Short-term Business Visa Options
From December 15th, 2011 the C-2 Temporary Business visa was combined with the C-3 Temporary Visit visa.
Now C-3 visa basically has subdivisions for business visa : C-3-4 Business Visitor (General) C-3-5 Business Visitor (Agreement) and C-3-6 Business Visitor (Sponsored).
Eligibility
This visa is issued to foreigners who wish to enter Korea for a business visit, research, business communication, consulting, conducting short-term business in accordance with an agreement, making commercial contacts or is an invitee of selected VIP corporations or associations.
General Requirements to obtain a business visitor visa
- The visitor must have a residence and an employer outside of South Korea.
- The duration of stay in South Korea must not be longer than 90 days.
- He/she must not receive compensation; however, incidental expenses such as accommodation travel and meals may be paid by the host.
- The visitor must have specific, realistic and pre-determined plans for his or her stay in South Korea
- The period of the intended stay must be consistent with the intended purpose of the trip.
Documents Required (General requirements)
- Visa application form
- Valid Passport
- One recent Passport photograph
- Fee
- Documents explaining the purpose of your trip and intended period of stay
- Contact in Korea and their complete address and telephone number
- Invitation letter from Korean company
- Proof of employment from your home country etc.
* Please note that these are the general requirements for a business visa. Additional documents may be required depending on you visa type : C-3-4 Business Visitor (General) C-3-5 Business Visitor (Agreement) and C-3-6 Business Visitor (Sponsored) and the purpose of your visit.
Length Of Stay
The visa is valid for up to 90 days and is usually a single-entry visa. However, multiple-entry visa valid for 1, 3 or 5 years are issued to applicants that are eligible and meet all the requirements. For more details please contact a Korean consulate or embassy near you.
Permitted activities as a business visitor
- Attend business meetings or discussions
- Attend sales calls to potential South Korean clients
- Attend seminars or “fact-finding” meetings
- daily business activities including market research
- general training
- consulting
- installing, fixing, and running of imported/exported machinery or other similar reasons
Extension Of Stay
Business visitor visa can be extended. If you intended to stay longer than the duration defined in your initial visa, you can extended your visa by visiting your local immigration office. You may be asked to provide documents proving that you have valid business reasons in order to extend your stay.
For more specific information about Business visitor visa or for any questions and queries please contact your local Korean embassy or consulate. You can also visit the Korean Immigration website at www.hikorea.go.kr or call the Korean immigration helpline at 1345.