E-6 Arts and Entertainment and C-4 Short-term Employment Visa Procedure — Performance Recommendation, Employment Recommendation, and Certificate of Visa Eligibility Documents

Procedure

1. 1. Determine the status of stay by activity period and payment

   C-3 (Short-term Visit) excludes people whose purpose is profit, so an activity paid with appearance or modeling fees requires a status of stay that permits employment. Short-term paid activities such as temporary entertainment, advertising and fashion modeling, and lectures fall under C-4 (Short-term Employment), a short-term status of 90 days or less, and diplomatic mission guidance classifies performance and modeling activities as C-4-5. Entertainment, music performance, theater, sports, or modeling activities lasting more than 90 days fall under E-6 (Arts and Entertainment), with a maximum period of stay of 2 years.

2. 2. Prepare a performance recommendation or employment recommendation

   For a performance under the Public Performance Act, the inviter submits the application for recommendation of a domestic performance by foreigners (Form No. 6) to the Korea Media Rating Board with the performance outline, script and lyrics, a copy of the performance contract including a translation, a description of the performer or group, and a list of foreign performers. The processing period on the form is 10 days for a recommendation and 5 days for an amended recommendation, and performances invited by the State or a local government or held for religious ceremonies, social gatherings, or research presentations are not subject to recommendation. For activities other than performances, prepare an employment recommendation from the head of the competent central administrative agency or documents proving the need for employment.

3. 3. Apply for an E-6 Certificate of Visa Eligibility

   For E-6, the application for a Certificate of Visa Eligibility (Form No. 21) is submitted with the documents in Annex 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act to the immigration office with jurisdiction over the inviter's address, and the inviter may apply on behalf of the foreigner. Performances or entertainment activities at hotel facilities, entertainment establishments, and similar venues additionally require an entertainment activity plan, a qualification or career certificate, and a letter of guarantee besides the performance recommendation. If the inviter paid a fine for illegal employment or similar violations and a set period has not yet passed, the certificate may not be issued, so the inviter's history is also checked.

4. 4. Apply for the visa at a Korean diplomatic mission

   When the Minister of Justice issues the certificate, the confirmation number is notified to the inviter, and the foreigner enters that number on the visa application form and applies for the visa at a Korean diplomatic mission. A Certificate of Visa Eligibility is valid for 3 months and is effective for only one visa issuance. C-4 is not on the list of statuses eligible for a Certificate of Visa Eligibility under the Enforcement Rule, so as a rule the foreigner applies directly at the diplomatic mission with an employment or service contract and a recommendation.

5. 5. Alien registration and managing the scope of activities after entry

   A foreigner staying in Korea for more than 90 days with E-6 status registers as an alien within 90 days of entry. To engage in activities belonging to another status of stay, such as a performance for another agency or an advertising shoot, permission for activities outside the status of stay must be obtained in advance. If the recommended performance content changes, an amended recommendation from the Korea Media Rating Board is also required.

Required documents

• Application for a Certificate of Visa Eligibility (Form No. 21 of the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act); for C-4, the visa application form submitted to a Korean diplomatic mission (Form No. 17 of the same Enforcement Rule)
• Application for recommendation of a domestic performance by foreigners (Form No. 6 of the Enforcement Rule of the Public Performance Act) with the performance outline, script and lyrics, a copy of the performance contract (including translation), a description of the nature of the foreign performer or group, and a list of foreign performers (for performances under the Public Performance Act)
• Performance recommendation from the Korea Media Rating Board, or an employment recommendation from the head of the competent central administrative agency or documents proving the need for employment
• Employment contract or service contract
• Performance plan or entertainment activity plan
• Qualification certificate or career certificate
• Letter of guarantee (for performances or entertainment activities at hotel facilities, entertainment establishments, and similar venues)
• Letter of authorization (when an administrative agent files on your behalf)

Fees

Generally in the range of several hundred thousand won across the industry · We will advise after consultation based on whether a performance recommendation is included, the number of invitees, and whether the work is an E-6 Certificate of Visa Eligibility application or C-4 documents for a diplomatic mission. The Korea Media Rating Board recommendation fee and visa fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Immigration Act, Article 9
• Immigration Act, Article 10-2
• Immigration Act, Article 18
• Immigration Act, Article 20
• Immigration Act, Article 31
• Immigration Act, Article 94
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Annex 1
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, Annex 1-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 17
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 17-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 17-3
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 18
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 76
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Annex 1
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Annex 5
• Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Form No. 21
• Public Performance Act, Article 6
• Public Performance Act, Article 40
• Enforcement Decree of the Public Performance Act, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Public Performance Act, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Public Performance Act, Form No. 6

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-15

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Staging a foreigner's performance in Korea without a Korea Media Rating Board recommendation is subject to imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30,000,000 won, so first check whether the performance requires a recommendation.
• C-4 does not allow a stay beyond 90 days, so if the shooting or performance schedule may be extended, it is safer to prepare for E-6 from the start.

Frequently asked questions