Overview
The F-1-D visa is for foreign nationals employed by companies outside South Korea who can do their job remotely. The Ministry of Justice piloted it from January 2024 to May 2026 — 743 visas were issued — and made it a permanent programme from 30 June 2026, with two changes: lower income thresholds for younger applicants and for those living outside the capital region, and a maximum stay extended from two to three years.
You can apply at a Korean embassy or consulate abroad, or switch into the F-1-D from a short-term B-1, B-2 or C-3 stay in Korea if you meet the requirements. The visa does not allow local employment or any for-profit activity in Korea.
Editor's note — The lowest tier (1× GNI per capita, about ₩52.4 million) applies only to 18–34-year-olds who live outside Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi or in a designated population-decline area — and you must prove where you will stay, for example with a lease of at least one month or a booking at a workation facility.
Who is eligible
- A foreign national employed by a company outside Korea, able to work remotely, with at least one year in the same line of work.
- Aged 18 or over (accompanying children excepted).
- Annual income at or above the tier for your age, region and family situation (see below).
- Private medical insurance of at least ₩100 million covering treatment and repatriation for the whole stay.
- A criminal record certificate.
Income & financial requirements
Twice the 2025 GNI per capita — roughly US$74,000.
Once the GNI per capita — roughly US$37,000, the new lowest tier.
1.5× GNI: under-35s in the Seoul region, over-35s outside it.
2× GNI in the Seoul region, 1.5× outside it, whatever your age.
The thresholds are multiples of the previous year's gross national income per capita published by the Bank of Korea, as it stands on the day you apply. The won figures above use the 2025 GNI of about ₩52.41 million; the dollar amounts are approximate. "Seoul region" means Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, excluding their designated population-decline areas.
Income is proven with an employment certificate, payslips and bank transaction history. All of it must come from work for your employer outside Korea.
Costs & fees
- The visa application fee charged by the Korean mission where you apply.
- Private medical insurance of at least ₩100 million for the whole stay.
- A criminal record certificate and, where required, translations and apostilles of your documents.
- If you claim a lower tier, proof of where you will live — a lease of at least one month or a workation-facility booking.
Taxes
Spending 183 days or more in Korea can make you a Korean tax resident on worldwide income, subject to progressive rates.
Shorter stays usually avoid Korean residency, but confirm your position — and any treaty interaction — with a tax adviser before planning a multi-year stay.
How to apply
Find your tier
Work out the income threshold for your age, region and family, and gather employment, income, insurance and criminal-record documents.
Apply
Lodge the application at a Korean embassy or consulate abroad, or switch in Korea from a B-1, B-2 or C-3 stay.
Register
Complete alien registration after arrival: the first period of stay is one year from your date of entry.
Extend yearly
Extend one year at a time, up to three years in total, while you still meet the requirements.
Duration & renewal
One year from entry, extendable one year at a time up to a maximum of three years (two years under the pilot). It is a visiting status for remote work, not a route to permanent residency, and it does not allow employment or for-profit activity in Korea.
Bringing family
Your spouse and minor children can accompany you. With family, the income threshold is twice the GNI per capita in the Seoul region and 1.5 times outside it, regardless of your age.
Pros & cons
Advantages
- Up to three years with family included
- Much lower income bar for under-35s outside Seoul
- Switch in-country from a short-term stay
- World-class infrastructure, internet and transit
Considerations
- High bar for over-35s in the Seoul region (~₩104.8M)
- Written for employees of foreign companies
- Worldwide tax residency after 183 days
- No local work and no path to permanent residency