New F-1-D Workation Visa to Launch in South Korea on June 30, 2026, Allowing Three-Year Stay

South Korea turned its digital nomad route into a permanent F-1-D Workation Visa on June 30, 2026, opening a longer stay for remote workers and easing access for some younger applicants outside the capital region. The new framework allows qualified holders to remain for up to three years. Local jobs stay off-limits.

The visa still requires work for a non-Korean employer or foreign clients. Family accompaniment is permitted. That part did not move.

The permanent category replaces a pilot that began in January 2024. The new rules lift the ceiling beyond the pilot’s shorter limit. The route is now permanent.

Income rules changed too. The easier lane applies to applicants aged 18 to 34 who plan to live outside Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, or in designated population-declining regions. Everyone else still faces the standard bar: at least twice South Korea’s per-capita GNI, commonly cited for 2026 as roughly ₩88.1 million to ₩104.8 million a year.

The reduced threshold drops to roughly ₩44 million to ₩52 million a year, or about $36,963. The remote-work requirement still stands. No local Korean employment is allowed.

Applicants also need at least one year of relevant work experience or remote professional activity. They must show private medical coverage, with minimum protection reported as US$75,000 or KRW 100 million, and they need a clean criminal record certificate, apostilled where required. Applications generally go through a Korean embassy or consulate abroad.

The visa usually comes in 1 year blocks, and extensions remain possible under the permanent framework. Processing time depends on the embassy handling the case. The fee was not consistently stated in the surfaced material.

Seoul still wins on infrastructure, but the regions got a cheaper lane

1. Seoul still sits at the top for internet speed, coworking quality, public transit, safety, and urban infrastructure.
2. Regional cities outside the capital area are typically cheaper.
3. Those places may also line up with the reduced income threshold for eligible applicants.
4. The cost gap is one reason the new rules matter outside the capital.

The visa is still a temporary residence route, not a direct path to permanent residency or citizenship. That makes the paperwork the first gate, not the last. Extensions can still run under the permanent rules, up to the overall maximum stay.