SEOUL: South Korea has launched its digital nomad visa with more relaxed eligibility requirements than those applied during its pilot programme, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday (July 7).
The F-1-D visa, also known as the "workation" visa, became officially available on June 30. It allows foreign nationals employed by overseas companies to live in Korea while working remotely, unlike a work visa, which requires employment with a Korean employer.
The programme follows a pilot that ran from January 2024 through May this year. The revised rules are intended to make the visa more attractive.
Under the pilot programme, applicants were generally required to earn at least twice Korea's previous year's gross national income per capita.
Under the new rules, however, lower income thresholds apply depending on factors such as age and whether applicants plan to reside outside the Greater Seoul area or in designated population-declining regions.
For example, applicants aged 18 to 34 who reside outside Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province are eligible if they earn at least the previous year's GNI per capita, rather than twice that amount. Korea's GNI per capita stood at US$36,963 in 2025.
The maximum period of stay has also been extended from two years to three years.
"The digital nomad visa is intended to expand opportunities for creative talent from around the world to experience South Korea," Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said.
"We will 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." - The Korea Herald/ANN
