What work can and can't I do with E-7 (Special Designated Activities)?

E-7 is a status of stay that lets you work only in a permitted occupation, and only for the workplace you have a contract with.

✅ What you can do

• You can work in an occupation designated by the Minister of Justice (법무부장관) after signing a contract with a public institution or company in Korea²
• Detailed categories²
• E-7-1: Professional workers (managers and experts)
• E-7-2: Semi-professional workers (office and service jobs)
• E-7-3: General skilled workers (skilled laborers)
• E-7-4: Experienced skilled workers (points system)
• E-7-91: FTA independent professionals
• According to the latest manual, there are 94 permitted occupations. This is more than in older materials, so please check the latest list¹

🚫 What you can't do

• Work outside your permitted occupation: In general, if you want to do a different kind of work, you must first get permission for activities outside your status of stay (체류자격외 활동허가)³
• Unauthorized simple labor: In general, simple labor such as factory production work is not covered by E-7. It is handled by other statuses (such as E-9)
• Changing or adding workplaces without the proper procedure: Professional workers can change or add a workplace by reporting only. Experienced skilled workers cannot report after the fact and must get permission²
• A contract below the wage standard: Both the hourly wage and the monthly salary must be at or above the minimum wage. If your pay is lower than the screening standard, permission is generally restricted¹

⚠️ Things to be careful about

Working without permission may be a violation of your stay conditions. If you are already in this situation, please get a consultation with K-VISA AI Administrative Agent (행정사) (the visa service in the app). Workplace change rules may change, so please make a final check at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or 1345.