Sometimes a contract can finish early leaving you little time to prepare for finding a new job. The D10 visa was created for this purpose. A D10 visa is nicknamed the “job-search visa” and it allows candidates exactly that: the ability to remain in the country while searching for new employment.
D10 visas are valid for 6 months. If you have get a new teaching job with this visa, you must transfer your visa to E2 status at least 2 weeks before your contract begins. Those that are on a D10 Employment searching visa have a specific set of steps that they need to take in order to complete the E2 visa transfer process. Those on a D10 visa must go to immigration before their ARC expires as well as BEFORE their contract begins. This process will take about 2 weeks until your status will be transferred.
Below is a complete list of steps to obtain your E2 Visa if you are transferring from D10 status.
Step 1
Inquire with your recruiter about which hospitals in your area offer a full medical checkup that includes an HIV and TBPE test. Only certain centers are able to do this testing.
Step 2
Visit the designated medical center and obtain a full medical checkup with HIV and TVP tests. Request 2 SEALED medical checkup results from the hospital: 1 for immigration and one for your future school.
Step 3
Plan a date on when to visit an immigration office and make a reservation if possible. Immigration offices in Korea are usually very busy and only open from 9AM to 6PM. For a list of immigration offices in Korea and the areas they are located in, please visit the following official site.
Step 4
Obtain your original school documents from either your new school or from the Korvia office. Please inquire with your recruiter as to if Korvia is holding them for you.
Step 5
Please prepare the following documents to take to your local Korean immigration office:
*Price is subject to change
TEACHERS W/ OWN HOUSING ONLY: Teachers that own their own housing and/or taking the housing stipend from their school must bring with them a photocopy of their housing contract.
Step 6
Visit your local immigration office and present your application and the required documents to them.
Step 7
Wait approximately two weeks to receive your new visa by mail. If you cannot pick up the visa in person, please opt for the mailing service. This service costs approximately 3,000 KRW. Please request a temporary ID from immigration, as during the processing period your school might request your ID.
IMPORTANT: Due to immigration regulations, those transferring from a D10 visa to an E2 visa may not leave the country while changing visas.
For questions or more information regarding the visa application process for teachers that are transferring from a D10 visa to an E2 visa, please inquire with your recruiter at Korvia.
Hello, If you are transferring from an E-2 Visa to a D-10 Visa, can you leave the country?
Yes, You can leave the country. 🙂
Question, I am resigning from my contract at a hagwon over extreme workplace situations so I wanted to switch from the E2 Visa to the D10 visa. HOWEVER, I have to go home for family reasons from June until August and I wanted to return to Korea in August. Is that possible? Will that effect anything?
Hello, can we apply from Vietnam?
I had to leave quit for a medical reason and return to the US 6 months into my contract. I have almost resolved the issue and naturally I want to go back to Korea. My E2 from my old job is closed because I quit, but can I get a D10 when I go back? I was going to go back on tourist and try to get it that way. I can get a LOR from my old school along with the necessary documents for the visa transfer. I want to search out a job in person this time as well. Im just not sure how to go through with this process, or if it will work.
Do I still need a criminal background check if I am on a D10 visa?
You better contact 1345 for this matter. However, the immigration office will require background check if you will apply or transfer your current visa.
“Obtain your original school documents from either your new school or from the Korvia office. Please inquire with your recruiter as to if Korvia is holding them for you”
Not sure what this means. Step 5 lists a set of documents to take to immigration to convert D-10 back to E-2. Are there additional documents required beyond the list Step 5 indicates?
You have to submit all the required documents for applying for E2 working visa when you will transfer your visa status from D-10 to E-2.
My current contract ends Jan. 30 and I want to go home for 2 weeks in Feb then return to work around the end of Feb/ early March. I know you cannot leave the country during the switch of visas but how early can I apply for the d-10 switch?
For an easier timeline
Jan 30 – contract end
Feb – going back to america for 2 weeks (minimum)
Late Feb/ Early March – Starting new contract
Hi Ayanna, if you are planning on switching from E2 to d-10 so that you can go back to America for 2 weeks, that will not be possible. A d-10 visa is a “job-seeking visa” and it was made so that it allows job applicants some grace period to remain in Korea while searching for a new job. If you are wishing to go back home for 2 weeks before you start a new contract, it would be best to check the expiration date on the back of your ARC and base your E2 transfer on that date.
For D-10 visa holder person. Now out of korea. Visa up to Feb 26 and Can a person come back to korea on 4th Feb for visa extension?
Hello. I am currently on a d10 visa(I switched from a student visa after graduating ) and have gotten a job offer to teach. I have all of the documents needed however some say that I need a background check while others say I do not.. I was looking online and the US no longer accepts fingerprints taken from abroad as of 2023 for FBI background checks.. another teacher said all they had to do was get a government document that says they are allowed to work with children (they are Australian) but I don’t know how to go about doing that. Do you know what how to go about doing this now given the new restrictions?
In order to get the E2 Teaching Visa in South Korea, you will be required to submit an FBI background check. Since you are currently overseas, you will need to go to the FBI website and contact their international office in the country that you are currently located in. They should be able to guide you on how to go about getting a background check while you are outside the US.