D-7 Intra-Company Transferee Visa: Documents, Eligibility, and What Actually Gets Reviewed
The D-7 visa is the status granted to an employee who has worked at an overseas head office for at least one year and is being posted to that company's Korean branch, liaison office, or subsidiary.
It applies when there is a genuine investment or control relationship between the head office and the Korean entity, and when the person being transferred qualifies as a manager or a specialist who cannot easily be replaced locally.
Below, we walk through eligibility, the document checklist, the points where applications actually stall, the filing process and timeline, and finally extensions and bringing family.
D-7 Eligibility: The Conditions That Trip People Up First
D-7 falls under the "Intra-Company Transferee (D-7)" status listed in Attachment 1-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act.
The statutory wording is short, but in practice three conditions have to hold at the same time before an application moves forward.
One Year of Employment at the Head Office
The first thing reviewers look at is how long the applicant has been with the head office.
The paperwork has to show at least one year of continuous employment immediately preceding the transfer.
If there is a resignation and rehire somewhere in the middle, or the applicant's employer changed because of a move between affiliates, this is usually where things break down.
A single certificate of employment rarely settles it — payroll records, social insurance equivalents, and title changes over the employment period are all commonly reviewed together.
The Relationship Between Head Office and Korean Entity
The receiving organization in Korea must be a branch, a liaison office, or a subsidiary in which the head office holds an equity stake.
An ordinary client relationship or a business partnership does not qualify for D-7.
How intensively an application is scrutinized depends on how the ownership percentage and control structure are documented, and when the ownership sits inside a multi-tier holding company arrangement, the right way to evidence it varies case by case.
In a recent matter with a similar profile, an intermediate holding company in the chain meant preparing roughly twice the usual volume of relationship documentation.
Where your own corporate structure lands can only be judged by looking directly at the corporate registry and shareholder register.
Position and Role
The applicant must be at the managerial level or a specialist in a particular field; roles that could simply be filled by hiring in Korea are excluded.
The core point is this.
The transfer order and job description have to make clear why it has to be this specific person.
Caution: D-7 is, as the name says, a posting. If the documents are framed as a fresh hire by the Korean entity, the case starts to read like an E-7 instead, and the underlying eligibility itself becomes shaky.
D-7 Required Documents, Organized in Three Tracks
Sorting the documents into three tracks — head office, Korean entity, and the applicant — cuts down on omissions.
| Category | Main Documents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Head office (overseas) | Corporate registry or business registration certificate, certificate of employment, transfer order, job description, payroll evidence | Check whether apostille or consular authentication is required |
| Korean entity | Certificate of acceptance for branch/liaison office establishment or full corporate registry extract, business registration certificate, lease agreement, office photos | Subsidiaries must also include the foreign-invested company registration certificate |
| Applicant | Passport, visa application form, standard-format photo, degree and career evidence, criminal record certificate (where applicable) | Additional documents vary by nationality |
| Relationship evidence | Shareholder register, ownership structure chart, investment notification acceptance certificate, head office audit report | The heart of proving the control relationship |
Translation and Notarization Are a Frequent Snag
Documents issued abroad cannot be submitted in their original form alone.
If the issuing country is a party to the Apostille Convention, an apostille is required; if not, the document goes through consular authentication at the Korean mission in that country.
On top of that, a Korean translation and a translator's certification must be attached before the filing will be accepted.
No matter how thick the file is, missing this one step means rejection at the intake window.
For countries such as China and Vietnam, where formats differ from one issuing authority to the next, it is safer to allow generous lead time.
Watch the Validity Windows
Criminal record certificates, employment certificates, and registry extracts all carry a validity period running from the issue date.
A very common practical problem is a document obtained early expiring while it waits for the last piece of the file to arrive.
Planning the issuance order in reverse is what keeps reissue costs and delays down.
Where Applications Actually Diverge in Review
More important than the sheer number of documents is how the necessity of the transfer is explained.
When the Case for the Transfer Is Thin
If the Korean entity has no revenue yet or only a handful of staff, the officer's first question is "why does this operation need a transferee right now?"
When that explanation falls short, a request for supplementary documents follows even with an otherwise complete file.
The business plan, the intended duties in Korea, and the division of work with the head office need to read as one continuous argument to be persuasive.
Rather than writing at length, it works better to show clearly where the applicant sits on the head office org chart and how that connects to the work in Korea.
When Career History and Job Title Don't Line Up
It happens that the employment certificate says "General Manager" while the transfer order lists the person as a rank-and-file staff member.
The same problem arises when the salary level doesn't match the stated position.
Weakness here undermines recognition of the applicant as managerial-level.
The Limits of a Liaison Office
A liaison office cannot engage in profit-generating activity.
So when the submitted business plan includes sales or contracting work, the organizational form and the described duties contradict each other.
Whether to set up as a branch or a liaison office is in fact decided before the visa stage — at the foreign exchange transaction notification stage with the financial supervisory authority.
Practical tip: For D-7, the direction is set at the branch/office establishment filing, not at visa screening. Discovering after that filing is complete that the visa requirements don't fit means far more time spent unwinding it.
D-7 Filing Process and Processing Time
There are two main routes.
| Stage | Certificate of Visa Eligibility (applicant abroad) | Change of Status (applicant already in Korea) |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Korean entity established and registered | Korean entity established and registered |
| Step 2 | Sponsor in Korea applies for the certificate at the competent immigration office | Applicant files in person at the competent immigration office |
| Step 3 | Receive the issuance number, then apply for the visa at the Korean mission abroad | Screening and response to supplementary requests |
| Step 4 | Alien registration if staying more than 90 days after entry | Change of status approved and registration card issued |
| Filing | Advance appointment via HiKorea | Advance appointment via HiKorea |
Processing time varies considerably with the caseload at each immigration office.
Because the same file can move at very different speeds depending on which office receives it, we map out the fastest route based on your business address and proceed from there.
Current screening standards should be confirmed through announcements from the Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice.
Request a free consultation now → 02-363-2251 / KakaoTalk: alexkorea
D-7 vs. D-8 vs. E-7: Where They Part Ways
The three statuses look similar from the outside but start from entirely different premises.
| Item | D-7 Intra-Company Transferee | D-8 Corporate Investment | E-7 Specially Designated Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Posting from the head office | Investment in Korea by the individual or entity | Hiring by a Korean company |
| Core requirement | One year or more at the head office | Foreign investment notification and remittance of funds | Occupation requirements plus education/career |
| Employer | Remains the overseas head office | The Korean entity | The Korean employer |
| Capital requirement | None | Yes | None |
| Common sticking point | Necessity of the transfer, control relationship | Explaining the source and flow of funds | Fit with the occupation code |
If you are putting in capital and becoming the representative yourself, D-8 is the right fit; if you stay on the head office payroll and take on management duties, D-7 is.
It is common for both statuses to be on the table at the same company, and which one works better depends on the ownership structure and the applicant's own career history.
Extensions and Bringing Family
What Gets Checked at Extension
D-7 carries a cap on the period granted at any one time, and an extension must be filed before expiry.
At extension, the review turns back to whether the Korean entity is genuinely operating.
Gaps in office upkeep, remittance records from the head office, or salary payment records for the applicant will stop the case here.
Cases that clear initial issuance but stall at extension come up steadily in practice.
Spouse and Children
The spouse and minor children of a D-7 holder can stay in Korea under F-3 dependent status.
F-3 is in principle barred from employment, and school placement for children and enrollment in national health insurance both hinge on completion of alien registration.
The scope of permitted employment for accompanying family has been adjusted in operational practice over the past few years, so how it applies to your situation needs individual confirmation.
Moving Toward Residence or Permanent Residence
Time spent on D-7 can count toward the points calculation for F-2 residence status later on.
That said, income thresholds and point allocations are revised annually by public notice, so we calculate your score under this year's standards directly during the consultation.
Costs and the Mistakes That Keep Recurring
Government charges consist of the statutory fee plus administrative processing costs.
Because costs vary from case to case, we give you exact figures during the free consultation.
The mistakes that come up again and again in practice:
- Preparing the visa before filing the branch establishment notification
- Confirming the transfer before the applicant has completed one year at the head office
- Translating originals but skipping the apostille
- Job titles that differ between the transfer order and the employment certificate
- A liaison office whose business plan includes profit-generating work
- Registering only an address with no actual office behind it
Caution: Verification that a real office exists may be carried out separately from the document review. If you use a shared office, what counts as acceptable depends on the type of contract, so it is safer to check before signing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. I'm a little short of one year at the head office. Can I still apply?
The standard is, in principle, one year or more of continuous employment immediately before the transfer.
That said, the reference date for calculating the period and whether affiliate service counts can differ case by case, so an individual review of your history comes first.
Q2. The Korean entity isn't set up yet. Can I start on the visa first?
That's the reverse of the correct order.
Sponsor eligibility only exists once the branch establishment filing, or incorporation and business registration, is complete.
Running incorporation and visa preparation in parallel is how you shorten the overall timeline.
Q3. Can I be paid a salary in Korea on a D-7?
A structure in which the Korean entity pays salary is possible, as is a split arrangement alongside head office payment.
Who pays the salary and how it is handled for tax purposes are items that get checked again at extension.
Q4. Can my spouse work in Korea?
F-3 dependent status is in principle barred from employment.
The routes available are changing to a separate status or obtaining permission for activities outside the current status, and confirming which occupations are permitted comes first.
Q5. How long does the whole thing take?
Time accrues at each stage: document preparation, apostille, filing, and screening.
Caseloads differ widely between immigration offices, so the actual duration needs to be confirmed with the office that has jurisdiction.
Q6. Can I switch from D-7 to D-8?
If you meet the investment requirements, a change can be considered.
Foreign investment notification and remittance of the investment funds must come first, and your existing D-7 residence history is factored into the review.
Need Professional Advice?
With D-7, the outcome turns less on the number of documents than on the relationship between the head office and the Korean entity, and how convincingly the need for the transfer is explained.
If the direction is set wrong at the branch establishment filing, it is difficult to reverse at the visa stage.
We handle incorporation, branch and liaison office establishment, foreign exchange transaction notification, and the D-7 certificate of visa eligibility as a single continuous process.
VISION Administrative Office
- Phone: 02-363-2251
- Email: 5000meter@gmail.com
- KakaoTalk: alexkorea
- Address: 3F, Seongwoo Building, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04614
Costs vary from case to case, and we provide exact figures during the free consultation.
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