H-1 visa — working holiday in Korea: complete 2026 guide
The list of 30 partner countries, age requirements, quotas, work rights, documents, and how to apply for Korea's Working Holiday visa in 2026.
The H-1 visa is Korea's Working Holiday (워킹홀리데이) residence status, granted to young people from countries that hold a bilateral agreement with Korea. Holders may stay and travel for an extended period (usually 12 months) while also working part-time, with the aim of supplementing the finances of their trip. It is one of the most flexible and popular gateways for experiencing real life in Korea without needing an employment contract or an employer's sponsorship before departure. Because eligibility is tied to a country-to-country agreement rather than to a specific job offer, an applicant arrives with the freedom to choose where to travel and where to take casual work once on the ground.
1. What H-1 is & core principles
The H-1 visa is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea (외교부 / MOFA) through the Working Holiday Info Center (WHIC), which sits under the agency for Koreans overseas. Its legal basis lies in the bilateral cooperation Memoranda of Understanding (MOU / 협정) signed between Korea and each partner country — which is why the specific conditions (period of stay, quota, age limit, work rights) differ from one nationality to another, with no single universal formula.
The fundamental philosophy of the visa is that travel is the main purpose, and work is a supplementary activity. The Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인청) enforces this principle seriously — an H-1 holder must not treat it as a full-time employment visa. In practice this means the consulate weighs an applicant's stated travel intent heavily, and immigration officers may question anyone who appears to be using the status purely as a back door into the Korean labour market.
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See the Autofill service →2. Partner countries & Vietnam's status
According to MOFA's official data updated for 2025/26, Korea has signed Working Holiday agreements with 30 countries and territories:
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
⚠️ Important — Vietnam's status: As of June 3, 2026, Vietnam does NOT yet have a Working Holiday agreement with Korea. Vietnam's name does not appear in MOFA's official list of 30 partner countries. Vietnamese citizens are not eligible to apply for the H-1 visa under this program. Those seeking lawful work opportunities in Korea should look into other suitable residence statuses such as E-7-1, E-9, or D-2 (study residence). This distinction matters: choosing the right category from the outset avoids a wasted application, since a consulate will reject an H-1 request from a non-partner nationality outright rather than redirect it.
3. Common requirements & typical quotas
The common requirements apply to most partner countries:
- Age: From 18 to 30 years old at the time of application (counted by date of birth, not the date of departure). Some countries have different limits: Canada and the UK allow up to 35; Ireland, Taiwan, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile up to 34; Germany, Denmark, Latvia, and Luxembourg up to 34.
- Purpose: To come to Korea mainly to travel, not to work long-term.
- No accompanying dependants: You may not bring a spouse or minor children on this visa.
- First-time participation: Most countries allow participation only once in a lifetime (유경험자 제한). Exceptions that permit re-application: the United States, Ireland, and Sweden. Japan allows up to twice.
- Apply from your home country: You must apply at a Korean consulate / embassy in your country of residence. You cannot apply for the H-1 visa while you are already in Korea.
- Financial documents: Prove you hold at least ₩3,000,000 in your bank account.
- Medical insurance: You must hold insurance with minimum coverage of ₩40,000,000, valid for the entire period of stay.
- Criminal record: No serious criminal history.
- Health: A medical examination certificate (in some countries).
Typical quotas per the MOFA 2025/26 list:
- Australia — Age 18–30; annual quota: Unlimited; work period: 6 months per employer.
- Canada — Age 18–35; annual quota: 12,000; work period: Unlimited (40 hrs/week).
- Japan — Age 18–25; annual quota: 10,000; work period: Unlimited.
- United Kingdom — Age 18–35; annual quota: 5,000; work period: Unlimited.
- France — Age 18–30; annual quota: 2,000; work period: Unlimited.
- United States — Age 18–30; annual quota: 2,000; work period: Unlimited.
- New Zealand — Age 18–30; annual quota: 3,000; work period: Unlimited.
- Germany — Age 18–34; annual quota: Unlimited; work period: Unlimited.
- Sweden — Age 18–30; annual quota: Unlimited; work period: Unlimited.
- Taiwan — Age 18–34; annual quota: 800; work period: Unlimited.
Source: MOFA Working Holiday Info Center — updated 2025/26. Quotas are filled on a first-come, first-served basis; countries with a capped quota usually exhaust it within a few weeks of the registration opening date. For these popular caps, applicants are well advised to have their documents ready before the opening day rather than to assemble them afterwards.
4. Period of stay & work rights
Standard period of stay: 12 months from the date of entry. Exceptions: Canada and the UK allow a stay of up to 24 months; the US may extend by up to a further 6 months; the UK by up to a further 1 year under a separate arrangement.
Work rights: Up to 25 hours per week (exception: Canada may work full-time at 40 hours per week). Korea's 2026 minimum wage is ₩10,030 per hour — 25 hours a week equates to roughly ₩1,083,000 per month before tax. That figure is gross, so applicants planning their budget should treat part-time earnings as a top-up to savings rather than a sole means of support.
Common types of work on H-1: hotel/restaurant service, retail, seasonal farm work, ski resorts (in winter), events and exhibitions, and foreign-language teaching assistance (English teaching is permitted on H-1 for holders of passports from the 7 E-2 countries).
Work activities that are restricted or prohibited on H-1:
- Journalism and media
- Religious activities
- Academic research
- Occupations requiring a professional licence under Korean rules: medicine, law, airline pilots, university professors
- Specialized technical instruction (E-4, E-5 categories)
- Adult entertainment (E-6 category)
5. Documents & application process
The basic documents (which may be supplemented depending on nationality):
- H-1 visa application form (별지 제17호 서식)
- Passport valid for at least 12 months + passport photo
- Documents proving finances (bank statements for the last 3 months, minimum ₩3,000,000)
- A round-trip ticket or proof of funds to buy a return ticket
- Medical insurance certificate (minimum ₩40,000,000 for the entire period of stay)
- An activity plan / travel itinerary (activity plan) — the consulate evaluates this document seriously
- Criminal record certificate (some countries require notarization / consular legalization)
- Medical examination certificate (depending on the country)
- Degree / proof of educational status (mandatory for US citizens)
Processing time is normally 3–6 weeks, depending on the consulate and the time of year. You should apply at least 8 weeks before your intended departure date. Because the activity plan carries real weight in the decision, it is worth drafting a specific, credible itinerary rather than a generic one, and submitting early leaves room to respond if the consulate asks for additional documents.
6. After arrival: ARC registration
If you plan to stay in Korea for more than 90 days, you must register for an Alien Registration Card (ARC — 외국인등록증) at your local Korea Immigration Service office within 90 days of the date of entry. The ARC is a prerequisite for opening a bank account, signing a housing lease, registering a phone SIM, and joining Korea's National Health Insurance (국민건강보험). Late registration incurs a fine and affects your future visa record. Because so many everyday tasks depend on the card, it is sensible to start the registration process soon after arrival rather than waiting until the 90-day deadline approaches.
7. Strategic notes & next steps after H-1
H-1 is not a permanent visa, but it is a useful springboard for a longer-term plan in Korea:
- H-1 → E-2 (English teaching): The most common conversion route. A person who holds one of the 7 E-2 nationalities and a university degree can convert domestically once they have a contract with a school.
- H-1 → D-10 (job-seeking): Allows you to remain and look for work after the H-1 expires, if you meet the D-10 conditions.
- H-1 → E-7 (skilled worker): A person who has a Korean employer can switch to E-7 while still inside the country.
- F-2-7 points: Time spent lawfully on H-1 counts toward the F-2-7 permanent-residence points system, though its weighting is lower than that of work visas.