Hello, business owners!
Vijob here. 👋
When you are studying or preparing for employment in Korea, you will hear visa names like D-2, D-4, D-10 very often.
But have you ever thought, “Aren’t all D visas just student visas?” 👀
In fact, D-category visas cover a wide range of stay purposes, including arts and culture, training, reporting, religion, overseas corporate assignment, investment, trade/management, and job-seeking/startup preparation.
That is why it is really important to know which D visa you currently have and which visa you may be able to change to in the future.
Today, Vijob will break down everything from D-1 to D-10 as simply as possible! 💙
✅ D-1 | Arts and Culture
D-1 is a visa for foreigners staying in Korea for arts-and-culture-related activities or training.
Simply put,
🎨 Arts and culture activities
🏛️ Activities at culture-related institutions
📚 Training in the fields of culture and the arts
This is the status of stay you would check for if you are in Korea for purposes like these.
Because it is different from a visa for general employment or study, it is important to confirm whether your actual activities match the purpose of stay under D-1.
✅ D-2 | Study Abroad
If you are an international student attending university in Korea, this is one of the most familiar visas.
D-2 is a study-abroad visa for pursuing regular degree programs or engaging in research/exchange student activities at universities, graduate schools, and similar institutions in Korea.
It is typically divided as follows.
Category | Main Target |
D-2-1 | Associate degree |
D-2-2 | Bachelor's degree |
D-2-3 | Master's degree |
D-2-4 | Doctoral degree |
D-2-5 | Research study abroad |
D-2-6 | Exchange student |
✅ D-3 | Industrial Training
D-3 is a status of stay for the purpose of training to learn specific skills at a Korean company or industrial site.
It is easier to understand if you think of it not as a general work visa, but as “a visa for staying in Korea to learn skills for a certain period of time.”
Detailed types may vary depending on the purpose of activity, such as training at foreign direct investment companies, training related to technology exports, and training related to plant exports.
✅ D-4 | General Training
“I came to Korea to learn Korean!”
If so, you are probably one of the many people holding a D-4 visa.
D-4 is a status of stay for educational and training activities rather than a regular degree program at a university.
The most representative one is
🗣️ D-4-1 Korean language training at a university-affiliated institute .
In addition, there are several detailed statuses of stay depending on the educational institution and the purpose of training.
If you are confused, remember it like this.
D-2 = regular study at a university, graduate school, etc.
D-4 = various educational and training activities such as Korean language study
Many students hold both visas, but the purpose of stay and permitted activities are different.
✅ D-5 | Reporting
D-5 is a visa for foreign media personnel and others who conduct long-term reporting activities in Korea.
For example, this is the status of stay you would check when staying in Korea for an extended period to conduct reporting work for an overseas news organization.
Also note that this is separate from C-1 (temporary reporting) for short-term reporting purposes.
✅ D-6 | Religion
D-6 is a visa for foreigners staying in Korea for religious activities.
This may apply when working at a religious organization or performing duties related to religion.
However, actual eligibility for issuance may vary depending on the inviting organization and the specific details of the activity.
✅ D-7 | Assignment
If you are working for an overseas company and are transferred to a Korean branch or related company, the visa you will encounter is
D-7 assignment visa.
It is typically divided into
D-7-1 assignment to a foreign company
D-7-2 assignment to a domestic company
and so on.
In simple terms, this status of stay is used when an employee who worked overseas is assigned to work in Korea through a personnel transfer within the company.
✅ D-8 | Corporate Investment
If you are a foreigner starting a business in Korea or planning to invest in a company, you will often come across the D-8 visa.
It is typically divided as follows.
🏢 D-8-1 corporate investment
🚀 D-8-2 venture company
💼 D-8-3 sole proprietorship investment
💡 D-8-4 technology startup
In particular, if you are preparing to start a business in Korea, you may also consider changing your status of stay like D-10-2 technology startup preparation → D-8-4 technology startup .
Of course, whether the change is actually possible can depend on your individual situation, such as the amount of investment, company structure, and startup requirements.
✅ D-9 | Trade and Management
D-9 is the visa to check when staying in Korea for trade or certain management activities.
It is typically divided into
D-9-1 trade with own-account transactions
D-9-2 export equipment
D-9-3 ship equipment
D-9-4 management and profit-making business
and others.
Many people also confuse D-8 and D-9.
To put it simply,
D-8 → investment and startup focused
D-9 → trade, equipment, and management activities focused
is an easier way to understand it.
✅ D-10 | Job Seeking
This is one of the visas that international students become most interested in as graduation approaches.
D-10 is a status of stay for preparing for employment or technology startup activities in Korea.
It is typically divided into
🔎 D-10-1 job-seeking activities
🚀 D-10-2 technology startup activities
.
In particular, having D-10-1 does not mean you can work part-time anywhere freely.
If certain requirements are met, internship activities may be allowed within the permitted scope, but you must always check the allowed job types, scope of activities, and reporting procedures.
Check the difference between hiring for D-10 visa part-time jobs and hiring for D-2·D-4 part-time jobs at a glance
🚨 Having a D visa does not mean you can work freely!
This is one of the most confusing points when looking at D-category visas.
“Having a D visa = being able to work freely in Korea” does not mean that.
Foreigners must basically act within the status of stay and scope of activities they have been approved for.
In particular, when D-2·D-4 students do part-time work or D-10 holders do internship activities,
you must be sure to check whether separate permission or reporting is required.
If the activities you are doing in Korea change, please also check whether a change of status of stay is needed.
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