Eligibility Requirements and Required Documents for Top-Tier E7 Visa (E-7-T) and F2 Visa (F-2-T) as of 2026
Top-Tier E7 Visa (E-7-T)
Eligibility Requirements for Top Talent (E-7-T) ※ Meet all basic requirements below
1. (Income) Those whose annual income is twice or more of the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI).
2. (Education) Persons who have obtained a master's degree or higher from a university ranked within the top 100 in at least one of the following global university rankings within the last 5 years.
World University Rankings | ||
- QS World University Rankings - QS World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering and Technology - Times Higher Education World University Rankings - Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering - US News & World Report Best Global Universities - US News & World Report Best Global Universities for Engineering |
3. (Experience) Persons who meet one of the following requirements: work experience at a company or research institution.
① (Corporate Employment) Individuals with a total of 8 years or more of work experience, including at least 3 years of service at a global company.
Global companies (companies selected for one of the following within the last 3 years) | ||
- Forbes Global 2000 (within the top 500) - Fortune Global 500 (within the top 500) - Time 100 World's Most Influential Companies |
② (Employment at a Research Institution) Persons with at least 5 years of research experience in cutting-edge fields after obtaining a doctoral degree, including at least 3 years of service at a world-class research institution.
※ Work experience at world-class research institutions is recognized even prior to obtaining a doctoral degree.
World-class research institutions | ||
- Research institutes at universities ranked within the top 100 in the world within the last 5 years - Research institute affiliated with a global company - Government-led research institute |
4. (Ministry Recommendation) A person verified and recommended by the head of a relevant central administrative agency
E-7-T (Outstanding Talent) Submission Documents
① Integrated application form, copy of passport, 1 standard-sized photograph
② Employment contract
③ Documents proving place of residence
④ Letter of recommendation from the head of the relevant central administrative agency
⑤ Supporting documents such as a graduation certificate, degree certificate, or certificate of employment (documents issued overseas require an Apostille or consular authentication)
⑥ Documents proving income requirements (Certificate of Income Amount, etc.)
⑦ Business Registration Certificate
⑧ Tuberculosis Diagnosis Certificate (if applicable, valid for 3 months): Issued by public health centers or hospitals designated by the Ministry of Justice
⑨ Foreigner Employment Report
※ These are the basic submission documents. Additional documents may be requested during the review process.
Top-Tier F2 Visa (F-2-T)
Eligibility Requirements for Top Talent in High-tech Industries (Recommended by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) Residency (F-2-T) ※ Must meet all basic requirements below
1. (Income) Those whose annual income is three times or more of the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI).
2. (Education) Persons who have obtained a master's degree or higher from a university ranked within the top 100 in at least one of the following global university rankings within the last 5 years.
World University Rankings | ||
- QS World University Rankings - QS World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering and Technology - Times Higher Education World University Rankings - Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering - US News & World Report Best Global Universities - US News & World Report Best Global Universities for Engineering |
3. (Experience) Persons who meet one of the following requirements: work experience at a company or research institution.
① (Corporate Employment) Individuals with a total of 8 years or more of work experience, including at least 3 years of service at a global company.
Global companies (companies selected for one of the following within the last 3 years) | ||
- Forbes Global 2000 (within the top 500) - Fortune Global 500 (within the top 500) - Time 100 World's Most Influential Companies |
② (Employment at a Research Institution) Persons with at least 5 years of research experience in cutting-edge fields after obtaining a doctoral degree, including at least 3 years of service at a world-class research institution.
※ Work experience at world-class research institutions is recognized even prior to obtaining a doctoral degree.
World-class research institutions | ||
- Research institutes at universities ranked within the top 100 in the world within the last 5 years - Research institutes affiliated with the world's top 500 companies - Government-led research institute |
4. (Ministry Recommendation) A person verified and recommended by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
Cases where you can apply even if the above basic requirements are not met
1. Persons verified and recommended by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy who, even if they do not meet either the educational or career requirements, have an annual income of at least four times the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI).
2. Persons who meet all eligibility criteria among the basic requirements, excluding income, and have worked for at least one year in the advanced industrial sector of a domestic company (provided that this is limited to those whose annual income is at least twice the per capita Gross National Income of the previous year).
※ Persons who have worked in a high-tech field for at least one year under an Expatriate (D-7) ~ Specific Activity (E-7) or Resident (F-2) visa, with the period calculated based on the start date specified in the employment contract.
3. A top talent recruited under the national overseas talent attraction program, verified and recommended by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy.
※ Talents recruited through the “Support Program for Attracting Top-tier Overseas Talent” based on the “Brain to Korea 2,000” project and recommended by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy are exempt from screening for income, education, and work experience requirements.
4. Persons recognized by the Minister of Justice as possessing outstanding knowledge and skills to strengthen competitiveness in advanced fields, even if they do not meet the basic requirements.
Eligibility Requirements for Top Talent in Science and Technology (MSIT Recommended Type) Residency (F-2-T) ※ Persons recommended by the Minister of Science and ICT who meet at least one of the following criteria: (Experience), (Commercialization), (Publications), or (Awards).
1. (Experience) A person with at least 5 years of work experience in the relevant field who meets any of the following criteria
① Principal Investigator (PI) or Assistant Professor or higher at a research institute of a university ranked in the world's top 100.
World University Rankings | ||
- QS World University Rankings - QS World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering and Technology - Times Higher Education World University Rankings - Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject: Engineering - US News & World Report Best Global Universities - US News & World Report Best Global Universities for Engineering |
② Research institutes affiliated with the Global Top 500 companies and national/public research institutes at the manager level or higher
Global 500 Companies (Companies selected in one of the following within the last 3 years) | ||
- Forbes Global 2000 (within the top 500), - Fortune Global 500 (within the top 500), - Time 100 World's Most Influential Companies |
③ Key research personnel equivalent to this
2. (Commercialization) Holders of trilateral patents or international standard patents, or those with royalty income of 1 billion KRW or more in the past 3 years
3. (Publications) Listed on the HCR (Highly Cited Researchers) list (selected from the top 1% of cited papers) or author of a representative paper selected by international academic journals such as Science or Nature (e.g., Best Research of the Year).
4. (Awards) Recipients of internationally recognized prestigious awards in science and technology, such as the Nobel Prize or the Fields Medal, or persons recommended by such recipients.
Cases where you can apply even if the above basic requirements are not met
1. A top talent recruited under the National Overseas Talent Recruitment Program, verified and recommended by the Minister of Science and ICT
2. A person selected as a top talent in the science and technology field by the “Top-Tier Talent Recommendation Review Committee” and recommended by the Minister of Science and ICT.
3. Persons recognized by the Minister of Justice as possessing outstanding knowledge and skills to strengthen competitiveness in the field of science and technology, even if they do not meet the basic requirements.
Documents for Top Talent (F-2-T)
① Integrated application form, copy of passport, 1 standard-sized photograph
② Documents proving place of residence
③ Letter of recommendation from the head of the relevant central administrative agency (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)
※ The letter of recommendation is replaced by the K-Tech Pass confirmation (issued by KOTRA) in the official recommendation letter.
④ Business Registration Certificate
⑤ Employment contract (Certificate of employment may be substituted if currently employed)
⑥ Overseas Criminal Record Certificate (Apostille or Consular Authentication Required)
- Validity Period: Within 6 months from the date of issuance
- Attach the translated document, translator's confirmation (personal details, contact information), and a copy of the translator's ID.
- Criminal record certificates issued by the head of a country's overseas diplomatic mission are, in principle, not recognized (however, exceptional submission is permitted if it is clearly proven that they were issued after verification by the home government).
⑦ Tuberculosis Diagnosis Certificate (if applicable, valid for 3 months): Issued by public health centers or hospitals designated by the Ministry of Justice
⑧ Foreigner Employment Report
※ These are the basic submission documents. Additional documents may be requested during the review process.
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