When people change jobs or start a second job, some assume the companies will sort it out. But even with a work-eligible status, the moment your workplace changes or increases, the Immigration Act creates a permission or reporting duty. This guide covers the penalties for missing it and the steps to take.
Key points
- To change or add a workplace within your status, you need the Minister of Justice's permission in advance (Article 21(1), main text).
- Professionals covered by Enforcement Decree Article 26-2 instead report within 15 days of changing or adding the workplace (same paragraph, proviso).
- Changing or adding without permission can mean up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to KRW 10 million (Article 95, item 6). Standard penalty fines run from KRW 1,000,000 to KRW 10,000,000 (as of October 2026, Enforcement Rule, Table 7).
- If only the report was late, it is an administrative fine of up to KRW 2 million, with standard amounts from KRW 100,000 to KRW 2,000,000 (as of October 2026, Enforcement Decree, Table 2).
1. How do permission and reporting differ?
Article 21(1) says a foreigner staying in Korea who wants to change or add a workplace within their status must get the Minister of Justice's permission in advance, as provided by presidential decree. Under Enforcement Decree Article 26(1), you file the workplace change/addition application with the documents set by ministerial ordinance at the competent office.
There is an exception. People with professional knowledge, technology or skills who are designated by decree may simply report within 15 days of changing or adding the workplace (Article 21(1), proviso). Enforcement Decree Article 26-2(1) defines them as foreigners holding a status from Professor (E-1) through Specially Designated Activities (E-7) who meet requirements announced by the Minister of Justice. Even in the same occupation, someone who does not meet the requirements needs advance permission, not a report.
2. What is the punishment for changing without permission?
Article 95, item 6 provides up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to KRW 10 million for changing or adding a workplace without permission in violation of Article 21(1) (as of October 2026). A person who hires a foreigner without that permission is punished under the same item (Article 21(2)). Working somewhere other than the designated workplace violates Article 18(2) and falls under Article 95, item 5.
If the investigation confirms the offense, the office head may notify a penalty fine equivalent to a criminal fine (Article 102(1)). The standard amounts in Table 7 of the Enforcement Rule depend on the period of violation (as of October 2026):
| Period of violation | Standard fine |
|---|---|
| Under 3 months | KRW 1,000,000 |
| 3 months to under 6 months | KRW 2,000,000 |
| 6 months to under 1 year | KRW 3,000,000 |
| 1 year to under 2 years | KRW 5,000,000 |
| 2 years or more | KRW 10,000,000 |
The same amounts apply to Article 95, items 5 and 6. These are standard amounts; the office may reduce or increase them by up to one half considering age, circumstances, motive and result, ability to pay and prior violations (Enforcement Rule, Article 86(2)). The notice must be paid within 15 days of receipt (Article 105(1)), and paying as notified bars further punishment for the same case (Article 106).
3. What if only the report was late?
Missing the 15-day report is not a criminal matter but an administrative fine matter. Article 100(1), item 3 provides an administrative fine of up to KRW 2 million for violating the reporting duty in the proviso to Article 21(1) (as of October 2026).
| Delay | Standard fine |
|---|---|
| Under 3 months | KRW 100,000 |
| 3 months to under 6 months | KRW 300,000 |
| 6 months to under 12 months | KRW 500,000 |
| 1 year to under 2 years | KRW 1,000,000 |
| 2 years or more | KRW 2,000,000 |
These follow the row for the Article 21(1) proviso reporting duty in Table 2 of the Enforcement Decree. The amount may be reduced by up to one half in light of circumstances, except for people with unpaid fines (Table 2, general standards). Before imposing the fine, the office must give prior notice and at least 10 days to submit comments (Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order, Article 16). The Ministry of Justice manual also says a late report is accepted after the fine is imposed and the case is closed.
4. How does it affect deportation and your later stay?
Article 46(1), item 9 lists changing or adding a workplace without permission, and hiring or arranging employment in violation of Article 21(2), as deportation grounds. The Ministry of Justice residence manual's professional post-report section says that working at a workplace changed or added without permission is reviewed by looking at the circumstances and degree of violation, and describes the following:
- First violation: the workplace change is allowed after a notified fine.
- Two or more violations within the last two years, or an employer on the restricted list: as a rule, a departure measure after a notified fine.
Individual outcomes are decided by the office, so treat these as examples. The same manual also notes that a workplace change/addition report is not a stay permit application, so staying beyond the originally granted period requires a separate extension permit.
5. Is the employer responsible too?
Yes. Article 21(2) says no one may hire or arrange employment for a foreigner who has not obtained workplace change or addition permission. Article 19(1) also requires an employer of a work-eligible foreigner to report within 15 days when the foreigner is dismissed, resigns or dies, cannot be located, or when key terms of the employment contract change. Breaking that duty brings an administrative fine of up to KRW 2 million (as of October 2026, Article 100(1), item 1). The employer side is covered in our illegal employer penalty guide.
6. What to do if you realize your workplace has already changed
- Organize the dates. The day you started at the new workplace, the day you left the old one, and the date of permission or report. The fine bracket depends on this period.
- Check whether you need permission or only a report. It depends on your status and the announced requirements.
- Confirm with the competent immigration office right away. The application needs documents set by ordinance, which vary by status.
- Meet deadlines on any summons or notice. A summons states its purpose, date and place (Enforcement Decree, Article 58), and a fine notice runs 15 days from receipt.
- Document the facts. How the job change happened, whether the employer advised you, whether the former employer consented to the transfer, with supporting documents.
7. What an administrative scrivener can do
We prepare and submit workplace change/addition permission and report documents, draft written statements explaining how the violation occurred, and organize and translate supporting documents. Investigation and criminal trial defense after a complaint is filed is outside the scope of an administrative scrivener and we do not handle it.
If your workplace has already changed, first confirm your permission or report status. If you hold a notice or summons, check the dates and review the remaining deadline and supporting materials together.