Intra-Company Transferee (Dispatch)
주재 — Long-term employment / intra-company transfer (dispatched essential professional personnel)
At a glance
Essential professional personnel (executives, senior managers, or specialists) who have worked for at least 1 year at the head office, a branch, or another business…
Up to 2 years per grant under the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act attached Table 1 (출입국관리법 시행규칙 별표1) (extended to 3 years for staff of Australian-invested…
Yes — work is authorized only in the dispatched position at the designated Korean sponsoring entity (branch/subsidiary/resident office/affiliated company).
Who can apply
- ✓Essential professional personnel (executives, senior managers, or specialists) who have worked for at least 1 year at the head office, a branch, or another business office of a foreign public institution, organization, or company, and are dispatched to that entity’s branch, subsidiary, resident (liaison) office, or an affiliated company (계열회사) in Korea designated by the Minister of Justice, to provide or receive specialized knowledge, technology, or skills.
- ✓Also covers foreign staff of a Korean listed corporation’s or public institution’s overseas subsidiary/branch who are dispatched to the domestic head office (D-7-2).
- ✓Note: overseas subsidiaries in which the parent company’s investment is under US$500,000 are excluded.
Documents you'll need
- Passport and completed visa application form
- standard/common visa documents
- proof of essential professional status (resume and career/employment certificate)
- parent (head) company registration documents (waived for public enterprises)
- overseas direct investment report or branch/office establishment approval (report) notice
- evidence of overseas remittance/investment
- foreign subsidiary registration certificate or business license
- overseas employment and tax-payment certificate
- personnel transfer (dispatch) order specifying the dispatch period
How to apply
- Overseas embassy visa (사증), generally via a Certificate of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서) obtained in Korea; in-Korea change of status to D-7 is limited.
- (unverified — confirm current procedure in the HiKorea status-by-status guide manual, 체류자격별 안내매뉴얼) D-7 applications are typically processed via a Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서) obtained in Korea, after which the visa is issued at an overseas Korean mission; in-Korea change of status to D-7 is limited.
- (unverified — confirm current procedure in the HiKorea status-by-status guide manual, 체류자격별 안내매뉴얼)
Stay & extension
Up to 2 years per grant under the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act attached Table 1 (출입국관리법 시행규칙 별표1) (extended to 3 years for staff of Australian-invested subsidiaries under the Korea-Australia FTA). Visa validity within 3 months; permitted stay 91 days or longer.
(max-per-grant number partly unverified — the official attached Table 1 could not be read directly)
Extendable within the permitted stay limit; extension of stay is applied for at an immigration office or via HiKorea before the current stay expires. (specific rules unverified — confirm in official manual)
Working on this visa
Yes — work is authorized only in the dispatched position at the designated Korean sponsoring entity (branch/subsidiary/resident office/affiliated company). Activity outside this scope requires separate permission.
Requirements in detail
No personal income/investment threshold for the applicant; overseas subsidiaries in which the parent company’s investment is under US$500,000 are excluded. Applicant must have at least 1 year of prior employment at the overseas parent/branch.
Sub-types
D-7-1essential professional personnel dispatched to the Korean branch, subsidiary, resident office, or MOJ-designated affiliated company of a foreign public institution/organization/companyD-7-2foreign staff of a Korean listed corporation’s or public institution’s overseas branch/subsidiary dispatched to the domestic head office.Spouse and minor children may accompany on F-3 (dependent family).
A mobile ARC (모바일 외국인등록증), introduced 2025, is available to registered ARC holders after completing foreigner registration.
Common mistakes
Assuming any overseas subsidiary qualifies — those with parent-company investment under US$500,000 are excluded; not documenting the required minimum 1-year prior employment at the overseas parent/branch; expecting a simple in-Korea change of status when D-7 generally needs a Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance from abroad; missing the dispatch order that states the dispatch period.
Where this leads
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