D-7 Intra-Company Transferee Visa: Requirements and Required Documents — A Complete Practitioner's Guide
The D-7 intra-company transferee visa is the residence status granted to employees with at least one year of service at headquarters who are dispatched to a Korean branch, office, or subsidiary. Eligibility is limited to regular employees of a foreign corporation who have been assigned to a Korean host entity. This guide walks through eligibility, headquarters and branch documentation, applicant documents, decision points in the review, extensions and accompanying family, and the application procedure — all in the order they come up in practice.
D-7 Eligibility — What to Check First
The One-Year Headquarters Employment Requirement
D-7 is only available to employees who have worked at headquarters for at least one year. This means one continuous year immediately before dispatch — broken-up tenure cannot be added together. The headquarters certificate of employment must clearly show the hire date, position, and annual salary. In practice, if the gap between the hire date and the dispatch order is under 12 months, the application gets caught right at this stage.
Differences by Type of Dispatch
The Korean host entity falls into one of three categories: a Korean branch of a foreign corporation, a local subsidiary, or a liaison office. Because branches and liaison offices report directly to headquarters, D-7 processing tends to be relatively straightforward. Dispatch to a local subsidiary requires additional proof of the equity relationship between headquarters and the subsidiary. Because what counts as a recognized subsidiary varies by jurisdictional immigration office, each case needs to be reviewed individually.
Headquarters and Branch Documentation — Where Applications Get Stuck Most Often
Documents Required from Headquarters
The documents headquarters needs to prepare are as follows.
- Headquarters business registration certificate (issued by the local government)
- Headquarters certificate of employment (including hire date, position, and annual salary)
- Dispatch order (specifying the dispatch period, position, and reason)
- Headquarters financial statements or recent revenue evidence
More important than the documents themselves is the consistency that shows headquarters is a substantive operating entity. If the position or period on the certificate of employment doesn't match the dispatch order, a request for supplementation is issued immediately.
Documents Required from the Korean Host Entity
The documents the Korean side needs to prepare are as follows.
- Acceptance certificate for the establishment of a Korean branch of a foreign company, or a corporate registry extract
- Copy of the business registration certificate
- Lease agreement for the Korean office
- Most recent quarterly VAT filing or revenue records
Practitioner tip: Filing for D-7 right after the branch is established often leads to drawn-out supplementation rounds because the revenue record looks thin. It usually goes more smoothly once one or two quarters of operating records have accumulated.
D-7 Visa Required Documents for Korea — Applicant's Personal Documents
Standard Document Checklist
| Category | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Passport copy, 1 photo | Passport must have 6+ months validity remaining |
| Application | Integrated application form | Form available on HiKorea |
| Education / Career | Degree certificate, employment history certificate | Apostille or consular authentication required |
| Headquarters | Certificate of employment, dispatch order | Headquarters company seal required |
| Korean side | Branch registry, business registration certificate | Recent issuance |
| Financial | Headquarters financial statements | Most recent 1–2 years |
Apostille and Consular Authentication
Documents issued by headquarters must be authenticated by the issuing country's government. For Hague Convention countries, an apostille is used; for non-member countries, consular authentication by the Korean consulate is required. This step takes the longest, so the schedule needs to be planned by working backward from the issuance date in the home country.
Caution: If a Korean or English translation isn't included with home-country documents, a supplementation request is triggered immediately. It's safer to complete notarized translations in advance.
Decision Points That Actually Drive the Review
Headquarters Scale and Revenue
If headquarters is small or has low revenue, the necessity of dispatch looks weak. In practice, reviewers first look at whether headquarters revenue can realistically support the Korean branch's operations. If this is weak, additional supplementation rounds tend to pile up no matter how many documents are submitted.
Substantiveness of the Korean Office
When the Korean office is a coworking space, additional proof of substance is required. The lease, photos of office equipment and signage, and evidence of an internet line all need to be submitted together. A recent comparable case went through two rounds of supplementation because the proof of office substance was thin.
Specificity of the Dispatch Reason
If the dispatch order contains only vague language like "managing the Korean branch," it looks weak. The specific job duties, the reasons the work can only be done in Korea, and the reporting structure to headquarters all need to come through clearly. In practice, when this explanation is thin, the case for sending a headquarters employee specifically looks weak.
D-7 vs. D-8 Differences
| Category | D-7 Intra-Company Transferee | D-8 Corporate Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Headquarters-dispatched employee | Foreigner investing in a Korean corporation |
| Headquarters requirement | 1+ year of service | Not applicable |
| Capital investment | Not required | Personal investment required |
| Status stability | Shakes if employee leaves headquarters | Stable as long as investment is maintained |
| Path to permanent residency (F-5) | Limited | Possible if investment is maintained |
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Period of Stay, Extensions, and Accompanying Family
Initial Period of Stay
The initial D-7 period of stay varies depending on the case. It is typically granted in 1- or 2-year increments, taking the headquarters dispatch period into account. Because the exact period depends on the review outcome at the responsible immigration office, an individual case review is needed.
Things to Watch for at Extension
Extensions are reviewed based on whether the headquarters dispatch is still in place and how the Korean office has been operating. If the employee has left headquarters or if the Korean operation has shrunk during the stay, the extension is blocked right there. Because headquarters employment has to be proven again at the time of extension, timing management is important.
Accompanying Family (F-3)
Spouses and minor children can enter on the F-3 dependent visa. F-3 requires proof of the family relationship and presupposes the applicant's D-7 issuance. The family relationship certificate also goes through the same home-country authentication process.
Application Procedure and Processing Time
The Certificate of Visa Issuance Route
The Korean host entity applies for a Certificate of Visa Issuance through HiKorea. After it is issued, the applicant picks up the visa at the Korean embassy in their home country. Processing time varies by immigration office, and we can identify the fastest one for your case.
Relevant Statutes and Costs
The governing statutes are the Immigration Act and notices from the Ministry of Justice Korea Immigration Service. Government-set fees plus administrative processing costs apply. Because the cost varies case by case, exact figures are provided during the free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Can I apply for D-7 if I haven't worked at headquarters for a full year yet? In principle, no. However, whether time at the parent or holding company can be counted depends on the headquarters' corporate structure, so it's safer to have your specific case reviewed.
Q2. Can D-7 be filed right after the Korean branch is established? It can. But revenue and operating evidence is often thin, which tends to extend supplementation rounds — so it's worth identifying in advance what supporting materials will likely be needed.
Q3. What is the difference between D-7 and D-8? D-7 is for dispatched headquarters employees; D-8 is for investors who have personally invested in a Korean corporation. The dividing lines are the investment structure and whether a headquarters entity exists.
Q4. What if the headquarters-issued documents aren't in English? You need the original in the home-country language plus a Korean or English translation, together with authentication. The order of notarized translation and apostille / consular authentication needs to be planned in advance so the schedule doesn't get tangled.
Q5. Can a D-7 holder switch to a different company in Korea? D-7 is tied to the headquarters dispatch, so if the headquarters employer changes, the status itself becomes unstable. If a job change is on the table, reviewing a switch to a different status like E-7 should come first.
Q6. Can I apply directly at the Korean embassy in my home country without a Certificate of Visa Issuance? The procedure varies by country. For most cases, the Certificate of Visa Issuance route is faster and safer.
Need to Speak With a Specialist?
D-7 outcomes are driven less by document volume than by consistency between headquarters and the branch and the persuasiveness of the dispatch rationale. Structuring documents to fit your specific case and reviewing where supplementation might be required is fastest handled through a preliminary consultation.
VISION Administrative Office
- Phone: 02-363-2251
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- Address: 3F, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Seongwoo Building), 04614
Because costs vary case by case, exact figures will be provided during the free consultation.
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