The E-2 route is the main Korea teaching-visa page for South African citizens hired by an eligible Korean school, hagwon, or education provider.
Written by James Chae — Co-Founder, Expert Sapiens
Platform expertise: Immigration consulting & visa services · Reviewed April 2026
Reviewed against
James Chae, 행정사 (Korean Licensed Administrative Attorney). License No. 220-06-06463 · 대한행정사회 (Korean Administrative Agents Association). Reviewed against the HiKorea 사증·체류업무 자격별 안내 매뉴얼 and cross-checked with Ministry of Justice issuances.
Last reviewed
April 22, 2026
Source references
Nationality-specific issuance-manual sections covering South Africa-linked consular handling, visa-required entry, and document review expectations.
Visa-type issuance sections supporting the main South Africa-facing pathways, especially E-2, D-2, E-7, and F-6 routes.
Filing caution
Requirements can change by nationality, local immigration office, and filing channel. Confirm exact requirements with HiKorea, the responsible Korean consulate, or a licensed immigration specialist before filing.
Official manual cautions
These cautions come from the site's Korean immigration manual references and source-attribution notes. Treat them as filing-control checks before relying on any general checklist.
These are the official-source areas most relevant to this nationality and visa combination.
Source basis
Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인정책본부)
HiKorea — Korean visa & residency manual
Entry baseline
Visa required — C-3 needed for short-term visits
Stay period
Up to 2 years per issuance (contract period + 1 month, max 2 years); renewable
Processing
2–4 weeks
Government fee
$74.63 (status change) / $44.78 (extension)
Route fit
South African citizens applying to teach English in Korea.
Citizens of English-speaking countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa) who hold a bachelor's degree and have a job offer from a Korean educational institution. Teachers of other foreign languages (French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish) may also qualify.
Why it appears in the South Africa guide
South Africa is one of only 7 E-2 treaty countries. South Africans can teach English at Korean public schools (EPIK), hagwons, and universities. Bachelor's degree required; criminal record check from the South African Police Service (SAPS) must be apostilled.
Documents
Prepare degree proof, national criminal-record evidence, contract, and school sponsor documents before choosing a filing timeline.
Confirm the current authentication path for South African documents before sending originals or booking appointments.
Check that the passport, degree, background check, and contract use consistent names or include a clear explanation for differences.
If already in Korea, confirm whether the case is a new issuance, employer transfer, or workplace-change report.
Core E-2 checklist preview
Document authentication
Use this as a preparation map before filing. Authentication, apostille, consular confirmation, translation, and original-document rules can change by document type, consulate, and receiving Korean office.
South African criminal-record, degree, and sponsor-side teaching documents should be checked against current authentication and consular intake requirements.
English documents may be accepted more easily, but non-standard records or explanatory statements can still require Korean translation.
Confirm passport, degree, criminal-record, and contract names before authentication or submission.
Authentication mistakes on degree or criminal-record documents can delay an otherwise valid E-2 case.
E-2 document note
For E-2, degree proof and criminal-record evidence are usually the documents most likely to control timing, especially before a school start date.
Primary source checks before relying on this page
Risk review
Visa-manual risk themes for E-2
Criminal background check is stale or not nationally scoped
Korea usually expects a properly authenticated national-level criminal background check where required. State/local checks or old documents can create refiling risk.
Degree or nationality proof is incomplete
Degree documents, passport nationality, and native-English-country eligibility need to support the exact E-2 route and employer filing.
Employer or school is not eligible to sponsor
A school, hagwon, or education provider with licensing, registration, quota, or prior-compliance problems can delay or block the application.
Use these checks before committing to documents, appointments, or employer/school timelines. If a nearby route fits better, open the comparison before filing.
Start with the current page, compare adjacent routes, then use the checklist only after the route is stable.
Timeline
Confirm document authentication first, then order records around that route.
Coordinate the start date with visa issuance, entry, ARC registration, and school onboarding.
Keep authenticated records available until immigration or the consulate accepts the case.
Filing readiness audit
Work through this before you rely on the checklist alone. A complete document list does not help if the route, timing, or sponsor facts are wrong.
Ready after the audit?
Move to the full checklist only after the route, documents, risks, and timeline all look consistent.
Common filing mistakes
Background checks and authentication often control the timeline. Start them before the final school start date becomes urgent.
The school, hagwon, or education provider needs the right sponsor documents and a role that fits conversational-language teaching.
Authentication rules can change by country, province, state, or document type. Confirm before mailing originals or booking an appointment.
Teachers already in Korea may need transfer, workplace-change, termination, or release records rather than a simple new issuance workflow.
Private tutoring, content classes, or work for a different location can create visa-scope problems even if the applicant has an E-2 card.
Compare this route
E-2 is for conversational-language teaching. E-7 can fit broader specialist or education-related work if the sponsor and occupation match.
Compare E-2 and E-7Applicants considering Korea's digital nomad route should separate remote-work status from Korean teaching employment.
Compare E-2 and F-1-DTeaching time can support a later long-term plan, but F-2-7 depends on points, income, Korean language, and stay history.
Review F-2-7 pathwayExample scenario
Fit
You have a job offer from a Korean school or hagwon and are applying from your home country.
Main risk
Degree and criminal-background documents must be current, properly authenticated, and accepted by the Korean consulate handling the case.
FAQ
They may be able to if they meet the nationality, degree, background-check, health, and sponsor requirements for conversational-language teaching at an eligible Korean institution.
Criminal-record checks, degree authentication, name mismatches, and incomplete school sponsor documents are the most common avoidable delay points.
Possibly, but the teacher should confirm the transfer or workplace-change process before leaving the old school or starting at the new one. Timing, release records, and the new sponsor's eligibility matter.
No. E-2 is tied to conversational-language teaching. Content classes, private tutoring, or work outside the approved sponsor can require a different status or separate permission.
Recommended next reads
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