--- title: "E-7 Visa Complete Guide 2025: Requirements, Salary, and Documents" url: "https://expertsapiens.com/fr/blog/korea-e7-visa-complete-guide-2025/" published: "2026-03-20T17:00:00+00:00" updated: "2026-04-04T12:27:52.609+00:00" author: "Mr. Visa Korea" category: "immigration" tags: ["mrvisakorea", "immigration", "e7", "work-visa"] description: "The E-7 is Korea's primary skilled worker visa — and the most searched Korean visa among professionals. Here's everything you need to know: who qualifies, salary requirements by occupation, required documents, and how to apply step by step." license: "all-rights-reserved" --- # E-7 Visa Complete Guide 2025: Requirements, Salary, and Documents ## What Is the E-7 Visa? The **E-7 Visa (Specially Designated Activities)** is South Korea's main skilled worker visa for foreign nationals employed in specific, government-approved occupations. Unlike the E-2 (which is only for English teachers) or the E-1 (professors), the E-7 covers a wide range of skilled professional roles across 67 occupation categories. If you're a skilled professional wanting to work in Korea — as an engineer, IT developer, researcher, chef, designer, or dozens of other roles — the E-7 is almost certainly the visa you need. ## Who Can Apply for an E-7 Visa? To qualify for an E-7 visa, you must meet **all three** of the following: 1. **Occupation match:** Your job title and duties must match one of the 67 approved E-7 occupation codes (e.g., E-7-1 for general skilled activities, E-7-3 for researchers, E-7-91 for skilled manufacturing workers) 2. **Employer sponsorship:** A Korean employer must sponsor your visa and submit a hiring report to the Ministry of Justice 3. **Qualification:** You must meet the education and/or experience requirements for your occupation code — typically a bachelor's degree in a related field, or 5 years of relevant experience ## E-7 Salary Requirements 2025 Korea's Immigration Act requires E-7 holders to earn at least the **minimum wage for their occupation category**. These are updated annually. As of 2025:
CategoryMinimum Annual Salary (KRW)Approx. USD
General (E-7-1)₩28,680,000~$21,500
IT / Tech professionals₩37,200,000~$27,900
Research & development₩42,000,000~$31,500
Senior engineers / specialists₩56,000,000+~$42,000+
**Important:** The salary on your employment contract must equal or exceed these minimums. Employers cannot adjust base pay below these thresholds after visa issuance. ## Required Documents The standard E-7 document checklist (required from the employee): - Valid passport (minimum 6 months remaining validity) - Completed visa application form (available at hikorea.go.kr) - 1 passport-size photo (3.5cm × 4.5cm, white background, taken within 6 months) - Highest academic degree certificate + transcript (apostilled if obtained abroad) - Proof of work experience (if substituting for degree): employment certificates from previous employers totaling 5+ years in the relevant field - Certified translation of all foreign-language documents Required from the **Korean employer**: - Employment contract (sealed and signed) - Business registration certificate (사업자등록증) - Corporate tax payment certificate (납세증명서) - Company financial statement for the most recent fiscal year - Hiring justification letter explaining why a Korean national was not hired - For companies with fewer than 5 E-7 holders: proof that E-7 employees don't exceed 20% of total Korean workforce ## Application Process: Step by Step 1. **Your employer submits a Hiring Report** to the Ministry of Justice (고용추천서). This is done online via the HiKorea portal. The employer needs your job title, occupation code, salary, and passport copy. 2. **Receive your Hiring Recommendation Number** — this is issued by the relevant government body (MOIS, MOTIE, or MSIT depending on occupation). Processing takes 1–3 weeks. 3. **Apply for the E-7 visa** — either at a Korean consulate abroad (if you're outside Korea) or via HiKorea's Change of Status application (if you're already in Korea on another visa) 4. **Attend your biometrics appointment** at the consulate or immigration office 5. **Receive your visa** — standard processing is 3–6 weeks. Expedited processing (1 week) is available at some consulates for an additional fee. 6. **Register your ARC** — within 90 days of arriving in Korea on your E-7, register your Alien Registration Card (ARC) at your local immigration office ## E-7 to F-5: The Path to Permanent Residency The E-7 is often the beginning of a long-term Korea journey. The most common upgrade paths: - **F-2-7 Points Visa** → available after 1+ year on E-7; requires 80+ points on the points assessment table - **F-5-11 (Specially Skilled)** → directly to PR after 5 years on E-7, meeting income and language requirements - **F-5-1 (General PR)** → 5 years of continuous legal residence in Korea ## Common Mistakes to Avoid - **Changing employers without notifying immigration** — you must report employer changes within 15 days to the immigration office, or your E-7 status is technically violated - **Salary drops below the minimum** — if your salary drops below the minimum for your occupation code mid-contract, contact immigration immediately - **Overstaying during extension processing** — submit your extension application at least 4 weeks before your current E-7 expires _Source: Korea Immigration Service (immigration.go.kr), Ministry of Justice, HiKorea portal | Last verified: March 2026_ _This article is for informational purposes only. Consult a verified immigration specialist for guidance specific to your occupation and situation._