Italian Republic vs Republic of Korea
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Italian Republic and Republic of Korea government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Portale Immigrazione — Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Italy) - verified
- Korea Immigration Service — Hi Korea
Korea Immigration Service - verified
- EU Immigration Portal — Highly-qualified worker in Italy
European Commission / Italy - verified
- Hi Korea — E-7 visa information
Korea Immigration Service (Ministry of Justice) - verified
Italian Republic
Italy issues entry visas (nulla osta) through consulates and residence permits (permesso di soggiorno) through questure (police immigration offices). The Decreto Flussi annual quota system governs most work-immigration. Italy is globally notable for its jus sanguinis citizenship-by-descent route, the EU Blue Card, and the new Digital Nomad Visa (2024). The Elective Residence Visa targets retirees and independently wealthy applicants.
- Official portal
- Ministry of the Interior (Italy)
- Languages
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro
Republic of Korea
South Korea's immigration is administered by the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice. The system uses letter-coded visa categories: E-series for employment (E-7 designated activities, E-2 teaching), D-series for study and investment (D-8 corporate investment, D-10 job-seeking), and F-series for residence (F-2 points-based, F-5 permanent residence). Korea introduced a points-based F-2-7 system to attract skilled foreign professionals.
- Official portal
- Korea Immigration Service
- Languages
- Korean
- Currency
- South Korean won
How Italian Republic and Republic of Korea differ
| Dimension | Italian Republic | Republic of Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 5 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 3 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 3 | 3 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | EU Blue Card/work permit -> EU long-term residence after about 5 years -> citizenship usually after 10 years legal residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE) | E-7 Designated Activities Visa |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | MAECI - The entry visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | — |
| Official languages | Italian | Korean |
| Currency | Euro | South Korean won |
| Primary regulator | CNF | KBA |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Italian Republic
EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- MAECI - The entry visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Korea
E-7 Designated Activities Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Italian Republic
Visa routes side by side
Italian Republic (5)
Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent — full citizenship.
EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; renewable.
Digital Nomad Visa (Visto per Nomadi Digitali)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year; renewable.
Elective Residence Visa (Residenza Elettiva)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year; renewable. Leads to long-term residence after 5 years.
Student Visa (Visto per Studio)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The national visa covers entry for the approved course; the study residence permit is normally renewed in line with enrolment and academic progress.
Republic of Korea (5)
E-7 Designated Activities Visa
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1–3 years; renewable.
F-2-7 Points-Based Long-Term Residence
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 3 years; renewable.
D-8 Corporate Investment Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1–2 years; renewable as long as the business operates.
Student Visa (D-2)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of programme; renewed annually.
F-1 Family Visitation / F-3 Dependent Family
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to the sponsoring family member's visa status.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Italian Republic or Republic of Korea?+
Italian Republic’s EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Republic of Korea’s E-7 Designated Activities Visa is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Italian Republic vs Republic of Korea immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/italy/vs/south-korea. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons