South Korea has launched a new Digital Nomad Visa, here’s what you need to know.
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South Korea just made the bold move of creating a very accessible Digital Nomad Visa –a move that I personally hope could force other Asian countries to follow suit, while attracting “the right kind of tourists” to their beautiful country.
Unlike other countries in Asia, the infrastructure is quite reliable, and similarly to Japan, their cities are clean and their culture is somewhat traditionally conservative.
South Korean Digital Nomad Visa Details
The South Korea Digital Nomad Visa allows digital nomads to live in the country up to 2 years without doing a visa run (where you leave the country and come back, in order to restart the clock on your visa).
After obtaining your Digital Nomad Visa, you’ll be required to visit Immigration at the end of your first year in the country to interview for your renewal. After your second year, it is assumed that you can do a visa run, and restart the clock on a new Digital Nomad Visa.
They’re still ironing out the details and process, so assume that all applicants are granted a Digital Nomad Visa on a per-case basis.
tl;dr
- South Korea’s Digital Nomad Visa is available starting January 1, 2024
- For foreigners who want to work remotely for entities abroad, within South Korea
- Covers the visa holder, as well as their legally married spouse and/or family, and kids –however, the income requirement must be met solely by the visa holder
- Good for a maximum of 2 years (first year + extension for a second year)
- It is possible to leave your Digital Nomad Visa application until after you arrive in South Korea; you could go through traditional visa processes for your nationality to gain initial entry to the country, and then swap out your visa later
- The Digital Nomad Visa offered by South Korea is officially called the Workation Visa F-1-D
It is assumed by current Korean digital nomads that this new visa will make it easier to open a local bank account, get a cheaper monthly rent cost for an apartment because you’re a longer-term tenant, access free Korean language classes, and make you a more attractive human on the local dating market because you’re not just passing through.
And I don’t bring up “dating” in the key of “sexpat” –it’s more about integration with the local culture. And strong human connections are usually the best way to facilitate that.
I “integrated” in the Philippines, and I have two awesome sons as a result.
Requirements
Requirements for the South Korean Digital Nomad Visa are designed to eliminate risk to the country, however they are quite lenient and accessable when compared to Thailand’s Digital Nomad Visa requirements.
Basic Digital Nomad Visa requirements for South Korea are as follows;
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Must work for a foreign company as an employee or freelancer –you cannot work locally, you cannot take jobs from South Koreans with this visa
- Must have proof you’ve earned more than 85 million won in the previous calendar year (that’s about $66k USD annually, $5,500 USD monthly )
- Must have worked in the same industry for at least one year
- Must have an address in South Korea worked out in advance
- Personal medical insurance with coverage exceeding 100 million won (approx. $67k USD)
In order to meet the personal medical insurance requirement, read our side-by-side comparison between Safetywing vs World Nomads –the two biggest players in digital nomad insurance. The article is thorough, but point form and easy to read.
You can find our nomad insurance guide here.
Where to Apply
Apply at a South Korean Embassy in your home country. If already abroad, try the nearest Korean Embassy wherever you happen to be.
The Digital Nomad Visa South Korea offers is officially called the Workation Visa F-1-D.
If already inside South Korea, you can switch your existing visa over to a Digital Nomad Visa.
For example, you can switch over the following visas;
- Visa exemption B-1
- Tourist visa B-2
- Short-term stay visa C-3
It is estimated that turnaround time for your South Korean Digital Nomad Visa will take 10-20 days once your application is approved.
Required Documentation
To ensure accuracy, be sure to check in with your local South Korean embassy to confirm the details below.
Here is the required documentation I am currently aware of:
- Visa Request Form
- Passport (I recommend it be valid for 5+ years from application date)
- Additional passport copy
- Additional passport picture
- Proof of no criminal record
- Proof of an address in South Korea worked out in advance
- Proof of legal marriage and paternity if you’re bringing your wife and kids
- Proof of medical insurance that covers medical fees for accidents, medical transport, and medical care exceeding 100 million won (approx $76k USD in coverage)
Reminder: In order to meet the personal medical insurance requirement, read our side-by-side comparison between Safetywing vs World Nomads –the two biggest players in digital nomad insurance. The article is thorough, but point form and easy to read.
Proving Income
Even if you’re bringing your wife, the onus is on the applicant alone to solely meet the income requirements in order to obtain a digital nomad visa in South Korea. As far as I understand, joint income is not accepted as a method of reaching these income requirements.
Decide which of you fits the bill best, and let that person apply.
- Proof of work or employment for the previous calendar year until present
- Pay slips that prove employement for the previous calendar year until present
- Bank statements for the previous calendar year until present
- Proof of all taxable income for the previous calendar year’s tax filing
In Summary
Personally, I am looking at this South Korea Digital Nomad Visa very positively and I hope it forces other Asian nations to compete with a similar offering –as a single digital nomad dad with two sons, venturing out of the Philippines for awhile to a place with reliable infrastructure and a culture I’ve never yet experienced is an attractive option for the near future.
Thus far, keeping a home base in the Philippines has been relatively easy. I can travel with just a carry-on wherever I go.
The Philippines allow back-to-back Tourist Visas for up to 3 years, which was helpful during the pandemic. Later, I became a permanent resident through marriage. I don’t typically worry about visa runs, I’m past that.
Back to South Korea —Passport Bros take note; if you can put aside their penchant for plastic surgery and K-Pop, South Korea boasts a generally traditional, somewhat conservative culture … with one of the lowest birthrates on the planet.
Why is that?
If you can be the best version of yourself, fit, financially stable, and maybe even learn the local language through free language classes they offer –you could win over the hearts and minds of the fairer sex in the dating market in a way that the locals can’t. You can boost that birth rate and start a family.
From what I see in “man on the street” Youtube interviews, more than half of South Korean women seem to find Western men “more manly” (probably due to the hair, height, eye colour, body composition, and the Western pop culture they consume setting the stage for us), “interesting”, passionate, financially stable, et al.
In other words, Western men have a chance in South Korea when it comes to finding lasting relationships with the opposite sex. They key is to be healthy, fit, and financially stable enough to provide –to respect the traditionally healthy male gender role. Play your role, and your prospective mate will likely respect their own.
That’s my two cents.
My blog attracts all kinds.
Two thumbs up to South Korea for their new Digital Nomad Visa.
What do you think? Drop a comment.