South Korea Digital Nomad Visa

South Korea's Workation Visa, designated F-1-D, allows remote workers employed by foreign companies and self-employed professionals earning foreign-sourced income to live in South Korea while continuing to work for entities outside the country (Greenback Expat Tax Services). The visa was introduced by South Korea's Ministry of Justice in January 2024 as a pilot program and has since become a permanent visa category, reflecting the government's broader push to diversify long-stay visitor categories beyond traditional work and study permits.

The program targets globally mobile professionals with an established income floor set at double South Korea's per-capita gross national income, a design that positions the F-1-D toward higher earners relative to many regional competitors in Southeast Asia. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, hold at least one year of relevant work experience, and commit not to take up local employment in Korea during their stay.

South Korea's appeal for remote workers includes high-speed digital infrastructure, a distinctive urban and cultural environment, and a visa duration of up to two years (an initial one-year grant plus one renewal), longer than many single-year nomad visas elsewhere in Asia.

• Annual income: Minimum of KRW 88.1 million per year (approximately US$66,000), equal to double South Korea's per-capita gross national income (GNI), verified through pay stubs, bank statements, or tax returns.
• Employment/self-employment: Must be a remote employee of a company registered outside South Korea, or self-employed earning income from foreign clients/sources; local Korean employment is prohibited throughout the stay.
• Experience requirement: At least one year of relevant professional work experience in the applicant's field.
• Health insurance: Private health insurance policy with coverage of at least KRW 100 million (approximately US$75,000) for medical treatment and repatriation.
• Age: Minimum 18 years old.
• Criminal record: No convictions in South Korea or the applicant's home country.
• Passport: Valid for the intended stay, with additional validity buffer recommended for renewal.
• Dependents: Spouse and minor children are eligible to accompany the principal applicant as dependents.
• Nationality: Generally open, subject to standard Korean visa-issuance and security-screening rules for the applicant's nationality.

A notable design feature is that the income threshold floats with South Korea's GNI per capita, meaning the required figure will change as Korea's GNI is revised, rather than remaining fixed at a specific number in law. Applicants should also note the strict prohibition on local employment: unlike some nomad visas that permit a limited proportion of local client work, the F-1-D requires that all income-generating activity be tied to entities outside South Korea for the full duration of the stay.

• No local employer sponsorship required
• Family inclusion permitted (spouse and minor children)
• Renewable once for a total stay of up to 2 years
• Advanced digital and transport infrastructure
• High safety and security
• No investment requirement
• Distinctive cultural environment and quality of life
• Now a permanent (non-pilot) visa category

The F-1-D Workation Visa does not lead to permanent residency or Korean citizenship. It is issued as a temporary, capped-duration visa (one year, renewable once for a maximum of two years total) explicitly premised on the holder maintaining foreign-sourced income and foreign employment; there is no statutory or administrative provision converting F-1-D time into eligibility for Korea's permanent residency (F-5) or naturalisation tracks.

South Korea's standard naturalisation path under the Nationality Act requires five consecutive years of domicile in South Korea, generally held on the basis of a qualifying long-term visa (most commonly leading through an F-5 permanent residency status), together with being of legal adult age, good conduct, the financial ability to maintain a livelihood, and basic knowledge of the Korean language, customs, and culture, assessed via a naturalisation interview and test administered by the Ministry of Justice. Because the F-1-D does not lead toward F-5 status, holders who wish to build toward Korean citizenship must separately qualify for and transition to a different, employment- or family-based visa category capable of accruing toward the five-year domicile requirement.

South Korea does not generally permit dual citizenship for adult naturalised citizens, who must ordinarily renounce their prior nationality within a set period after naturalisation (with limited exceptions, such as for certain overseas Koreans and older applicants under specific legal provisions). This renunciation requirement is a material consideration for F-1-D holders who may eventually pursue Korean citizenship through an alternative visa route.

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Applications are processed through the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice, typically filed at a Korean embassy or consulate in the applicant's country of residence, or via the Hi Korea online portal for eligible applicants.

The F-1-D Workation Visa was created by Ministry of Justice policy guidance implementing a dedicated remote-worker visa category under Korea's general immigration framework, the Immigration Control Act. South Korean naturalisation requirements are set out in the Nationality Act.

Last updated: July 2026.