D-10 Visa Part-Time Work and Internship Korea 2026: TOPIK 4 Required, 25 Hours Max, Reporting Rules

📋 Fact-checked: 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼 (March 2026, p.158–159, 163) — Ministry of Justice, Korea

D-10 is a job seeker visa — not a work visa. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit idle while searching. The D-10 system allows two types of work activity: part-time work (시간제 취업) with strict Korean language conditions, and internships (인턴활동) through a formal reporting process. The rules are specific, and the consequences of getting them wrong are serious. This guide explains both, clearly, with the official requirements.

📑 In this guide

Two types of work allowed on D-10
Part-Time Work (시간제 취업): TOPIK requirement, hours, and process
Why TOPIK 4 — and what KIIP 4 has to do with it
Manufacturing sector: different rules
How to get the part-time work permit
Internship (인턴활동): who can do it and who cannot
How to report your internship start
Internship documents: the exact list
Changing or ending your internship
Common questions

⚡ The three most important things before you read further

1. Part-time work requires TOPIK 4 (or KIIP 4단계). Without it, you cannot legally do paid part-time work on D-10 — regardless of what your employer says.

2. You must get the part-time work permit (시간제 취업 확인서) BEFORE starting work. Working without it means both you and your employer can be penalized.

3. Internship reporting must be done within 15 days of starting. It cannot be done by fax (abolished June 2026). Immigration office in person or HiKorea online.

1. Two Types of Work Allowed on D-10

💼 Part-Time Work (시간제 취업)

Any type of paid work (not just internships)
Requires TOPIK 4+ or KIIP 4단계+
Max 25 hours/week on weekdays
Weekends and public holidays: no hour limit
Must get formal permit (시간제 취업 확인서) first
Permitted at one specified employer

🎓 Internship (인턴활동/연수활동)

E-1 through E-7 field only (professional fields)
No TOPIK requirement for internship itself
No hour limit specified — governed by contract
Must report to immigration within 15 days
Max 1 year at the same company
D-10-1 only — D-10-2 holders cannot intern

📌 Part-time work vs internship — what’s the practical difference? Both involve working and receiving pay. The key distinction: part-time work is governed by the Korean Language requirement and has strict hour limits — use this for general part-time jobs (café, retail, service work). Internship is for professional-field placements in E-1~E-7 sectors (marketing, engineering, IT, etc.) — no TOPIK requirement, but requires formal immigration reporting. Most office/professional placements will use the internship route.

2. Part-Time Work (시간제 취업): TOPIK Requirement, Hours, and Rules

📋 Source: 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼, March 2026, p.163 (구직(D-10) 시간제 취업 확인서 항목)

Item	Rule
Korean language requirement	TOPIK Level 4 or higher OR KIIP (사회통합프로그램) Stage 4 or higher Without one of these, you cannot do paid part-time work on D-10. TOPIK 3 or KIIP 3단계 is not sufficient.
Allowed working hours	Weekdays (Mon–Fri): maximum 25 hours per week Weekends and public holidays: no hour limit
Manufacturing sector special rule	Manufacturing sector employers: TOPIK holders are excluded — only KIIP Stage 4 or higher is accepted. See Section 4.
Employer restriction	You can only work at the specific employer listed on your 시간제 취업 확인서 (part-time work permit). Working elsewhere counts as unauthorized employment.
Working before permit is issued	❌ Strictly prohibited. Both you AND your employer face legal penalties if you start working before the permit is officially issued.

Hour limits visualized

D-10 Part-Time Work — Maximum Hours Per Week

Weekdays (Mon–Fri)

Max 25 hrs

Weekends & Holidays

No limit ✅

3. Why TOPIK 4 — and What KIIP 4단계 Has to Do With It

The TOPIK 4 requirement for D-10 part-time work is one of the strictest language conditions in Korea’s visa system. Here’s the breakdown:

Language qualification	Counts for D-10 part-time?	Notes
TOPIK Level 2	❌ Not sufficient	Minimum for D-10 visa itself, but not for part-time work
TOPIK Level 3	❌ Not sufficient	A common misunderstanding — TOPIK 3 does not unlock part-time work
TOPIK Level 4	✅ Yes	Minimum required. Valid for 2 years from test date — renew before it expires.
TOPIK Level 5 or 6	✅ Yes	Also qualifies
KIIP Stage 3 (3단계)	❌ Not sufficient	KIIP 3 does not qualify for part-time work
KIIP Stage 4 (4단계) completed	✅ Yes	Completion certificate (이수증) required. Note: Stage 4 completion qualifies — not just enrollment.
KIIP Stage 5 (5단계) completed	✅ Yes	Also qualifies

💡 KIIP vs TOPIK: which is faster for unlocking part-time work? TOPIK is an exam — you can take it, wait for results (4–6 weeks), and get your Level 4 certificate relatively quickly if your Korean is strong enough. KIIP Stage 4 requires completing stages sequentially including a preliminary placement test, which takes longer overall but never expires. If your Korean is already at upper-intermediate level, TOPIK 4 is likely the faster route. See our TOPIK vs KIIP comparison guide →

4. Manufacturing Sector: Different Rules

📋 Source: March 2026 manual, p.163 — specific note on 제조업

The official manual includes a specific restriction for manufacturing sector jobs:

⚠️ Manufacturing (제조업): TOPIK does NOT qualify For manufacturing sector part-time jobs, TOPIK certificate holders are excluded — only KIIP (사회통합프로그램) Stage 4 or higher completion is accepted.

In other words: even if you have TOPIK Level 4 or higher, you cannot do part-time work in manufacturing on D-10. You need KIIP Stage 4 specifically.

This restriction applies to 제조업 (manufacturing) only. Service, retail, office, and other sectors accept both TOPIK 4 and KIIP 4.

Sector	TOPIK 4+ accepted?	KIIP 4단계+ accepted?
General (retail, café, service, office)	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Manufacturing (제조업)	❌ No — TOPIK not accepted	✅ Yes — KIIP only

5. How to Get the Part-Time Work Permit

1

Confirm your Korean language qualification is valid

Check your TOPIK certificate date — it expires 2 years from the test date. If it’s expired, you need to retake TOPIK before applying. For KIIP, confirm your Stage 4 completion certificate (이수증) is in hand.
2

Agree on terms with your prospective employer

The employer needs to be listed on the permit. Agree on working hours, days, hourly wage (must be at or above minimum wage: KRW 10,320/hour in 2026), and confirm they agree to appear on the permit.
3

Visit your local immigration office to apply for 시간제 취업 확인서

Download and fill out the application form (구직(D-10) 시간제 취업 확인서) from HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr). Bring: ARC, passport, TOPIK/KIIP certificate, and employer information. Submit at the immigration office covering your area of residence.
4

Receive the permit — then start work

Do not start working before the permit is issued. Once issued, you may work only at the employer listed, only within the approved hours, only within the D-10 validity period. If you want to add another employer, you need a separate permit for that employer.

6. Internship (인턴활동): Who Can Do It and Who Cannot

📋 Source: 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼, March 2026, p.158–159

Your situation	Can you intern on D-10?
D-10-1 (일반 구직) holder	✅ Yes — eligible for internship in E-1 through E-7 professional fields
D-10-2 (기술창업준비) holder	❌ Not eligible — internship activity not permitted for D-10-2 holders
D-10-1 holder who previously held E-1~E-7 and switched to D-10 due to employer closure etc.	❌ Not eligible — the manual specifically excludes former professional visa (E-1~E-7) holders who converted to D-10-1
D-10-3 (첨단기술인턴) holder	Has a separate internship arrangement built into the visa — see D-10-3 rules

Internship field restrictions

Internship (인턴활동) on D-10-1 is only permitted in fields that correspond to professional visa categories E-1 through E-7. This includes:

E-1: Education / professor roles
E-2: Foreign language teaching
E-3: Research
E-4: Technology consulting
E-5: Professional services (law, accounting, medical)
E-6: Arts and entertainment
E-7: Specialist occupations (IT, engineering, marketing, design, etc.)

General manual labor, factory work, or non-professional service jobs do not qualify as internship activity under D-10. For those, you would need the part-time work permit route (with TOPIK 4).

📌 One more important limit The internship at the same company has a maximum duration of 1 year total over your entire D-10 visa period. If you have already done 1 year at a company, you cannot re-register an internship at the same company even if your D-10 is extended.

7. How to Report Your Internship Start

📋 Source: March 2026 manual, p.158 (출입국관리법 제35조 기반, 연수개시 신고)

Item	Rule
Reporting deadline	Within 15 days of the internship start date
Where to report	Your local immigration office (출입국·외국인관서) covering your area of residence — in person OR HiKorea online. Confirm online availability for your specific office at hikorea.go.kr before relying on it.
Fax reporting	❌ Not accepted from June 1, 2026. Fax-based reporting has been abolished. In-person or online only.
Fee	No fee for internship registration report (외국인등록사항 변경신고는 수수료 없음)
Legal basis	출입국관리법 제35조 (Foreign Registration Change Report), based on 외국인등록사항변경의 신고 규칙 제49조의2 항목 3호

8. Internship Documents: The Exact List

📋 Source: March 2026 manual, p.159 (라. 신청 첨부서류)

These are the exact documents required to report internship start (연수개시 신고):

#	Document	Notes
1	외국인등록사항변경신고서	Download from HiKorea (별지 34호 서식). Fill out before visiting.
2	연수(인턴) 계약서	Internship / training contract with employer. Must specify start date, duration, field, and compensation (even if unpaid, must state that).
3	연수기관 등록서류	Employer’s business registration certificate (사업자등록증 사본). Confirms the company is a legally registered entity.
4	연수기관 고용보험가입자 명부	List of employees enrolled in employment insurance at the employer. This verifies the company’s headcount (used to check the internship abuse limits).
5	기타 필요한 서류	Immigration officer may request additional documents. Confirm in advance if possible.

💡 The internship abuse check — what the employer list is used for The manual includes an anti-abuse provision: if an employer has had 10% or more of their total employees (20% for companies under 10 people) go through internships without being subsequently hired within the past year, new internship registrations from that company will be refused. This is why the 고용보험가입자 명부 (employee insurance list) is required — immigration uses it to check this ratio.

9. Changing or Ending Your Internship

Situation	What to do	Deadline
Changing internship company (새 회사로 변경)	Report to immigration office — same form (외국인등록사항변경신고서) with new employer’s documents. Fax not accepted from June 2026.	Within 15 days of the company change
Quitting internship without moving to new company	Your D-10-1 status remains valid. You revert to regular D-10 job-searching status. Strictly speaking, the change (from “interning” to “not interning”) should be reported to immigration. Contact your local office or call 1345 to confirm the exact procedure — this specific scenario is not detailed in the March 2026 manual.	As soon as possible — confirm with 1345
Internship company changes its name	Report the name change — same process as employer change report	Within 15 days of the name change
Getting hired full-time after internship	Apply for E-7 (or relevant work visa) status change. Your internship period may strengthen your application. The company’s E-7 sponsorship process begins at this point.	Before your D-10 expires

10. Common Questions

Q: I have KIIP Level 2 and my employer made a contract. Can I work part-time without TOPIK? No. An employment contract does not substitute for the language qualification. KIIP Level 2 (2단계) does not meet the requirement — you need KIIP Stage 4 or TOPIK Level 4. Having a contract without the permit is unauthorized employment, which can result in fines and affect your future visa status. You need to either get TOPIK 4+ first, or wait until you complete KIIP Stage 4.

Q: Can I report my internship online via HiKorea, or do I have to go in person? The March 2026 manual specifies reporting to your local immigration office (출입국·외국인관서). Fax has been abolished since June 1, 2026. For online reporting via HiKorea, the availability depends on the specific office and the type of change — check hikorea.go.kr under 전자민원 before your deadline. When in doubt, visit in person to avoid missing the 15-day window.

Q: I’m on D-10-1 because my previous E-7 employer closed. Can I intern? No. The manual explicitly excludes D-10-1 holders who converted from E-1~E-7 professional visa status. If your previous visa was E-7 and you switched to D-10-1 due to employer closure, you are in this excluded category and internship activity is not permitted. You can still do part-time work if you have TOPIK 4 / KIIP 4단계. Contact your local immigration office to confirm your specific situation.

Q: I resigned from my internship. Do I need to report anything? The manual covers starting an internship and changing companies — it is not explicit about reporting when you simply end an internship and return to regular job-seeking activity. However, since your internship registration is on file with immigration, it is advisable to contact your local immigration office (or call 1345) to ask whether a termination report is required. Your D-10 status itself remains valid — this is an administrative reporting question, not a visa validity question.

✅ Quick reference

Part-time work: TOPIK 4 or KIIP 4단계 required. Max 25 hrs/week weekdays, no limit weekends. Must get 시간제 취업 확인서 BEFORE starting.
Manufacturing part-time: KIIP 4단계 only — TOPIK not accepted.
Internship: D-10-1 only. E-1~E-7 fields only. No TOPIK required. Report within 15 days.
Internship documents: 변경신고서 + 인턴 계약서 + 사업자등록증 + 고용보험가입자 명부
Fax: Abolished June 2026. Use immigration office in person or HiKorea.
Cannot intern: D-10-2 holders. Former E-1~E-7 holders who converted to D-10-1.
Help: Immigration helpline 1345 (English available)

Disclaimer: All rules and requirements in this guide are based on the 체류민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼 (March 2026, p.158–159, 163). Part-time work and internship rules, including TOPIK requirements and hour limits, are subject to change. Always verify current rules with your local immigration office or call 1345. This guide does not constitute legal advice.