E2 and D10 VISA FAQ (In Progress)

no, you cant leave Korea for two weeks after applying for your D-10.   That's why most people apply for  their D-10 two weeks before their contract ends......which is the advice that people have been giving on this site consistantly  for more than a year.

Please could you give some feedback on your answer?

- Why can't you leave Korea for two weeks using just the certificate of ARC?

This document is valid as shows hikorea.go.kr site:

Scope of Foreigner Registration Certification
The certification will be issued only to foreigners that have registered in compliance with the procedures under Immigration Control Act
When related laws require a national ID card or a resident registration in various procedures and transactions, Domestic Residency Card / Certificate, foreigner registration card or foreigner registration certificate can be substituted instead.
If foreigners’ registration expires due to permanent departure, death, or if they are staying illegally, certification will not be issued. However, provided that the record of termination is available through foreigner registration information system, certification can be issued as a former visitor.

- How can you apply for a job-seeker visa if you are still under your employment contract?

Thanks in advance.

I could really use some help on this, anyone, please ?

I'm planning on a similar situation to what you were questioning and was wondering if you could offer some insight based on what happened with your circumstances.

My contract will end February 25, 2016.
My ARC expires March 25, 2016.

Ideally, I would like to do a South East Asia trip from February 25 - March 20th, return and apply for the D10 before my ARC expires March 25th. I'm not sure if this is possible as I have heard different information from various sources (some say the ARC visa is automatically cancelled 14 days after your contract expires (which would be mid march as my contract ends Feb 25th, others say it only end on the date on your ARC which would be March 25th.

I would then hang around and wait for my new ARC following the D-10 application around march 22/23. I plan to book a flight home or travel more on the new ARC ( D-10) until mid-June, and would return to Korea then to find a job.

Anyone got insight if this timeline is possible? My main concern is whether I can travel for a month from Feb 25th - March 20th and apply for the D-10 right before my ARC expires March 25th. or if my visa will be automatically cancelled 14 days after my contract ends February 25th. I phoned immigration 4 times and spoke to 4 different people who gave me 4 different answers. So would appreciate any insight from someone who has experienced this situation.

Thanks~

Could you share those 4 different version about your problem? I'm exactly in the same situation. I would appreciate your feedback and how it ended.

I think it takes 24 hours to 3 days to get the certificate that you are referring to. They do give you something at the time of application but you cannot use it to leave the country. People may be confusing the two documents. You have to go back to the office and pay a small fee to have it printed. Another issue to consider is that someone needs to be home when your new ARC with the D10 is delivered. I am not sure what would happen if no one is there to sign for it. It can be anyone living at your address though.

Can you apply for a D10 visa more than once? I completed a contract last year and switched to a D10 to go home for a bit between jobs. I'm leaving my current job in March with a LOR (it's the start of the school's new year so they're allowing me to leave early if I want, and I do) and was wondering if I could go back on the D10.

I also want to know this! 

My ARC expires Sep. 20 of 2016 (contract finishes Aug. 20 of 2016) and I want to:
1. Go to Thailand for a month to do a CELTA from Oct. 10 - Nov. 4 (~30 days out of Korea)
2. Go home for a month from Nov 22- Dec. 27 (~36 days out of Korea)
3. Come back to Korea before 2017 to search for a job that starts at or before March.

Additional questions I have are:
1. When is the best time to apply for a D10 with my dates?  I'll be staying in Korea (ideally ON the D10 already) after Sept. 20, but how soon before this should I apply?  I want to have my 6mo go for as long as possible.
2. Is the date that begins your 6mo period the date you apply for a D10, or is it the date it gets approved/issued?  For example, if processing takes 2 weeks and I apply on Sep 1, would my D10 most likely be valid beginning Sep. 1 or Sep. 15?
3. What if my new job's start date is technically after my D10 is valid for, but I sign the contract while on my D10?  What I mean is, say my D10 ends on March 1 and I get a job offer that wants me to start March 15, how does that work for transferring visas?
4. Like imagicaxx, I also want to know if you can apply for a D10 more than once as long as it's between E2 contracts.

2. Is the date that begins your 6mo period the date you apply for a D10, or is it the date it gets approved/issued?  For example, if processing takes 2 weeks and I apply on Sep 1, would my D10 most likely be valid beginning Sep. 1 or Sep. 15?

Your questions need to go to immigration, but the way I understand it is: Your ARC card takes 2-3 weeks to produce and send to you. Your D10 should be processed in a day or two as long as they have everything they need. So the 6 months should start when you apply not when you get your new card.

Your questions need to go to immigration, but the way I understand it is: Your ARC card takes 2-3 weeks to produce and send to you. Your D10 should be processed in a day or two as long as they have everything they need. So the 6 months should start when you apply not when you get your new card.

Yeah.  I live really far from Seoul so I was hoping to avoid having to figure out a time I can actually meet with someone there since the hotline seems to have mixed reviews from the LOFT folks...If they aren't open on Saturdays I'm sort of screwed.  Figured I'd take a shot here just on the off chance that someone had already experienced something similar.

So, if we have an extra month on our ARC card after our contract expires (and during which we can stay in Korea) can we transfer to a new E-2 visa at any time during that 'thirteenth month'?

One more question. Does it matter which immigration branch we go to to apply for the D-10, or is one as good as the other?

Cheers in advance.

I read this thread and it's very useful, but I wanted to ask:

Has anyone left a job before the contract end date and still received a D-10 without a LOR?

That's not my express plan. But I'm not pleased with my current employer and want to know if I can still hang around on a D-10 if they do not give me a LOR.

So if anyone has pulled this off, I'd like to know how it went.

I read this thread and it's very useful, but I wanted to ask:

Has anyone left a job before the contract end date and still received a D-10 without a LOR?

That's not my express plan. But I'm not pleased with my current employer and want to know if I can still hang around on a D-10 if they do not give me a LOR.

So if anyone has pulled this off, I'd like to know how it went.

If they wont give you a LOR then you should go to immigration and try for the D10 anyway. It may depend on how nice and helpful they happen to be on that day. Immigration may contact your employer and ask for them to fax one. If the request is coming from immigration they may feel obligated to give them one. Just make sure you do not owe your employer any money.

Has anyone ever gone home on a D10 and collected their pension on the way out? Like if I decided that finding another job was not going to happen, would I have any issues applying for an receiving my pension? Do I have to cancel the visa first? Any info would be appreciated.

Anyone ever gotten a D10 and then decided to get a job in another country?  How do you go about canceling the D10 and collecting your pension?

So the 6 months should start when you apply not when you get your new card.

Right. Which means by the time you get your card-and your application is confirmed- you have only 5 months left.

Okay Waygook brethren I have a present for you all.  I had an adventure today at the Seoul Immigration Office in Mokdong to get my D10 and found that you have to make an online reservation because they're not doing the number tickets anymore.  I was able to make a reservation in person for later this week thanks to a helpful clerk.  The HiKorea site just absolutely refuses to work with my computer so I've never been able to do the online reservation.  Anyway, I decided to grab two necessary forms and scan them so we can all have copies.  I grabbed the Plan for Seeking Employment form and the Confirmation of Residence form.  The job search form I previously found online with some digging, but for some reason the other language on it is Chinese and not Korean.  To be safe I grabbed the ones at the office with the Korean on it.  The residence form I haven't been able to find anywhere online.  Download away and godspeed folks.

The D-10 was supposed to make the process simpler but I don't really see how.  Please tell me if I have this information correct:
I cannot apply for the D-10 visa until after I have finished my contract.  Then I need to wait 2-3 weeks to receive my new ARC before I can leave the country?   

Q: 1) What if I quit or got canned?  2) What if I quit (or got canned) and want to stay in Korea to find another job?

1) You have up to 14 days, and can ask Immigration for an additional 14 days (call 1345).

2) You can apply for a D-10 visa, and it'll make things easier if you get a Letter of Release (LOR) from your employer. However, your employer is under no obligation to give you one.

The D-10 visa gives you 6 months to find a new job and, out of those 6 months, you can be out of Korea for a maximum of 90 days.

I was recently fired (tuesday) and she said she will cancel my Visa at the end of this month, refusi.g to give me a release letter.I am going to ask when today about exactly when she will cancel the visa....
 But if I already have found a job, before the 14 days, can I just transfer my e 2 visa? I have been looking but have never got quite a clear answer, other than here.

My contract will be terminated, so will it matter if theres still 3 months remaining? Should I call immagration to clarify? I've been reading I might need some sort of written reason as to why i need to transfer?

I've been reading so many forums with no clear answers ^^;;

Yes, you should call immigration.

All immagration told me was I had to leave within 30 days, and with no LOR, I can't change jobs.

I plan on visiting tomorrow and asking for a copy of all my appostilled documents, hoping I can apply for another visa this way. I will update.

All immagration told me was I had to leave within 30 days, and with no LOR, I can't change jobs.

That sounds about right.

So, you need to get an LoR from your employer.  If you can't get an LoR you will have to wait for the current visa to expire (after 3 months) before you can get a new one.  Korea sucks in that way.

I went to apply for a D10 visa and received the form attached to give to my previous employer to fill in.

This is after the fact that I presented my contract and proof of employment to the immigration officers.

Reason I ask is because both officers seemed clueless and took a while to look things up on the computer.

Thinking of going to another immigration office because I haven't heard of anyone else needing this form.

Is this a standard form that employers need to sign off?It doesn't look like a letter of release.

Since my job fell thru, I only have 2 weeks left before my D10 expires and I'm worried about finding employment by then.
If I can't find a job, do I have to be out of Korea by the expiration date? Can I get an extension so I have time to sort things out? I'm still looking for jobs but I don't think I'll find one in time so I'll need a chance to ship my things home, close accounts, etc.