The D-10 is a job-seeking residence status given to foreign nationals who want to look for work or prepare to launch a tech startup in Korea. It is divided into three sub-categories: General Job-Seeking (D-10-1), Tech Startup Preparation (D-10-2), and Advanced-Technology Internship (D-10-3). The information below is based on current Ministry of Justice (MOJ) standards, but specific details such as figures, deadlines, and fees are subject to change. Please check the latest information with the Immigration Contact Center (1345) or your local Korea Immigration Service (KIS) office before you apply.
D-10-1 General Job-Seeking
Who Can Apply
Foreign nationals who hold at least a bachelor’s degree (including a two-year associate degree from a Korean college) and want to find work in a field covered by residence status categories E-1 (Professor) through E-7 (Designated Activities). The E-6-2 sub-category (entertainment performances at adult establishments) is excluded.
Point-System Applicants
The standard path for D-10-1 uses a point system. Out of a total of 190 points, you must score at least 20 points in the basic items and reach a combined total of at least 60 points.
Important: Nationals of the 21 countries designated by the Minister of Justice who currently hold B-1, B-2, C-1, C-3, C-4, D-3, E-9, E-10, or G-1 status must reach a total score of 80 points or more to be eligible.
Point-System Exemptions
If you fall into one of the categories below, you can change your status to D-10-1 without going through the point system.
① First Change to D-10 After Graduating as a Student This applies if you completed a degree program (associate degree or higher) at a Korean university while holding D-2 (Student) status and are changing to D-10-1 for the very first time. You will be granted a six-month stay. If you extend after that, the point system will apply. Note that if you have ever held D-10 status before, this will not count as a “first change.”
② Korean Language Proficiency Graduate of a Korean University This applies if you completed an associate degree or higher at a regular Korean university (as defined under items 1 through 4 of Article 2 of the Higher Education Act) within the past three years, and you meet at least one of the following:
- You hold a valid Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) Level 4 or higher score certificate.
- You have passed the mid-term evaluation of Stage 4 of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP).
- You were placed into Stage 5 of KIIP based on your pre-evaluation score.
③ Former E-1 through E-7 Workers This applies if you were working in Korea under E-1 through E-7 status, your employment contract ended or your work activities concluded for another legitimate reason, and you have not yet found a new job. E-6-2 (entertainment performances at adult establishments) is excluded. For workers in E-7 occupations where changing or adding a workplace is restricted, this exemption applies only when there is a legitimate reason such as suspension or closure of business, and the maximum stay granted is six months.
D-10-2 Tech Startup Preparation
Who Can Apply
Foreign nationals who hold at least a bachelor’s degree (including a Korean associate degree) and intend to prepare to start a business in Korea using intellectual property rights or equivalent technical capabilities.
Application Requirements (Meet at Least One)
- Holding or Having Applied for Intellectual Property Rights: You currently hold, or have applied for, a Korean patent, utility model right, or design right.
- Participation in OASIS Training: You are currently participating in, or have completed part or all of, the Overseas Startup Immigration System (OASIS) training program within the past three years. OASIS is operated by a Global Startup Immigration Center jointly designated by the MOJ and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. You can find more information at the K-Startup website.
- K-Startup Grand Challenge Participants: You are participating in the K-Startup Grand Challenge organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and you have received a recommendation letter for change of residence status issued by the President of the National IT Industry Promotion Agency. Because the government invited you, the education requirement is waived.
- Holders of Intellectual Property Rights from an OECD Country
Restrictions
You cannot apply for D-10-2 if more than three years have passed since you completed OASIS training, unless you are currently re-enrolled in the program.
D-10-3 Advanced-Technology Internship
Who Can Apply
- Current students or graduates (within three years of their graduation date) of an advanced-technology field degree program at the bachelor’s level or higher at a university ranked in the top 200 by TIME magazine or within the top 500 by QS World University Rankings (main campus only).
- Under 30 years of age (under 35 for those with a master’s degree or higher).
Application Requirements
You must have signed a labor contract for an advanced-technology internship with a domestic company or institution that falls into one of the following categories:
- A domestically listed company that has a research facility (dedicated research division) in an advanced-technology field.
- A company with a corporate research institute or dedicated R&D division as defined under Article 14-2 of the Basic Research Promotion and Technology Development Support Act.
- A company designated as an advanced-technology enterprise under Article 9 of the Act on the Promotion of Research and Development Special Zones.
- A venture company confirmed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups under Article 25 of the Act on Special Measures for the Promotion of Venture Businesses.
- A national or public research institution, a designated research institution, or a government-funded research institution in the field of science and technology.
The term advanced-technology field is limited to the fields defined in Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Notice No. 2022-36 (28 February 2022), “Scope of Advanced Technologies and Products.”
Restrictions
- The inviting company or institution is itself subject to restrictions on hiring D-10-1 interns or employing foreign nationals under E-category status.
- The number of D-10-3 invitees would exceed 20% of the company’s Korean national employees (those earning at least the minimum wage and registered on the employment insurance roster for three months or more). Venture companies are exempt from this limit for three years from their date of establishment.
Length of Stay and Part-Time Work (October 2025 Revision)
The October 2025 revision relaxed several D-10 standards as follows. However, the rules that apply to you depend on your point score and residence status sub-category, so please verify what applies in your case before you apply or extend.
- Single-grant stay period: Increased from the previous six months to a maximum of one year. Note that applicants scoring between 60 and 79 points, or those changing from E-1 through E-7 status, may still receive six months in some cases.
- Total cumulative stay: The maximum total time you can stay on D-10 status increased from two years to up to three years (one year for those who changed from E-1 through E-7 status).
- Part-time work: The number of hours of part-time work permitted while job-seeking increased from 20 hours per week to 25 hours per week.
- Internship activity: The restriction on the length of an internship within a single D-10 stay period has been removed, and the maximum internship period at one company has increased to one year (previously six months).
The stay period and permitted working hours that apply to you depend on your point score and sub-category. Please check the latest standards with your local Korea Immigration Service (KIS) office or 1345 (Immigration Contact Center) before applying.
General Restrictions
You cannot change your status to D-10 if any of the following apply to you:
- You have been sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier punishment within the five years before your application date.
- You have been subject to a deportation order or an order to depart under the Immigration Act within the five years before your application date.
- You have been sentenced to a fine of KRW 3 million or more within the three years before your application date.
- You have received a penalty surcharge for violating the Immigration Act within the three years before your application date, and that violation meets the criteria for restricting a stay permit.
- Your labor contract with your previous employer has not yet expired and there is a restriction on entering a new employment contract, unless you have obtained a written transfer consent from your previous employer.
- You have stayed in Korea on D-10 status for six months or more within the past year. This does not apply to E-1 through E-7 holders who are changing to D-10-1 due to unavoidable circumstances such as suspension or closure of business.
- You have applied to change your status to D-10 three or more times within the past three years without having made a complete departure from Korea in between.
Required Documents
General Note on Documents Issued Overseas
All documents issued outside Korea must be submitted with either an Apostille certification from the government of the issuing country or consular confirmation from a Korean diplomatic mission in the relevant country.
Documents Required of All Applicants
- Passport and alien registration card (if applicable).
- Fees: KRW 100,000 for change of status + KRW 30,000 for alien registration card issuance.
- One standard-format photo and the integrated application form (Attached Form No. 34).
- Documents proving your place of residence.
- Tuberculosis test certificate (required for applicable applicants; valid for three months): issued by a public health center or a hospital designated by the MOJ.
Additional Documents for D-10-1 Point-System Applicants
- Job-seeking activity plan.
- Degree certificate:
- Graduates of Korean junior colleges or higher: academic record certificate (submission may be waived if verifiable through the immigration management information system).
- Graduates of globally recognized universities: one of the following - graduation certificate, degree certificate, or degree completion certificate.
- Work experience supporting documents (if applicable): a certificate of employment that includes the period, location, and type of work.
- Domestic training activity supporting documents (if applicable): a certificate issued by the institution that specifies the research or training period and whether the program was completed.
- Korean language proficiency documentation (if applicable).
- Employment recommendation letter (if applicable):
- Recommendation from the head of a relevant central administrative agency: recommendation letter issued by the relevant ministry or delegated institution.
- Recommendation from the head of an overseas diplomatic mission: internal recommendation document issued by the mission.
- High-income specialist supporting documents (if applicable): documents from your home country’s public authority proving the previous year’s employment income.
- Financial sufficiency documents: a bank balance certificate or equivalent showing a balance equal to or greater than “the annual single-person Housing Benefit standard amount multiplied by the number of months of stay requested.”
- This requirement is waived for applicants changing from D-2 (Student) status to D-10 for the first time.
Additional Documents for D-10-1 Point-System Exempt Applicants
For first-time changes from student status after graduation / Korean language proficiency graduates of Korean universities:
- Job-seeking activity plan (must include a record of job-seeking activities and plans for the following six months).
- Graduation certificate or degree certificate (accepted only if fewer than three years have passed since the Korean degree was awarded).
- As applicable: TOPIK Level 4 or higher score certificate, KIIP mid-term evaluation pass certificate, or pre-evaluation score sheet (81 points or higher) — required only for Korean language proficiency graduates of Korean universities.