AMERICANS – E2 VISA INSTRUCTIONS

E2 VISA INSTRUCTIONS FOR Americans

Americans, we’ve prepared this handy-dandy guide to your E2 visa instruction to get your teaching visa for South Korea. This information is for teachers going to private language schools only. The process for public schools is different.

This outlines the E2 visa requirements for South Korea. These will vary between public and private schools. Please contact your Footprints Placement Coordinator for details that pertain to you and your school.

And hey, if you haven’t even applied for a job in Korea yet, you should fill out our one-minute online application. It’s free and our team will connect you to the hiring directors in the best schools (and then help guide you step by step). This saves you time and hassle not having to figure everything out on your own. 

Step 1: E2 Visa Instructions - Documents

The first step in this exciting process is to collect and authenticate your documents. Below we have broken down the specific steps for each document. You will need all of them completed before moving on to step 2.

1.1 University Degree

  • Must be a four-year Bachelor’s degree (at minimum) in any discipline 
  • Must be from an accredited university
  • Your degree must be a notarized photocopy with Apostille: 
    • Take your degree to a local notary public. The lawyer will make a photocopy of it and notarize it.
    • After your degree copy is notarized, take this to the Secretary of State (in the same state as the notary public) for Apostille Authentication.

1.2 FBI Criminal Background check

  • Your FBI check cannot be more than six months old when you are proceeding to step 2 (applying for your E2 Visa).
  • Only FBI Checks are accepted: 
    *Please note that this can take up to 2 months to process.
  • Have the results sent to you.
  • After receiving the FBI check, get it apostilled through the Department of State in Washington, DC. It can take up to 6-8 weeks to get your apositille if sent through the mail, so be sure to either go in person or have a friend/relative get the apostille for you. There are also private companies which can get the apostille for you in only a matter of days.

1.3 Health Statement

  • This is a simple questionnaire form from the Korean government where you personally answer the questions. Once you arrive in Korea, a full blood test and physical exam will be administered. 
  • The test will include testing for narcotics, TB, HIV, and other communicable diseases. The government suggests that they are not testing for THC or marijuana but please note that smoking marijuana in Korea is a criminal offense and is NOT handled lightly. Foreigners are not exempt and are in fact targeted. DO NOT BRING ANY DRUGS TO KOREA, OR USE ANY THERE. 
  • If you do not pass the health exam in Korea you will likely have your visa revoked and will not have a job or health insurance.

1.4 Passport Photocopy

  • This is a photocopy the information page of your passport.
  • Make sure you have at least 6 months on your passport before it expires.
  • Make sure there is at least 1 empty page in your passport.

1.5 Resume

  • Print a copy of your resume. 

1.6 Signed Copy of School Contract

  • The contract will be provided to you by e-mail once you agree to the contract and the school accepts you as a teacher. 

1.7 Five Passport Sized Photos 

  • These are standard passport photos – the same that you would need for a new passport. The photos must not be older than 6 months. 
  • Have one additional passport photo on hand for the final stage of the overall E2 visa application process, in Step 3. 

Step 2: Send Documents to Korea (Visa Reservation Number)

Required Documents for E2 Visa Application:

  1. copy of original degree with Apostille
  2. one set of sealed university transcripts
  3. notarized FBI Check with Apostille
  4. health check statement
  5. photocopy of the information page of your passport
  6. copy of your resume
  7. a signed copy of the contract
  8. two passport-sized photos

Do not send your documents via the United States Post Office (USPS) or Purolator. Delivery can take 5 days to 8 weeks or more and there is no way for us or the school to keep track of your documents once they are in Korea (USPS and Purolator can’t track it within Korea).

Once you’ve sent your documents, please retain a copy of your invoice with the tracking number of your package and the address you sent it to. Please send Footprints a copy of the tracking number and tell us what company you used.

This will cost $40 to $80 to send depending on the company you choose, the weight, and the service you use. It sounds rather expensive – and it is – but it is well worth it when you are sending your authenticated degree, transcripts and background check that all can take a very long time to replace if lost.

Your school will take these documents to the Ministry of Justice and Immigration in Korea to get a Visa Authorization Number for you.

Within 7-10 working days, the Immigration Office will issue a Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number; also referred to as the Visa Reservation Number or Visa Confirmation Number.

The number will look something like this: UJBO 08007392 (the first four characters are letters, the remaining characters are numbers).

The school will then forward this number (by e-mail) to you (or us). You will need this code to put it on your teaching visa application for the Korean consulate. 

Step 3: Submit E2 Visa Application with the Korean Consulate

We move to this step assuming that you have received your Visa Confirmation Number. If you don’t have it, please check with your Placement Coordinator and they will contact the school to see where things currently stand. Korean Immigration usually takes 7 to 10 business days to process applications in Korea.E2 Visa Requirements. E2 Visa instructions.

Once you have your Visa Issuance Number it is time to mail or take your application form and visa documents to the Korean Consulate or Embassy nearest to you. Check the links below to find out which office has jurisdiction for your state. How to get an E2 visa. E2 Visa Guide. 

E2 Teaching Visa Application Form – here are some fields on the application form that you might have questions about: 

  • Classification: OR – ordinary (unless you are a diplomat!)
  • Occupation: English Teacher
  • Purpose of Entry: To teach English
  • Potential Length of Stay: 1 year
  • Address in Korea: same address to which you sent all your documentation
  • Who Will Pay For The Expense For Your Stay?: Employer
  • Guarantor or Reference in Korea: same person to whom you sent all your documentation

Take the Visa Application form and the required documents to the Korean Consulate with jurisdiction for your state or area.

Required Documents to Apply for an E2 Visa at the Korean Consulate: How to get an E2 visa. E2 Visa Guide. E2 Visa Requirements. E2 Visa instructions.
  • Completed E2 Visa Application Form
  • Passport: Make sure you have your passport ready, that there is 6 months validity left on it and that there is at least 1 empty page. Make sure it’s signed too.
  • Photo: You will need to send a passport picture with your application.
  • Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number: Fill in the reservation number at the top of application form.
  • Transcripts: Send one set of sealed transcripts to the consulate.
  • Consul’s Checklist: A simple two page document required by the consulate.
  • Fee: The cost will be: $45 USD
    * This must be cash or a money order.
    * As an American you are generally given a multi-entry visa immediately upon application (typically without having to ask for it). Make sure of this – if you don’t have this multi-entry capability, your visa will expire if you leave Korea to visit Japan, Thailand or elsewhere for vacation.

Always call your consulate to ensure you are familiar with their procedures.

Each consulate has different processing times (from one hour to 5 days), so ask them when it will be ready and let us know as soon as you know so plans can be made. If you didn’t go in person, call the consulate to make sure they received your documents and to find out when your visa will be ready.

They might request an interview IN PERSON with the Consul General if they need additional documents and proof. Your visa will be processed after that. 

Once you have received your passport back with your E-2 visa, you are all set to begin your journey to Korea! Your Placement Coordinator should have been working with you on arrangements for your flight arrival and your airport pickup. Keep in touch with your Placement Coordinator so they can make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.

Korean Consulate Locations & Jurisdictions

z-TrhLCn1abMU-unsplash

Responsible for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands

Responsible for New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont

Responsible for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Responsible for American Samoa and Hawaii.

Responsible for Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Texas.

Responsible for Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and South California.

Responsible for Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Responsible for Colorado, Northern California, Utah, and Wyoming. 

Responsible for Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. 

Responsible for Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

Responsible for Guam and Northern Mariana Islands.

Useful Resources for Teaching Abroad

We want you to succeed. We want you to have the experience of a lifetime, teaching in places around the world! To help you along your journey, we have curated some helpful resources below:

Disclaimer: While we work diligently to keep up to date on the E2 Visa requirements, we are not government officials. Use this information as a guide only and always call your local consulate to ensure that the process has not changed.