The E-10 visa is issued for employing foreign seafarers in Korea, primarily for work on fishing or passenger vessels. The E-10-2 visa is a subtype of the E-10 visa, managed under the supervision of Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. Compared to E-10-1 and E-10-3 visas, the issuance volume of E-10-2 is significantly higher, and the term "E-10 visa" usually refers to the E-10-2 visa.

• 1

  Eligible Occupations

  

  Category	Visa Code	Details
  Domestic Sailor	E-10-1	Work on domestic merchant ships over 5 tons (domestic passenger or cargo ships).
  Fishing Vessel Crew	E-10-2	Work on fishing vessels over 20 tons (compared to E-9 visa fisheries)
  Cruise Ship Crew	E-10-3	Work on international cruise ships over 2,000 tons.

• 2

  Length of Stay

  
  • 1)

    Initial period: Up to 3 years

    
  • 2)

    Extension: An additional 1 year and 10 months can be granted upon employer’s request.(See details)

    
• 3

  Rights and Protections

  
  • 1)

    Foreign seafarers are protected under the Korean Labor Standards Act and the Seafarers Act, ensuring equal legal protections as Korean nationals.

    
  • 2)

    Access to the Foreign Seafarers’ Grievance Counseling Center operated by the Korea National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives.

    
• 4

  Restrictions

  
  • 1)

    Limited economic activities outside the scope of the E-10-2 visa are permitted. (See details)

    
  • 2)

    Family invitations are not allowed.

    
  • 3)

    Conversion to a long-term residence visa is not permitted.

    

    (However, conversion to an E-7-4 visa may allow subsequent conversion to a long-term residence visa.)

• 5

  Change of Workplace

  

  Changing the workplace is allowed only under specific circumstances, such as business closure or wage arrears, with the recommendation of the local Oceans and Fisheries Office. (See details)

• 6

  Other Information

  

  he introduction of E-10 visa holders involves private management agencies in Korea, supervised by the Korea National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, and foreign dispatch agencies. These agencies are subject to legal regulations, such as restrictions on excessive fee collection.

  This differs from the E-9 visa system, which is managed entirely through the EPS (Employment Permit System) under the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, blocking the involvement of private domestic and international agencies. (Comparison with E-9 visa fisheries)