Immigration · Work Visa

Korea EPS (E-9) Work Visa: Full Guide for 2026

Last updated 2026-07-12.

The Employment Permit System (EPS) is how Korea legally hires foreign workers for jobs that domestic workers no longer fill. The visa it grants is the E-9 (non-professional employment). If you want to work on a Korean factory line, farm, fishing boat, or construction site, EPS is almost certainly the door you go through.

This guide walks through who qualifies, which countries can send workers, how selection works, how long you can stay, the 2026 intake, and the path from E-9 to long-term settlement.

1. What EPS is and who it is for

EPS launched in 2004 and is run jointly by Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor and HRD Korea (the Human Resources Development Service of Korea). Its core principle is a government-to-government arrangement: Korea signs a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with each sending country, and recruitment runs through public agencies on both sides. Private brokers are deliberately cut out, which keeps fees low and reduces the chance of exploitation.

E-9 is for non-professional employment — manual and semi-skilled roles in five broad sectors: manufacturing, agriculture and livestock, fishing, construction, and a limited set of service industries. It is not for office jobs, engineers, or professionals; those fall under separate visas such as the E-7. If you hold a university degree in a specialized field, the E-7 route is usually the right one, not E-9.

2. The 17 sending countries

Korea only accepts EPS workers from countries it has signed an MOU with. As of 2025 there are 17 sending countries, after Tajikistan joined as the 17th — its first workers entered Korea on 22 October 2025.

Region	Countries
Southeast Asia	Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Timor-Leste
South Asia	Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
Central Asia	Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
East Asia	China, Mongolia

India is not an EPS country

This is the single most common misunderstanding. Indian nationals cannot come to Korea on an E-9 visa, because India has no EPS MOU with Korea. Skilled Indian professionals instead use the professional E-7 visa route.

Kazakhstan has occasionally been mentioned as a possible future addition, but nothing is confirmed. Treat it as “under discussion” only until an official MOU is announced.

3. The selection process

Selection is not first-come, first-served. Two things decide it: the EPS-TOPIK (a Korean-language proficiency test built specifically for EPS applicants) and a point-based selection system that scores Korean-language ability, skill level, and job competency.

Sit the EPS-TOPIK in your home country.
Register on the jobseeker roster once you pass.
A Korean employer selects candidates from that roster.
Sign a standard labor contract.
The employer obtains a Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance.
Enter Korea on the E-9 visa and complete onboarding training.

4. Stay duration and re-employment

An E-9 worker can stay for an initial maximum of 4 years and 10 months. That specific length is deliberate — it sits just under the 5-year mark that would otherwise trigger different residency rules.

Beyond that, if the employer requests re-employment, or the worker is recognized as a “sincere / diligent worker”, re-entry special measures can extend total employment up to 9 years and 8 months. In practice this means a committed worker with a supportive employer can build most of a decade of legal work in Korea.

5. The 2026 intake and sectors

For 2026, Korea set the E-9 intake at 80,000 people. That is a sharp cut from the 130,000 quota in 2025, reflecting softer hiring demand in manufacturing and construction.

The quota is split by sector — for example, roughly 50,000 for manufacturing and 10,000 for agriculture and livestock — plus a flexible-allocation pool of around 10,000 that can be moved to wherever demand is strongest. The 2026 plan also widens the ceiling on over-hiring in non-capital (regional) areas, to push more workers toward the regions facing the worst shortages. Because these numbers are revised every year, always confirm the current quota before you plan.

6. From E-9 to E-7-4 — the settlement ladder

E-9 is not necessarily a dead end. Workers who accumulate enough legal employment on E-9 (generally four years or more) and meet the requirements can convert to the skilled-worker visa E-7-4, which runs on a point system. E-7-4 is a genuine long-term track: it can lead to longer stays, the right to bring family, and eventually permanent residence (F-5). In other words, EPS can be the first rung of a ladder that ends in settling in Korea. The detailed E-7-4 criteria are covered in our E-7 professional visa guide.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can Indian nationals come to Korea on EPS?

No. India is not an EPS sending country, so there is no E-9 route for Indian nationals. The path for Indian professionals is the E-7 visa.

Q. Can I get an E-9 without taking the EPS-TOPIK?

In practice, no. The EPS-TOPIK is the entry gate for the jobseeker roster. Passing it is what makes you selectable by Korean employers.

Q. Can I change workplaces after arriving?

Workplace changes are possible but tightly regulated — only under specific conditions and within limits on the number of changes. Because the rules are strict and change over time, confirm your exact situation with the relevant immigration office (HiKorea).

Q. Does E-9 let me bring my family?

No. E-9 does not grant family accompaniment. Family accompaniment becomes possible on later tracks such as E-7-4.

Bottom line

EPS/E-9 is the main legal channel for non-professional foreign work in Korea, open to 17 partner countries, capped at 80,000 for 2026, good for up to 4 years 10 months (extendable toward 9 years 8 months), with a real path onward to E-7-4 and permanent residence. India is the notable exception — it goes through E-7 instead.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rates, quotas, and the country list change every year, so confirm the details on the official sites before you apply: EPS (eps.go.kr), HRD Korea, and the Ministry of Justice's HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr).