The F-1-D visa is issued by Korean consulates (and, for in-country changes, immigration offices under the Ministry of Justice). There is no published fixed processing window, and the real work is front-loaded: assembling proof of a year's foreign employment, meeting the income bar, buying compliant insurance, and getting an apostilled criminal-history certificate before you submit. Below is the end-to-end sequence.
Step 1 — Confirm your income multiple
Work out which GNI multiple applies to you. The standard bar is above 2× the previous year's per-capita GNI (≈ USD 65,800/yr after tax on the current consular figure). If you are aged 18–34 and will live outside the Seoul capital region, the relief can drop your bar toward 1× GNI (~KRW 52.41 million) — confirm your exact multiple with the consulate rather than assuming the best case.
Step 2 — Verify one year of foreign employment
Gather evidence that you have worked for (or owned) a foreign company for more than a year in the field you will keep working in remotely: employment contract or business registration, pay records, and client documentation for freelancers.
Step 3 — Buy compliant health insurance
Purchase private medical insurance covering treatment and repatriation for the full stay, with coverage of roughly KRW 100 million (about EUR 70,000). Confirm the policy explicitly names Korea and meets the consulate's minimum. Budget $60–150/month.
Step 4 — Obtain an apostilled criminal-history certificate
Get a home-country criminal-history certificate, apostilled (or consular-legalised), issued within 6 months of submission. US applicants need an FBI identity-history summary apostilled by the US Department of State — the six-month window has no exceptions, so start this early; FBI + apostille turnaround can take weeks.
Step 5 — Assemble the rest of the file
- Completed application form and a recent passport photo
- Passport valid for the intended stay
- Income proof meeting your applicable GNI multiple (pay/tax/bank documents)
- Marriage and birth certificates, apostilled, if applying with family
Step 6 — Submit to a Korean consulate
Lodge the application at the Korean consulate or embassy with jurisdiction over your residence (some allow in-country change of status through an immigration office). Pay the visa-issuance fee — about USD 45 for US citizens, varying by nationality — for the multiple-entry F-1-D.
Step 7 — Evaluation
The consulate reviews the file for eligibility and compliance. Respond promptly to any request for additional documents; incomplete or inconsistent income evidence is the most common cause of delay.
Step 8 — Enter Korea
Once issued, the F-1-D is a multiple-entry visa valid for a one-year stay on entry. Enter within the visa's validity window.
Step 9 — Register as a foreign resident
Within 90 days of arrival, complete alien registration at your local immigration office to receive a residence card. This is what lets you open a bank account, sign a lease, and set up utilities and mobile service.
Step 10 — Extend toward the three-year maximum
Extend before your current period expires, refreshing income and insurance evidence. Under the formal program the total stay can reach three years. If you cross 183 days in a calendar year, review the taxes section — you likely became a Korean tax resident on worldwide income.
Not sure Korea is your best fit?
Compare income thresholds and stay lengths across programs with our visa eligibility checker, or read the how to choose a digital nomad visa guide to weigh Korea against Japan, Thailand, and the European options.
Sources
- Korean consular F-1-D Workation visa requirements — documents, insurance, apostilled criminal check, one-year renewable multiple-entry stay, USD 45 US fee; retrieved 2026-07-13
- Korean Ministry of Justice — formal-adoption announcement — three-year maximum stay and income-relief band; published 2026-07-08, retrieved 2026-07-13