What happens to my visa if I leave Korea while job hunting on a D-10?

If you have completed foreigner registration, you keep your D-10 status when you leave and come back while you still have time left on your period of stay. If you re-enter within 1 year of the day you left, you do not need to get a separate re-entry permit. If your remaining period of stay is shorter than 1 year, you must return within that period.

Your period of stay does not stop while you are abroad. When the expiry date passes, your D-10 ends. So you must return before the expiry date to keep job hunting. You can apply for an extension in Korea from 4 months before expiry until the expiry date.

⚠️ Please check these points

• Some people, such as those subject to an entry ban, may need to get a separate re-entry permit even if they return within 1 year.
• If you plan to leave for good and not return to Korea, you usually hand in your Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증) at the airport when you leave. Your status of stay then ends.
• If the expiry date passes while you are abroad, you may need to get a new visa to come back.

Before you leave, check the expiry date on your Alien Registration Card, and ask again at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or 1345.