South Korea launches digital nomad visa with lower income requirements and longer stays

The F-1-D "workation" visa became available on June 30 with eased eligibility rules designed to attract remote workers, particularly to areas outside Greater Seoul

South Korea has officially opened its digital nomad visa to applicants, with eligibility rules that are significantly easier to meet than those that applied during the program's pilot phase. The F-1-D visa, informally called the "workation" visa, went live on June 30, 2026, and is aimed at foreign nationals who work remotely for companies based outside Korea, according to The Korea Herald.

Unlike a standard Korean work visa, the F-1-D does not require the holder to be employed by a Korean company. Instead, it is built specifically for people who want to live in South Korea while earning their income from an employer or client abroad.

What changed from the pilot

The visa follows a trial that ran from January 2024 through May 2026. During that period, applicants generally needed to demonstrate earnings of no less than two times what the average South Korean made in the prior year, measured by GNI per capita. That was a high bar that put the program out of reach for many potential applicants.

The revamped rules bring that threshold down considerably for certain groups. Younger applicants aged 18 to 34 who commit to living outside the Greater Seoul area (Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province) now only need to earn the equivalent of one times the previous year's GNI per capita, rather than twice. South Korea's GNI per capita was $36,963 in 2025.

The income requirement also varies based on other factors, including whether the applicant plans to settle in a designated population-declining region, giving remote workers an incentive to spread beyond the capital.

Longer stays now possible

The other major upgrade is to the length of time visa holders can remain in the country. Under the pilot, the cap was two years. The official version of the program has pushed that to three years, giving digital nomads a longer runway to settle in and experience life in Korea.

How the government sees it

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho framed the visa as part of a broader strategy to bring global talent into the country. He said the program is "intended to expand opportunities for creative talent from around the world to experience South Korea" and that the government wants to "establish a settlement model that encourages highly skilled individuals to experience the country's appeal, voluntarily put down roots here and become valuable assets to Korea."