Korea's Digital Nomad Visa Just Became Permanent — Here's What Changed

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For two and a half years, Korea's digital nomad visa was a trial run — a quiet program most foreign residents never heard of, open to a few hundred people a year. On June 30, 2026, the Ministry of Justice made it permanent, and loosened exactly the two things that kept most applicants out: how much you have to earn, and how long you're allowed to stay.

  • Jun 30, 2026F-1-D became a permanent visa category, not a pilot
  • 3 yearsNew maximum stay — up from 2 — Ministry of Justice, announced Jul 7, 2026
  • ₩52.41M+Minimum yearly income to qualify, before any regional or age discount applies
  • 398People holding the visa as of May 2026, out of 743 issued during the pilot

From trial to permanent

The pilot ran from January 2024 to May 2026 — two years and five months, 743 visas issued in total. By May 2026, only 398 people still held registered status under it: 278 of them (about 70%) from OECD countries, 340 (about 85%) living in Seoul, Gyeonggi or Incheon, and more than half in their 30s. The Ministry of Justice read that as a program worth keeping, not expanding blindly — so the permanent version keeps the core structure and adjusts the two numbers that actually gated who could apply.

Korea's digital nomad visa timeline: the pilot program ran from January 2024, 743 visas were issued by May 2026, and the visa became a permanent category on June 30, 2026 Jan 2024 Pilot begins By May 2026 743 visas issued during the pilot 398 still registered Jun 30, 2026 Becomes permanent
The pilot's own numbers — who stayed, where, and how long — shaped what the Ministry of Justice changed for the permanent version.

Who actually qualifies

The visa is officially called 디지털노마드(워케이션) — "digital nomad (workation)" — and carries the code F-1-D. Per the Ministry of Justice's own criteria, it's for foreign nationals who:

  • Are employed by a company based outside Korea, in a role they can do remotely
  • Have been in that same line of work for at least one year
  • Are 18 or older (an accompanying child under that age is the one exception)

A spouse and minor children can come as dependents on the same application. The visa is issued at a Korean embassy or consulate abroad — but if you're already in Korea on a short-term visit visa (B-1, B-2 or C-3) and you meet the requirements, you can apply to change status without leaving.

What you need to earn

The income bar is tied to Korea's per-capita gross national income (GNI), as published annually by the Bank of Korea — ₩52.41 million for 2025, the figure used for applications through most of 2026. How much of a multiple you need depends on your age and where in Korea you plan to live.

Minimum yearly income to qualify for Korea's F-1-D visa, based on 2025 per-capita GNI of 52.41 million won: applicants aged 18 to 34 need 1.5 times GNI (78.62 million won) in the capital region or 1 times GNI (52.41 million won) outside it; applicants 35 and older need 2 times GNI (104.83 million won) in the capital region or 1.5 times GNI (78.62 million won) outside it Capital region Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon Non-capital region or a population-decline area 18–34 years old GNI × 1.5 ₩78,620,000/yr GNI × 1 ₩52,410,000/yr 35+ years old GNI × 2 ₩104,830,000/yr GNI × 1.5 ₩78,620,000/yr
Under the pilot, everyone faced the same GNI × 2 bar. The permanent rule cuts it by up to half for younger applicants who commit to a non-capital address.

Bring a spouse or minor children and the discount narrows: GNI × 2 in the capital region regardless of age, or GNI × 1.5 outside it. If you're claiming the lower non-capital rate, you'll need to show it — a lease of a month or longer, or a confirmed booking at a workation facility or accommodation outside Seoul, Gyeonggi or Incheon.

Insurance is non-negotiable You need a private medical insurance policy covering at least ₩100 million, including hospital treatment and repatriation if something goes badly wrong. It's one of the required documents alongside your application form, passport, proof of employment and income (certificate of employment, pay stubs, bank statements), and a criminal record check.

How long you can actually stay

This is the other number that changed. Under the pilot, you got one year on entry and could extend once — two years total, then you had to leave. The permanent version adds a second extension.

Korea's digital nomad visa now allows up to three years total: one year granted on entry, a first one-year extension, and a new second one-year extension that was not available under the pilot program Year 1 Granted on entry Year 2 1st extension Year 3 New: 2nd extension Previously capped at 2 years total — Year 3 is new to the permanent program.
Each extension is granted a year at a time, not all three up front.

What the visa still won't let you do

The one thing that didn't change — and the part people most often misread — is what you're allowed to work on while you're here.

What's allowed

Remote work for the overseas employer you already had when you applied, from anywhere in Korea.

What isn't

Any paid work or business activity directed at Korea — a Korean employer, a Korean client, a Korean-registered side hustle.

It's not a side-door into working in Korea F-1-D comes with an explicit restriction on employment and profit-making activity inside Korea. It isn't a cheaper or faster version of an E-7 or E-6 work visa, and immigration treats it as a different category with a different purpose.

What Soo House sees

Soo House — the Seoul-based membership app that connects expats and foreign residents in Korea with paid brand campaigns, creator classes and in-person events — hears a version of the same question from members fairly often: can a digital nomad visa also cover a paid collaboration with a Korean brand once you're actually here? The honest answer, under this rule, is no. That's exactly the gap our guide on how overseas platform income gets flagged by Korean banks is written for — it covers the creators and freelancers who do take Korean-market deals, under visa categories built to allow it, and the National Tax Service reporting that follows. An F-1-D holder's salary arriving from abroad crosses the same banking system either way, which is one more reason to keep the two income streams, and the two visa categories, clearly separate.

Your Next Hop

If you think you qualify, start at your nearest Korean embassy or consulate — that's where F-1-D applications are actually filed — and confirm the current year's GNI figure and document list with Hi Korea before you apply, since both get republished annually. If you're weighing this against a work visa instead, the Korea visa guide FAQ walks through how D-10, E-7 and the rest actually compare, and our guide to opening a Korean bank account as a foreigner covers what you'll need once you land.

Figures in this guide are from the Ministry of Justice's July 7, 2026 announcement of the F-1-D visa's move to permanent status, published via the Korea Immigration Service, and reflect the 2025 per-capita GNI figure (₩52.41 million) in effect for applications at the time of writing. Confirm current figures with Hi Korea or your nearest Korean embassy before applying — both the GNI base and the document list are republished each year.

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