C-3-91 (China Hukou-Based 10-Year C-3 Criterion) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What C-3-91 Is

C-3-91 appears exactly once in visa-2.txt (visa issuance manual) and does not appear anywhere in visa-3.txt. It is a parenthetical tag on eligibility criterion ⑥ inside a section headed '1. 중국 국민(C-3-1 ~ C-3-9. 단, C-3-2 제외)', under the subheading '②. 유효기간 10년(체류기간 90일) 사증발급 대상' — i.e. criteria for issuing 10-year-validity/90-day-stay C-3 visas to Chinese nationals. The tagged criterion is Chinese nationals holding household registration (호구, hukou) in one of fourteen named major cities: 베이징, 상하이, 광저우, 선전, 쑤저우, 샤먼, 톈진, 난징, 항저우, 닝보, 우한, 창사, 칭다오, 충칭. Separately, the manual's formal C-3 세부 약호·구분 table (lines ~604-627 of visa-2.txt) lists only C-3-1 through C-3-10 by name (단기일반, 단체관광등, 의료관광, 일반상용, 협정상단기상용, 우대기업초청단기상용, 도착관광, 동포방문, 일반관광, 순수환승) — C-3-91 is absent from that table, confirming it is not one of the manual's formally-named visa purpose subtypes.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Single occurrence across both manuals (0 hits in visa-3.txt), located only as a parenthetical tag, not a table entry.
• Sits under a section governing 10-year-validity/90-day-stay C-3 visas for Chinese nationals covering C-3-1 through C-3-9 (excluding C-3-2), NOT limited to C-3-9 (일반관광) specifically — the researcher's own English/Korean labels narrow this to 'general tourism,' which the surrounding text does not clearly support since the governing section header spans multiple C-3 purposes.
• The formal C-3 세부약호·구분 table (C-3-1 through C-3-10 only) does not include C-3-91, consistent with it being an internal/informal processing tag rather than a defined visa purpose subtype.
• Count of named cities verified as fourteen: 베이징, 상하이, 광저우, 선전, 쑤저우, 샤먼, 톈진, 난징, 항저우, 닝보, 우한, 창사, 칭다오, 충칭.

3. Criteria Summary

• C-3-91 is not a points-based category.
• NOTE ON SOURCING: the manual names this code only in passing rather than defining it in a subtype table, so the description above is drawn from the limited text available. Confirm the current treatment with the immigration office before relying on it.
• Numeric thresholds, stay periods and fees are set in the manual's tables and annexes and are deliberately not reproduced here — confirm the current figures before filing.
• Where a rule depends on another status, check that status's own criteria too; several of these codes take their conditions from a principal holder.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• The manual does not attach a salary or contract framework to this code specifically.
• Where income or financial capacity is assessed, it is evidenced with the documents named under that requirement rather than against a published floor.
• If your circumstances involve employment, verify separately whether this status authorises it — several of these categories do not.
• Do not assume the salary rules of a neighbouring code apply; they are set per status.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Employer sponsorship is not the organising basis of this code.
• Any economic activity must fall within what the status authorises; where it does not, activity-outside-status permission is the mechanism.
• Report changes of circumstance that bear on the ground for the status.
• Keep the evidence that established eligibility available for extension reviews.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, standard photograph and the fee.
• Evidence establishing the ground on which this status is claimed, as described above.
• Residence and identity documents as required at the counter.
• Any further documents the reviewing office considers necessary.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow the published schedule for the application type rather than the subtype.
• Processing time varies by office workload and by how clearly the qualifying ground is evidenced.
• Where a principal holder's status governs the period granted, the principal's expiry date is the practical constraint.
• Apply with margin before any existing permission expires.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• The qualifying ground for this specific code is not established by the evidence.
• The circumstances fit a neighbouring code better, making this a category mismatch.
• Supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date.
• An underlying condition the status depends on has ceased to apply.
• Unresolved immigration compliance history.

9. FAQ