Can I enter Korea as a tourist and change to a work visa in Korea?

In principle, it is difficult. If you entered Korea as a tourist (short-term visit such as C-3), you usually must leave Korea, get the proper work visa (visa), and enter again.

According to HiKorea guidance, if you want to stop the activity of your current status of stay and do the activity of another status, the rule is to leave Korea, get the proper visa, and enter again. However, if you can meet the requirements in Korea, a change may be allowed in limited cases after a strict review. Short-term stay statuses (B and C series) are statuses that have limits on changing to Specific Activities (E-7), Non-professional Employment (E-9), and others. A short-term visit status cannot be used for profit-making purposes. A change from a short-term visit status is possible only when the individual guidelines allow it.

⚠️ Points to be careful about

• If you work before you get approval for a change, it is illegal employment. You may be punished or forced to leave Korea.
• You must get permission from the immigration office for a change of status of stay before you start a new activity.
• If it looks like you came as a tourist to work, an extension or change may be denied.

💡 Good to know

• Some statuses, such as Student (D-2), are allowed by the individual guidelines for people on a short-term stay to change to. If you married a Korean citizen, a change to Marriage Immigrant (F-6) may also be possible in some cases.
• Work visas (E-7, E-9, etc.) are usually issued at a Korean embassy or consulate in your home country, after the employer sends an invitation and gets a Certificate of Visa Issuance (사증발급인정서).

If you tell me which work visa you are thinking about, I can give more specific guidance. If your personal situation is complex, use the K-VISA AI administrative agent consultation (the visa service in the app). Please confirm the exact details at HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or the Foreigner Information Center (외국인종합안내센터) (1345).