Renewing your E-2 Visa:

If you are renewing, you must apply for an extension of your E-2 visa before your visa expires but within 14 days from the first day of the new contract after you receive confirmation from the DMOE on your medical exam report submission. Please check your visa expiration date before you go on your vacation to avoid any complications when re-entering the country.

For renewing NETs you MUST make a reservation before heading over to the Immigration Office. You may do so at the Immigration Office website, hikorea.go.kr. Follow the "Reserve Visit" link on the top bar. You will have to create an ID and password in order to use this function. The website is in English. If you have any trouble, contact the immigration office at 1345. The availability of appointment times is very limited and it is normal for the first available appointment to be at least a week (sometimes up to a month) ahead. Take that into consideration when you are scheduling a visit to the Immigration Office.

Where to apply: Daegu Immigration Office

When: Before the expiration date noted on your visa (or before you leave for vacation). Also, it is not recommended you go earlier than 1 month before your expiration date, as you may be turned away (for coming too early).

Required Documents:

- Passport

- New Contract (original and copy) - PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ONLY ORIGINAL WITH THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE!

- Residence Card

- Registration Application (available at the immigration office)

- Processing Fee (60,000 KRW in cash)

- Address and Proof of Residency

1. Housing provided by the school

• a copy of rental contract (under the school's name, the renewed contract term) AND confirmation of residence/accommodation (거주/숙소제공 확인서) completed by the school

2. Housing allowance

• a copy of rental contract (under your name, the renewed contract term) OR mail from Korea Immigration Service, other mails from public organizations

-Business Registration Certificate of the DMOE (provided by the DMOE)

- Business Registration Certificate of School(s) - of new schools if transferring, need one from both if at more than one school

-Foreigner Occupation and Annual Income Report Form (외국인 직업 및 연간 소득금액 신고서)

- Certificate of Income Amount (소득금액증명원)

Your renewed visa will be processed immediately and will be noted on the back of your RC card. There will be no need to leave your passport or RC behind.

Temporary Extension of Stay for your E-2 Visa (NON-RENEWING NET's):

Most E-2 visas will have an end-date that is about 3-4 weeks after the last date of your contract. If you would like to stay on longer to tie up loose ends, you may apply for a temporary extension of stay. Note that you are not permitted to work on a temporary extension, it is only offered for you to stay longer for personal reasons.

Where to apply: Daegu Immigration Office

When: Before the expiration date on your visa.

Required Documents:

- Passport

- Residence Card

- Registration Application (available at the immigration office)

- Flight Ticket (departure date must be indicated).

Your temporary extension will be processed immediately and will be noted on the back of your RC card. There will be no need to leave your passport or RC behind.

Please follow this link for the application form and for more information.

E-2 Visa Does Not Cover Full Time on Contract

We have had some issues in the past with NET's saying their E-2 visas did not cover the full time that is listed on their contracts (for example, the visa had an expiration date of February 17 when the contract didn't end until February 25). Originally, an E-2 visa was automatically eligible for a 12 month stay in the country, which if done correctly, should have been just enough time to cover the contract in entirety. A few years back, Immigration started allowing 13 months as a courtesy to our NET's, understanding that most people needed the extra time to tie up loose ends or do some traveling before leaving the country. However, even after this alleged change, we were still getting a few NET's that still had visas that ended too early. After looking into this issue, with the help of EPIK, it came to light that some embassies were still issuing E-2 visas with only 12 months, starting from the day that the actual visa was issued (not starting on the first day of the contract). Immigration can only follow what was initially issued by the embassy in your home country when making your RC. Unfortunately, if you find yourself in this situation, there is nothing to be done once your visa has been issued. EPIK has been so kind as to send official documents to all of the embassies (departments in charge of English education), asking them to issue 13 months visas for E-2 EPIK visa holders. Hopefully, if everyone complies, we should not see this problem anymore in the future.