Can I change from E-10 (Seafarer Employment) to another visa status?

In general, there is no way to change from E-10 to another visa status. In the Stay Civil Affairs Manual (체류민원 매뉴얼), the entries for granting and changing E-10 status are all marked "Not applicable." When your employment period ends, you are expected to leave Korea.

What you can do with this status

• You can extend your period of stay within E-10. The maximum is 3 years at a time.
• If your employer wants to rehire you, you can extend your employment period under the special rule for rehiring. In this case, you can stay up to 4 years and 10 months from your first entry date.
• If your workplace has suspended or closed its business, you can apply for a change of workplace with a recommendation from the head of the Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries (지방해양수산청장).
• Fishing vessel crew (E-10-2) can get permission for activities outside their status, for E-9 activities, only during the fishing season. This is for related work such as drying and packing the catch. This is not a change of status. It must be with the same employer, and it must not exceed 1/3 of your period of stay.

If you need a different status

• To stay in Korea, you must check the requirements of a status other than E-10 from the beginning. Examples are marriage (F-6), overseas Korean (F-4), and professional worker (E-7). You may not be able to change to these directly from E-10. You may need to leave Korea and get a new visa.
• If you are married to a Korean citizen or are an overseas Korean, you need an individual check on whether you can change to that status.

⚠️ Points to note

If you do activities other than the work permitted under E-10 without permission, you may face a penalty (fine) or be subject to departure. If you want to know whether a change is possible, check at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or the Foreigner Helpline (외국인종합안내센터, 1345). If you have personal circumstances, the K-VISA AI administrative agent consultation (Visa Service in the app) can also help.