Recently, a company in Korea requested to invite an actor from Australia for movie shooting. Initially, the inviting company considered the C-4-5 visa, but given the shooting schedule would exceed 90 days, it was decided to proceed with the E6 visa instead.
Whether to apply for a C4 visa or an E6 visa for inviting foreign entertainers (actors, singers, etc.) depends on how long the invitee needs to stay in Korea. If the stay is less than 90 days, a C4 visa can be applied for; if it exceeds 90 days, an E6 visa is required.
Even if applying for a C4 visa instead of an E6 visa, the documents required by the inviter and the invitee do not significantly differ. This is because each application target under the C-4-5 visa, which falls under C4 visa, is the same as those regulated under visas such as E1, E3, E6, E7(E-7-1), D9(D-9-2, D-9-3).
The difference lies only in whether it's a short-term visa (less than 90 days) or a long-term visa (more than 90 days). Additionally, for the C-4-5 visa, confirmation of visa issuance application (invitation from a domestic immigration office) is not possible, and the invitee must apply for a visa issuance (directly at a Korean embassy abroad).
On the other hand, for applications under E1, E3, E6, E7(E-7-1), D9(D-9-2, D-9-3) listed above, the inviting company can apply at the jurisdictional immigration office. Simply put, think of it as applying for short-term visas at a Korean embassy abroad and long-term visas at a domestic immigration office.
※Of course, not all short-term visas (less than 90 days) must be applied for visa issuance at a Korean embassy abroad, nor are all long-term visas necessarily eligible for visa issuance approval application at a domestic immigration office.
※ For example, F-1-5 (invitation of parents of a marriage immigrant) or F-1-15 (invitation of parents of high-value investors and professionals), F-1-22 (invitation of domestic helpers of high-value investors and professionals) are issued as 90-day visas but can be applied at a domestic immigration office. In contrast, long-term visas like D4 (language training) and D2 (student) visas, depending on the specific code and the applicant's country, may require either a confirmation of visa issuance application or a visa issuance application.
Also, when inviting under F1 visa, even if it's issued within 90 days, since it's not a B, C series short-term visa issued by a Korean embassy abroad, if the requirements are met, it can be extended domestically. However, C3 and C4 visas cannot be extended beyond 90 days.
Simply put, if one enters with a C3 or C4 visa for 45 days, and reasons for extension are substantiated, an extension can be granted. However, even if extended, the total stay in Korea cannot exceed 90 days.
In case of natural disasters, calamities, pregnancy, childbirth, or similar reasons, even if entering with a C3 or C4 visa, it's possible to stay in Korea beyond 90 days by receiving a departure exemption.
Now, let's look at the application process and required documents for inviting a foreign movie actor, E6 visa (E-6-1).
E6 Visa Invitation for Foreign Entertainers (Movie Actors, Singers, etc.)
To invite a foreign entertainer (actor, singer, etc.), the company must be registered in the popular culture planning and arts business, and obtaining an employment recommendation letter from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is mandatory for an E6 visa application. For the procedures and required documents for registration in the popular culture planning and arts business and for obtaining the MCST employment recommendation letter, please refer to the link below.
Required documents for inviting a foreign movie actor with an E6 visa
Next, we'll look at the documents needed when applying for a confirmation of visa issuance application at the jurisdictional immigration office for the inviting company. The basic required documents for an E-6-1 visa application are similar. However, depending on who the invitee is (actor, singer, model, etc.), the required documents may vary slightly. Even for inviting a foreign movie actor, the required documents may differ based on the condition of the inviting company and the invitee. Below are the basic required documents for inviting a foreign movie actor - Confirmation of Visa issuance application form (with passport photo attached), copy of the invitee's passport - Copy of the business registration certificate, additional corporate registration certificate if a corporation - Contract (between the inviting company and the local agency or the invitee) - Resume and career certificate (related to the invitee's acting career) - Identity guarantee letter - MCST employment recommendation letter - Popular culture arts planning business registration certificate - Scenario and work introduction - Production schedule (showing shooting schedule and production amount) - Value-added tax certificate, financial statements - Tax payment certificate and local tax payment certificate - 고Employment insurance insured qualification acquisition history (for the workplace)