E-7-1 Transport Manager Visa (1512)

Overview

E-7-1 Transport Manager (code 1512) is a status for people who plan, direct and coordinate a carrier of international passengers, cargo and the like, or another transport business, and who meet the requirements.

The job types that can be brought in are shipping company manager, shipping department manager, airline manager, airline transport department manager, and the ship management expert at ship management and shipping firms.

For the first four, the qualification requirements (education and experience) follow the general rules, and visa issuance, stay management and the like follow the general rules for all of them, ship management experts included. The ship management expert faces extra qualification, career and revenue conditions, and an employment recommendation (Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Seafarers Policy Division) is listed as mandatory.

So the requirements for an airline manager and for a ship management expert differ even though both work in transport. The announced 2026 wage floor is KRW 31.12 million a year.

At a Glance

Scope of Activity

• The scope is planning, directing and coordinating a transport business for international passengers, cargo and the like, or another transport business.
• The example jobs name a shipping company manager and a shipping department manager.
• An airline manager and an airline transport department manager are named in the same examples, so they can be brought in under this job.
• A ship management expert at a ship management or shipping firm can also be brought in under this job, but extra conditions apply.
• Even a manager at a shipping or airline company is in principle limited to managers of the operating department at the head office.

Who Qualifies

• Master's degree or higher: the degree has to be in a field related to the job. Bachelor's degree: a related degree plus at least a year of experience in that field. Experience only: five or more years of work in a related field. A shipping or airline company manager needs only one of the three.
• For a ship management expert, the requirement depends on sea service. Someone who served as captain, chief engineer, or first officer or first engineer needs at least 1 year as a ship manager, while second or third officers and engineers need at least 5 years.
• The firm that hires a ship management expert must be registered with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and must have averaged 10 or more managed vessels over the last 3 years.
• On top of that, foreign currency income excluding seafarer wages must be at least one million US dollars a year, or yearly sales excluding seafarer wages at least KRW 1 billion. Meeting one of the two is enough.

Required Documents

• A foreigner applying through a certificate of visa issuance confirmation as a shipping or airline manager prepares a passport copy, one color half-size ID photo, the employment contract and proof of qualifications (degree, career certificate, license and the like).
• A ship management expert has to show that the separate qualification and career conditions are met through the qualification documents, such as a degree, career certificate or license.
• A firm bringing in a ship management expert must obtain an employment recommendation from the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries (Seafarers Policy Division), and it has to be attached when the application is filed. Managers working at large companies are exempt from the recommendation.
• The inviting company or organization prepares the establishment documents of the employing body and the like, papers proving the need to hire a foreigner (an invitation statement, an employment recommendation and the like), a tax payment certificate (national tax) and a local tax payment certificate.
• Papers issued outside Korea must carry a Korean or English translation, and the main key papers also need a consular notarization or an apostille certificate when the file is submitted for a ship or airline manager.

Application Process

1. Check eligibility — confirm your current status, career, degree and contract type match the requirements.
2. Prepare documents — foreign public documents need a translator's certification plus an apostille (or consular confirmation for non-member states).
3. Book a visit — reserve a slot at your Immigration Office via HiKorea (www.hikorea.go.kr), or file online where e-Application is available.
4. File and pay — submit the Integrated Application Form (Form No. 34) and pay the screening fee.
5. Review — respond to any request for supplementary documents within the deadline.
6. Result — on approval, the period of stay and status are granted; reissue your ARC if required.

Key Points

• Ship management expert refers to a specialist at a ship management or shipping firm. It is the only listed job type here that carries its own qualification, career and revenue conditions.
• Employment recommendation means a document proving the need to hire a foreigner; where the job standard makes it mandatory, it must be attached when filing. For ship management experts the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries (Seafarers Policy Division) issues it.
• Sea service holder means, under the ship management expert rule, someone who has served aboard as captain, chief engineer, or first officer or first engineer (1 or more years as ship manager needed), or as second or third officer or engineer (5 or more years as ship manager needed).
• A firm may hire one ship management expert for each full set of the basic conditions, meaning 10 managed vessels, one million US dollars of foreign currency income and KRW 1 billion in sales, up to 5 people per firm.
• Shipping and airline managers who work at large companies are exempt from the employment recommendation. Even where a recommending body is named, as for ship management experts, it can be collected only from managers at small and medium companies, and the split between large and small follows the standards in the Enforcement Decree of the SME Basic Act.
• A transport manager is in principle limited to managers of the head-office operating department, and the review takes into account the current state and independence of that department, its number of regular staff and the wage level of the foreign manager, among other factors.
• Work VISAS KOREA (Vision Administrative Office) helps with: the entry and workplace moves of shipping and airline managers, and the requirement review for ship management experts.
• Visa issuance certificate application, Specific Activities (E-7-1)
• Change of status application
• Report of workplace change or addition (permission)
• Advance review of requirements and documents, including the ship management expert conditions
• Cases with extra conditions, such as ship management experts, need their requirements checked before you apply, and individual cases must be confirmed with the competent immigration office.
• Related job articles: E-7-1 Sales Manager visa, E-7-1 Accommodation, Travel, Leisure and Sports Manager visa, E-7-1 Construction and Mining Manager visa. The full job list is in All E-7 job categories.
• 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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