South Korea Work Visa Types Explained: E-9, E-7, E-10, H-2 and E-8

Korea has dozens of visa types, and the letters start to blur. For foreign workers, five matter most: E-9, E-7, E-10, H-2 and E-8. Each one has its own purpose. Each one has its own way in. And each one has different rules once you're here. Let's compare them side by side.

The five visas side by side

E-9: the factory, farm and building-site visa

Most foreign workers in Korean factories hold E-9. You can only get it through the Employment Permit System, which replaced the old trainee system in 2007. You must be from one of the 17 sending countries. You must pass the EPS-TOPIK Korean test and the skills test. Then a Korean employer has to pick you from the list. Our guide How to Work in Korea Through EPS covers every step, and the EPS-TOPIK guide covers the test.

• How many: the government sets a number each year. For 2026 it announced about 80,000.
• How long: up to 3 years at first, with one possible re-employment extension.
• Changing jobs: only with permission through the job center, and only for allowed reasons. Unfair treatment by the employer is one of them.
• Where: manufacturing, construction, farming and livestock, fishing, forestry, mining and listed service jobs.

E-7: professional and skilled jobs

E-7 is for people hired into specific professional, semi-professional and skilled jobs that the government lists. It works differently from E-9. Usually an employer sponsors one named person for one named job. That person must meet the job's rules — education, experience or a certificate.

The government has also used E-7 to fill gaps in certain skilled trades. The 2025 workforce plan described E-7-3 pilot programs for welding and painting in construction-machinery and auto-parts factories, and sheet metal and painting in car repair, among others. Pilots come with limits. Always check the current list.

E-7-4: where E-9 can lead

For many E-9 workers, this is the visa to know about. E-7-4 is a points-based skilled worker visa. You don't apply from abroad. You switch to it while you're already working legally in Korea on E-9, E-10 or H-2.

The Ministry of Justice reworked E-7-4 in 2023 under the name “K-point E74.” The conditions it announced:

• At least 4 years of legal stay in Korea
• 200 or more points out of 300, with extra points for jobs in regional or shrinking areas
• Some Korean-language ability
• A recommendation from an employer you've worked for at least 1 year, and a promise to keep working there at least 2 more years
• No overstay, no unpaid tax and no serious criminal fines

The yearly quota was 35,000 in 2023, and it stayed at that level in 2025. In October 2026 the Ministry announced more changes. One adds points for long service with one employer. Another cuts the paperwork for extensions. Because details keep moving, check HiKorea or call 1345 before you apply.

E-10: crew work on ships

E-10 is for foreign crew on certain vessels — coastal cargo ships, fishing boats and cruise ships. It's a separate program from EPS, with its own employers and hiring process. The government sets a separate number; for 2025 it was 23,300.

Offered a job “on a boat”? Ask one question first. Is it E-9 fishing work under EPS, or E-10 crew work? The rules, the employer's duties and your rights can differ.

H-2: working visit for ethnic Koreans

H-2 is for overseas Koreans with foreign nationality, aged 18 or older, from places like China and the former Soviet countries. H-2 holders can work in allowed industries — manufacturing, construction, services, fishing and farming — under a special employment permit system.

When an H-2 holder starts or changes a job, they must report it within the deadline. Since January 2026, many visa holders, H-2 included, report job information online through HiKorea. Our HiKorea guide shows how.

E-8: seasonal farm and fishing work

E-8 covers short seasonal work in busy farming and fishing months. Korean cities, counties and districts run the program and invite workers, often through deals with local governments abroad. The Ministry of Justice hands out places twice a year. In late 2024 the government said it would fold the C-4 short-term work visa into E-8 and raise the maximum stay from 5 to 8 months. For 2026 it planned about 109,000 seasonal workers.

One useful detail: HRD Korea gives extra skills-test points to people who worked in Korea on E-8 for more than five months. Seasonal work can help a later E-9 application.

Three common mix-ups

“My visa and my residence card say different things.” Your visa got you into Korea. After that, your status and stay date live in the immigration record and on your residence card. When in doubt, trust the record and check it on HiKorea.

“My contract ends in June, so my visa ends in June.” Not always. The contract date and the stay date are two separate dates. Write both on your calendar.

“My friend changed visas, so I can too.” Maybe. But your friend may have had a different visa, more years in Korea or another employer. Ask 1345 about your own case.

Which visa fits you?

1. Look at the job. Factory, farm, building or fishing work usually means E-9 (long term) or E-8 (seasonal). A professional or certified trade may mean E-7.
2. Look at who you are. E-9 is only for EPS countries. H-2 is for ethnic Koreans with foreign nationality.
3. Look at who's organizing it. EPS jobs come through your country's official sending agency. E-8 jobs come through Korean local governments. Private offers outside these routes need extra care.
4. Confirm with an official source. Use the Korea Immigration Service, HiKorea, the Korea Visa Portal, or call 1345. Once you're here, your residence card shows your status and stay date.