Temporary News Coverage Visa

Who can apply

• ✓Foreign nationals who come to Korea for a short time to do news-gathering and reporting work (취재·보도활동).
• ✓Under the Immigration Act enforcement decree (별표1), C-1 covers: (1) people dispatched by a foreign newspaper, broadcaster, magazine, or other news/press organization to do short-term coverage and reporting in Korea, and (2) people doing short-term coverage/reporting in Korea under a contract with a foreign press organization.
• ✓It is for temporary assignments only (for example, covering a specific event, sports competition, election, interview, or filming trip).
• ✓It is NOT for journalists who will be stationed/resident in Korea long-term as a correspondent – that is the D-5 (주재취재) visa.
• ✓Low relevance to students.

Documents you'll need

• Common documents: visa application form
• one passport photo
• passport (valid at least 6 months)
• identity document. C-1-specific supporting documents commonly requested: dispatch/assignment (출장) letter from the sending press organization
• certificate of employment (재직증명서) or press/journalist ID card (기자증 / foreign-press credential)
• a coverage/reporting plan
• and, depending on the mission, a copy of the news organization’s business registration or organizational document. Exact documents vary by the Korean embassy/consulate and nationality – confirm with the specific mission. (unverified: a single standardized nationwide document checklist
• requirements are taken from overseas mission (MOFA) visa-document guides.)

How to apply

• Overseas embassy visa (사증) issued by the head of a Korean mission abroad (authority delegated by the Minister of Justice), generally via the Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr).
• Short-stay category, normally not changed inside Korea.
• Apply at the Korean embassy or consulate abroad (issued by the head of the overseas mission under authority delegated by the Minister of Justice).
• Because C-1 is a short-stay category, it is normally issued abroad rather than changed inside Korea.
• Electronic application through the Korea Visa Portal (www.visa.go.kr) is generally available/recommended.

Working on this visa

Limited to the news-coverage/reporting activity that the visa is issued for. C-1 permits only the short-term journalism/press work described in the application; it does not allow general paid employment or other income-earning activity in Korea.

Sub-types

C-1 temporary news coverage (일시취재) is a single residence status with no commonly published numbered sub-codes. It sits within the C short-term visa series (C-1 temporary news coverage, C-3 short-term visit (단기방문), C-4 short-term employment (단기취업)).

The long-term journalism counterpart is a separate status, D-5 resident news coverage (주재취재).

2025–2026 policy updates

• No C-1-specific policy change was found in official Korean government sources for 2025-2026.
• General change: electronic visa application through the Korea Visa Portal became the recommended method as of 1 May 2025, which applies broadly to visa categories including C-1.
• (unverified: any 2025-2026 update targeting the C-1 category specifically.)

Common mistakes

• Using C-1 for a long-term/resident correspondent posting – that requires D-5, not C-1.
• Assuming C-1 allows general work in Korea; it only covers the specific news-coverage activity applied for.
• Expecting to extend C-1 past 90 days (it is a short-term category and is generally not extended).
• Confusing C-1 (temporary coverage) with C-3 (short-term visit/tourism/business) – reporting work should be on C-1, not C-3.
• Not carrying press credentials/assignment letter that immigration or event organizers may request.

Where this leads

Official source ↗  Official manual ↗