Korea Visa & Residency Guides (2026)

Plain-English, no-hype guides to the visas and residency steps foreigners most often ask about in Korea — written to be honest about what's uncertain, and to send you to official sources for the final word.

⚠️ Everything here is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Visa rules change often and depend on your nationality and situation. Always verify the current requirements on the official Korea Immigration Service site hikorea.go.kr and with your nearest Korean embassy or consulate before acting.

Study

D-2

D-2 Student Visa Guide

For degree-seeking students: documents, the CCVI process, part-time work hours by TOPIK level, and next steps.

Work

E-7

E-7 Work Visa Requirements (2026)

The four E-7 sub-types, 2026 salary standards, employer sponsorship, and the points-based E-7-4 route.

F-1-D

Digital Nomad (Workation) Visa 2026

The F-1-D for remote workers: income threshold, insurance, background check, duration, and the remote-only rule.

Residency

F-2-7

F-2-7 Long-Term Residency Visa

The points-based residency visa: the 80-point threshold, scoring categories, and the income-based residence waiver.

ARC

Residence Card (ARC) Registration

The 90-day deadline, HiKorea booking, documents, medical exam, fee, and processing time after you arrive.

Travel & working holiday

H-1

Working Holiday (H-1) Visa Guide

Age limits that vary by country, eligible countries, duration, quotas, and work-hour limits for young travelers.

K-ETA

K-ETA vs e-Arrival Card 2026

Who's exempt through Dec 31 2026, who still needs a K-ETA, the fee, and the new mandatory e-Arrival Card.

eSIM

Best Korea eSIM for Tourists 2026

How much data you need, phone compatibility, activating at Incheon, and avoiding the offline-on-arrival trap.

About these guides

We aim to be accurate and honest: where a figure or rule is uncertain or changes year to year, we say so and tell you to check the official source rather than guess. Visa decisions are made by Korean Immigration and your embassy — never by any website. Some pages contain affiliate links to travel services (such as eSIMs); these don't affect the information and never cost you extra.