South Korea digital nomad visa

Requirements

• Annual income of at least about ₩88.1 million (~$66,000) — roughly twice Korea's GNI per capita
• At least one year of work experience in the same industry
• Remote work for a foreign employer or your own overseas business; no Korean clients or employers
• Private medical insurance with coverage of at least ₩100 million (~$75,000)
• Clean criminal record (FBI check apostilled for US applicants)
• Valid passport

How to apply

1. Confirm your income meets the ~$66,000/year bar and you have a year of relevant work experience
2. Gather documents: passport, income proof, employment proof, apostilled criminal background check, insurance
3. Apply at a Korean consulate or embassy in your home country
4. Wait out processing — typically 3–4 weeks
5. Receive the F-1-D visa, valid one year and renewable once for two years total

Renewal and long-term stay

• Renewable: yes, up to 3 years in total

Renewed annually up to three years total. Worth knowing how new this is: the F-1-D left pilot status and launched properly on 30 June 2026, which both raised the ceiling from two years to three and lowered the income thresholds (now scaled to age and region, roughly one to two times per-capita GNI). Anything written before mid-2026 describes the pilot. F-1 is not a settlement category, so treat permanent residency as a separate track and confirm current rules with Korea Immigration.

Tax

• You become tax resident: after 183 days in the country
• Foreign income taxed locally: no — foreign-earned income is not taxed locally
• Special nomad or expat tax regime: no — ordinary resident rates apply

Korea uses the 183-day test, and here the visa and the threshold pull in opposite directions: use the F-1-D for its full year and you will cross 183 days and become a Korean tax resident. The saving grace is structural — the F-1-D forbids working for Korean companies, so your remote income is foreign-sourced and Korea does not tax it. Under 183 days you are plainly outside the system.

This summarises published rules, not your situation, and it is not tax advice. Two things it can't tell you: your home country may tax you anyway — US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live — and day-count is only the most common trigger for tax residency, not the only one. Having a permanent home, a family or your centre of economic interests in a country can make you resident well before the day count does. Get advice before you move.

Moving abroad means more than the visa — sort your travel insurance (many visa applications require proof of coverage), set up borderless banking, and land with data working.

First nomad visa? Our digital nomad visa guide explains how qualifying, applying, and taxes work across every country.