Working remotely from Korea?

The F-1-D digital nomad (workation) visa lets remote workers who run — or are employed by — a business outside Korea live in Korea for a year. The paperwork is where applications stall: income proof, a criminal background check, and insurance evidence all have to line up, and foreign documents usually need certified translation and an apostille first.

Digital Nomad (Workation) Visa (F-1-D)

The F-1-D is a change of status to the digital nomad (workation) visa, for foreign nationals already in Korea who want to keep working remotely for a business based outside Korea.

Who qualifies

• Foreign nationals currently in Korea on a short-term status — B-1, B-2, or C-3 — can apply for a change of status to F-1-D. Holders of other visa statuses may also qualify if they meet the requirements below.
• You must be the owner of, or an employee remotely employed by, a business based outside Korea, and have worked in that same line of business for at least 1 year.
• Minimum age: 18 (accompanying family members' minor children are exempt from the age requirement).
• Family members (spouse and minor children) can accompany you on the same visa track.

Income requirement (tied to GNI)

Korea sets the income floor as a multiple of the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita — the average annual income figure the Bank of Korea (한국은행) publishes each year. The applicable figure is the prior year's published GNI as of your application date. The required multiple depends on your age and where in Korea you plan to stay:

• Non-metro area means anywhere outside Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province.
• Population-decline (of interest) regions are areas the government has designated as facing population decline, plus 23 nationwide "workation" facilities curated by the Korea Tourism Organization for remote-work-and-stay use — staying in one of these areas can qualify you for the lower income threshold, but you'll need to submit proof (a lease of 1+ months, a workation-facility booking, or an accommodation reservation confirmation).
• Family-accompaniment exception: if you bring a spouse and minor children to a metro-area address, the income requirement is GNI × 2 regardless of your age. If your family stays in a non-metro or population-decline region instead, it drops to GNI × 1.5.

Medical insurance requirement

You must carry private medical insurance with at least 100 million KRW (roughly USD 75,000–80,000) in coverage, covering both hospital treatment in Korea and repatriation to your home country.

Stay period

A single change-of-status grant gives 1 year of stay.

Documents to prepare

1. Application form (Attached Form No. 34), passport, one standard-size photo, and the application fee
2. Certificate of employment proving 1+ year in the same line of business
3. Income proof — pay stubs, bank balance certificates, etc.
4. Criminal background check and proof of medical insurance enrollment
5. Family relationship documents (if bringing family)
6. (If applicable) Proof you'll be staying in a non-metro or population-decline region — a lease of 1+ months, workation-facility booking, or accommodation reservation confirmation
7. Any other document the immigration office head deems necessary for review

We handle the certified translation and apostille of foreign documents like the criminal background check as part of the same filing.