What can and can't I do for work with an F-4 (Overseas Korean) visa?

With F-4, you can freely do most kinds of work. However, there are a few kinds of work that the Ministry of Justice (법무부) has banned by public notice¹⁴.

✅ Work you can do

• You can do most jobs, such as office work, professional jobs, service jobs, and running your own business, as long as they are not in the restricted list below⁴.
• The basic step is to complete a Domestic Residence Report (국내거소신고)⁴.
• For jobs where Korean law requires a license, such as doctor or nurse, you must have that license⁴.
• Among simple labor jobs, some are allowed for F-4 holders³.

❌ Work you can't do

1. Simple labor: Work that is mainly everyday physical labor. Examples are moving workers, building cleaners, garbage collectors, apartment security guards, and parking attendants¹.
2. Work against social order: Working at gambling businesses, as an entertainer at entertainment bars, or at businesses that go against public morals¹.
3. Other restricted jobs: Jobs that the Ministry of Justice has separately set to protect the public interest or the order of the domestic job market¹.

⚠️ Things to be careful about

• A new notice has been in effect since February 12, 2026¹. It aims to gradually expand the simple labor that F-4 holders can do, as Visiting Employment (H-2) and F-4 are being merged². So the detailed job list may differ from older materials (the list of 41 jobs)³.
• Exception: If your residence is in a population-decline area that takes part in the regional-specialized visa program, you can also do simple labor and other restricted jobs. Your workplace must be within the metropolitan city or province where your residence is. However, businesses that violate social order, such as entertainment venues, are still banned in this case¹.
• Under older guidelines, to work under this exception you had to get Permission for Activities Outside Status of Sojourn (체류자격 외 활동허가). You also had to get permission again when changing your workplace³. You should check whether the procedure is still the same.
• If you do restricted work, you may get a fine or have your stay extension limited³.

To check whether a specific job is on the restricted list, look at the job classification number in the attachment to the notice. For final confirmation, use HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or the Foreigner Helpline (외국인종합안내센터, 1345). If your situation is complicated, try the K-VISA AI administrative agent consultation (visa service in the app).