A foreigner who has entered Korea with a D-8 visa has to go to the immigration office and get an alien registration ID within 90 days of entry. A foreigner with a short-term visa or no visa with approval to change the status must go to the immigration office immediately after entry to obtain the alien registration ID.

• Copy of passport
• Dispatch order or assignment letter Certificate of employment
• Certificate of business registration
• Incorporation register book
• Incorporation register book
• Certificate of FDI company registration
• Certificate of declaration of foreign exchange
• Certificate of purchase of foreign exchange
• Bank transaction statement
• Office rental contract or lease agreement
• Certificate of tax payment
• Certificate of export report
• Power of attorney

Yes. Professional workers dispatched from the parent company are also eligible. In order to apply for the approval to change the status of sojourn the following documents have to be submitted:

– Application form;
– Copy of passport (personal information);
– Reason for invitation;
– Resume;
– Dispatch order or certificate of employment;
– Proof of professional knowledge (copy of degree, proof of experience, certificates,
etc.);
– Copy of FDI company registration;
– Copy of certificate of business registration or incorporation register book
(if it is corporation);
– Certificate of tax payment;
– Processing fee of KRW50, 000.

If due to unavoidable reasons, the foreign investor (individual) could not get a D-8 visa and entered Korea, an application for a change of sojourn conditions can be filed at the immigration office or Invest KOREA. Then it is possible to change the status and obtain a D-8 visa.However, it is not possible for the following visa holders to change their status and obtain a D-8 visa:

– Chinese nationals with a C-3 visa and having entered Korea as part of a tourist group
or purely for the purpose of travel;
– Holders of student (D-2), industrial trainee (D-3), general trainee (D-4), industrial
trainee employment (E-8), non-special employment (E-9), others (G-1), and working
holiday (H-1) visas.

It is required to enter Korea by first obtaining a short-term business visa (C-2) for preparing the establishment of a foreign-invested company, and then change the status to a D-8 visa after completing the registration of the company.
The documents needed when applying for a change of the conditions for sojourn are:

– Application form;
– Copy of passport (personal information);
– Copy of FDI company registration;
– Copy of certificate of business registration or incorporation register book
(if it is corporation);
– Certificate of purchase of foreign exchange;
– Certificate of declaration of foreign exchange, if the investment capital was carried in
personally;
– Bank transaction statement, if the investment was wired from overseas;
– Office rental contract or lease agreement;
– Copy of bank account;
– Processing fee of KRW50, 000.

For a foreign investor (individual) with an investment amount of more than 50mil. KRW:

– Application form for the certificate;
– Copy of passport (personal information);
– Copy of FDI company registration;
– Copy of certificat of business registration or incorporation register book
(if a corporation);
– Certificate of declaration of foreign exchange, if the investment capital was carried in personally;
– Bank transaction statement, if the investment was wired from overseas;
– Certificate of purchase of foreign exchange;
– Office rental contract or lease agreement;
– Copy of bank account.

When inviting essential professional manpower dispatched from the overseas parent company of the foreign-invested company established in Korea:

– Application form for the certificate;
– Copy of passport (personal information);
– Reason for invitation;
– Dispatch order or certificate of employment ;
– Resume;
– Proof of professional knowledge (copy of degree, proof of experience, certificates,etc.);
– Copy of FDI company registration;
– Copy of certificate of business registration or incorporation register book
(if it is a corporation);
– Certificate of tax payment.

Cuban nationals;
Chinese nationals (with exceptions);
Long-term visas, which overseas Korean government establishments are not authorized to issue.

A certificate for recognition of visa issuance is to facilitate the visa-issuing process for long-term visas and shorten the processing time. It is also for the convenience of the inviting party in Korea, ecause the issuance of the visa can be applied for in Korea. After investigation of the documents and data, the relevant immigration office issues the certificate for recognition of visa issuance, which can be submitted at a government establishment abroad together with the passport. The visa will then be issued immediately.
The processing time for short-term visas for less than one year will be quick, but for long-term visas the processing time will take longer, since additional bureaucratic processes are needed.The validity of the certificate for recognition of visa issuance is three months.Only the original certificate is accepted when applying for the visa.

Services regarding visa matters for foreigners include qualification for sojourn, approval for the change of conditions for sojourn, approval for extension of the visa, approval for activities not included in the present visa status, addition and change of workplace, and approval for re-entry.
Invest KOREA deals with the approvals for the change of conditions for sojourn, for extension of the visa, and for re-entry of foreign investors eligible for the D-8 visa and their families

There are three ways to obtain the D-8 foreign investment visa:

1. The foreigner goes to any overseas Korean government representative office (embassy,
consulate, etc.) with the required documents and applies directly for the visa, if the
period of sojourn is less than one year.

2. The inviting party in Korea goes to the relevant immigration office and gets the
certificate for recognition of visa issuance and conveys it to the invited person overseas.
The invited person then goes to an overseas Korean government representative office
and submits the certificate and the passport to obtain the D-8 visa.

3. If due to unavoidable reasons, the foreign investor or a dispatched employee from the
overseas parent company as an essential professional manpower, could not get a D-8
visa and entered Korea, an application for a change of sojourn conditions can be filed at
the immigration office or Invest KOREA. Then it is possible to change the status and
obtain a D-8 visa.

It is required to enter Korea by first obtaining a short-term business visa (C-2) for preparing the establishment of a foreign-invested company, and then change the status to a D-8 visa after completing the registration of the company.

A foreign investor (individual) with an investment amount of more than 50mil. KRW managing a foreign-invested company after its establishment.
An employee dispatched from the overseas parent company to the foreign-invested company in Korea as essential professional manpower in the fields of management or technology (including those who are dispatched as managers or professional engineers, but excluding those who are recruited in Korea). Essential professional manpower refers to executives or senior managers as well as engineers with highly professional experience and knowledge.

– Thus, general staff for administrative duties or engineers who can be replaced by other
manpower as well as other direct service providers are not considered essential
professional manpower.