approval, the dispatch employee enters Korea and registers as a foreign resident within 90 days.

Initial D-7 visa stay: up to 1–2 years, extendable in 1-year increments while the dispatch relationship continues.

6. D7 vs D8 Visa Korea

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