South Korea Makes F-1-D Workation Visa Permanent, Extends Stay to 3 Years

South Korea has turned its F-1-D Workation visa into a permanent program and raised the maximum authorized stay from two years to three, according to a report from Stamped Nomad. The change follows a pilot phase and gives remote workers a longer, more predictable option in one of Asia's major tech hubs.

What changed

The Ministry of Justice moved the F-1-D from pilot to permanent operation on June 30. The visa is still issued as a one-year, multiple-entry permit, but it can now be renewed twice instead of once, allowing a total stay of up to three years.

The biggest shift is on income. Applicants aged 18 to 34 who base themselves outside Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province can now qualify with income equal to one times GNI per capita, rather than the standard two times. In practice, that roughly halves the earnings bar for younger nomads willing to settle in cities like Busan, Daegu or Gwangju — a meaningful concession, since the standard threshold prices out many freelancers earning under about $5,200 a month.

Who qualifies

The visa is for people who work remotely for foreign employers or run overseas-registered businesses while living in South Korea. Working for Korean companies or doing profit-making work for Korea-based businesses remains off-limits, and the F-1-D does not lead directly to permanent residency.

Applicants must be at least 18, hold a clean criminal record, and show at least one year of experience with the same overseas employer or business. Private medical insurance covering at least 100 million won (roughly $75,000), including repatriation, is required. Spouses and dependent children can accompany the main applicant, and school-age kids can enroll locally.

What it means for nomads

A three-year path makes Korea more competitive with other regional nomad destinations, and the regional income carve-out opens the door to younger remote workers who couldn't previously meet the bar.

Two practical cautions stand out. First, consular information hasn't fully caught up: the report notes that some Korean missions still describe the F-1-D as a two-year test visa, so applicants may need to point staff to the June 30 change. The third-year renewal is handled by immigration inside Korea, not by consulates abroad.

Second, income is assessed after tax, and the GNI benchmark resets each year. Borderline applicants who qualified in an earlier year could fall short at renewal if their earnings stayed flat while the threshold rose. Anyone applying close to the minimum should build in a buffer to avoid problems down the line.

Originally reported by Stamped Nomad.