Korean Visa Types Explained: D-2, D-4, E-2, F-2 and More
A plain-English map of Korea's visa system — student, work, working holiday, residency and digital nomad visas, and which one fits your situation.
Korea's visa system looks like alphabet soup the first time you meet it: D-2, D-4-1, E-2, F-2-7, H-1, F-1-D. The good news is that the letters follow a logic, and once you see it, the whole system snaps into focus. This guide is the map. We keep a separate, detailed guide for each visa people actually ask us about, and link to them as we go.
One honest note before we start: visa rules change more often than any other topic on this site, and your nationality changes the details. Treat this as orientation, then confirm specifics on HiKorea (the immigration portal you will come to know extremely well) or with the Korean embassy in your country.
How to read a Korean visa code
The letter tells you the family: A is diplomats, C is short-term stays, D is study and training, E is employment, F is residency and family, H is working holiday. The number narrows it down — D-2 is a degree student, D-4 is a trainee (usually a language student). Some codes go one level deeper: F-2-7 is the points-based residency track inside the F-2 family.
When Koreans ask "비자가 뭐예요?" (What's your visa?), this code is what they mean, and it determines almost everything about your legal life here: whether you can work, how long you can stay, and what happens when you want to switch paths.
Short stays: visa-free entry and the K-ETA
If you're coming as a tourist from most of Europe, North America, Australia or much of Asia, you likely don't need a visa at all — you enter visa-free for 30 to 90 days depending on nationality. Many visa-free nationalities need a K-ETA (electronic travel authorization) approved online before boarding, though Korea has periodically waived it for some countries to boost tourism. Check the current list before you fly; it genuinely changes.
Visa-free entry is for tourism. You can't legally work on it, and "visa runs" — hopping to Japan and back to reset your days — draw attention fast at immigration.
Studying: D-2 and D-4
The D-4 (general trainee) visa is how most people study Korean full-time. Enroll in a university language institute for at least two consecutive 10-week terms and the school sponsors your visa. Our language school guide compares the major programs and costs.
The D-2 (student) visa is for degree programs — bachelor's, master's, doctorate. Your university handles the paperwork after admission; you'll need proof of funds and, for many programs, a TOPIK score. Both visas allow part-time work only after you get a separate permit — the rules are specific enough that we wrote a whole guide on student part-time work.
Whichever you hold, your first stop after arriving is the ARC — your residence card, which unlocks bank accounts, phone plans and basically all of adult life in Korea.
Working: E-2, E-7 and friends
The E-2 (foreign language instructor) visa is the classic route: teaching English (or another language) at a school or hagwon. You need citizenship of a designated English-speaking country for English positions, a bachelor's degree, an apostilled criminal record check, and a sponsoring school. The school drives the process; your job is document gathering.
The E-7 (specially designated activities) visa covers skilled professionals — engineers, designers, chefs, office roles — hired by a Korean company. It's occupation-list based and has salary requirements, so the employer's HR team matters a lot here. Researchers and professors have their own codes (E-3, E-1).
The thing to internalize about E visas: they're tied to your employer. Changing jobs means immigration paperwork, and quitting without a plan can end your legal stay.
Working holiday: H-1
Korea has working holiday agreements with a few dozen countries — Australia, Canada, much of Europe, and others. If you're roughly 18 to 30 (a few countries allow up to 35), you can get an H-1 visa for about a year of funded travel plus casual work, with some job types (like entertainment venues) off-limits. It's a one-per-lifetime visa for most nationalities and a genuinely great way to test-drive living here. Apply through the Korean embassy in your home country before you travel.
Remote workers: the F-1-D digital nomad visa
Since 2024, remote employees of foreign companies can live in Korea on the F-1-D workation visa without touching the local job market. It has a meaningful income threshold and insurance requirements, and the rules were eased in 2026 — the full breakdown is in our digital nomad visa guide.
Staying long-term: the F family
F-2-7 is the points-based residency visa: you score points for age, education, Korean ability (TOPIK pays off here), income and more, and above the threshold you get residency that isn't chained to one employer. It's the natural next step for E-7 holders and graduates settling in.
F-4 is for ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship — very common among Korean-Americans and Korean-Chinese — and allows most kinds of work. F-6 is the marriage visa. F-5 is permanent residency, the long game: typically reached after years on other F or E visas, with income and language requirements.
Which visa fits you?
A quick orientation, not legal advice: here to travel for a few weeks — visa-free or K-ETA. Want to study Korean seriously — D-4 through a university program. Admitted to a degree — D-2. Teaching English — E-2 with a school sponsor. Hired by a Korean company — E-7. Young and flexible — check if your country has the H-1 agreement. Working remotely for a foreign employer — F-1-D. Korean heritage — F-4. Building a life here — aim yourself at F-2-7 and eventually F-5.
Whatever the path, two habits will save you: never let your sojourn period lapse (see how to extend your stay), and never rely on year-old blog posts — including ours — without a quick check against HiKorea. We date and re-verify our guides, but immigration policy is the fastest-moving thing we cover.
Cover photo by Global Residence Index, used under the Unsplash License. In-article photo by BLUE, used under the Unsplash License.
Frequently asked questions
›Can I change my visa type without leaving Korea?
Sometimes. Many changes — such as D-4 language student to D-2 degree student, or D-2 to E-7 after graduation — can be done at an immigration office inside Korea. Others, including most changes from tourist status to a work visa, traditionally require applying from a Korean embassy abroad. Check your exact combination on HiKorea or with your sponsor before booking anything.
›How long does a Korean visa application take?
Plan on two to four weeks for most embassy applications once your documents are complete, and longer during university intake seasons (February and August). Gathering the paperwork — apostilled diplomas, criminal record checks — usually takes far longer than the application itself, so start on documents two to three months ahead.
›Do I need a visa just to visit Korea as a tourist?
Citizens of most Western countries can visit visa-free for 30 to 90 days depending on nationality, though many need to apply online for a K-ETA travel authorization before flying. Rules and exemption lists change, so check the official Korea Visa Portal or your airline's requirements before you book.
›What is a sojourn (체류) period and why does it matter more than my visa?
Your visa gets you through the border; your permitted period of sojourn — stamped or recorded when you enter — is what actually controls how long you can stay. Extensions, part-time work permission and re-entry rules all attach to your sojourn status, which you manage through immigration offices and HiKorea, not through the embassy that issued the visa.
Sources and updates
Last edited on September 29, 2026. Sources support the specific details discussed in the guide; check the provider for current prices, availability and eligibility.
