How do I invite my spouse and children with an E-7 specific activity visa?

The spouse and minor children of an E-7 holder can be invited with a Dependent (F-3) visa. The children must be minors with no spouse. For family members already in Korea, it is handled as a grant or change of F-3 status.

These are the documents you need

These are the documents for a status grant application (for example, for a child born in Korea).

• Basic documents (application form, passport, 1 standard-size photo, fee)
• Alien registration card of the father or mother, to prove that the main E-7 holder is registered in Korea
• Letter of guarantee (신원보증서), a document that guarantees the person during their stay
• Documents proving the family relationship: a marriage certificate for a spouse, and a birth certificate or other document proving the parent-child relationship for a child

Official documents from your home country must meet all of the conditions below.

• Attach a translator's confirmation.
• Documents from countries in the Apostille Convention need an apostille.
• Documents from countries not in the Convention need consular confirmation from a Korean diplomatic office in that country.
• For China, prove the relationship with a resident ID card, marriage certificate, household register (hukou), and so on.

Steps

1. If your family is abroad, prepare the family relationship documents and apply for a Dependent (F-3) visa at a Korean diplomatic office. Usually, the E-7 holder first gets a Certificate of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서) in Korea and sends it to the family.
2. If your family is already staying legally in Korea, apply to change to F-3 status at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or the local immigration office.
3. You may need a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate. Check with the diplomatic office or immigration office whether your country is on the list.

⚠️ Things to watch out for

• Family members who entered on a short-term visa or visa-free entry can change to F-3 in Korea only for humanitarian reasons, such as pregnancy, childbirth, child care, or illness. In this case, you also need documents proving financial ability (such as living expenses), proof of residence, and a statement of the reason for the change.
• Family members of Technical Training (D-3) holders are not eligible for F-3.
• The permitted length of stay follows the maximum for each status in the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act.
• An adult spouse can work in E-1 to E-7 professional jobs after getting permission to engage in activities outside their status. The permission lasts up to 1 year, within the spouse's own period of stay. Do not work without permission.

If you tell me whether your family is abroad or already in Korea, I can give more detail for your case. Please check the exact documents once more with HiKorea or the Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터, 1345).