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South Korea Opens Long-Stay Nomad Visa With Lower Income Bar

South Korea officially launched its F-1-D "workation" visa on June 30, 2026, converting a two-year pilot program into a permanent pathway for remote workers employed by overseas companies to live and work in the country. South Korea's Ministry of Justice announced updated eligibility rules on July 7, including a meaningfully lower income threshold for younger applicants who choose to base themselves outside the country's major metro corridor.

The program had been running in pilot form since January 2024, during which applicants were required to earn at least twice Korea's GNI per capita from the previous year. Under the now-official program, that bar has been cut to the GNI per capita figure itself — roughly US$36,963 based on 2025 data — for applicants between 18 and 34 years old who reside outside Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, according to The Korea Herald's reporting. Those in government-designated population-declining regions may also qualify for a reduced income threshold. The maximum permitted stay has also been extended from two years to three.

The core employment requirement has not changed: visa holders must remain employed by a company based outside South Korea. Working for a Korean employer is not permitted under this visa category, which keeps it distinct from standard Korean work visas. Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the program is "intended to expand opportunities for creative talent from around the world to experience South Korea," as reported by The Star.

What this means for remote workers and nomads

For nomads evaluating long-stay options in Asia, South Korea's updated visa is a material upgrade over the pilot. Three years is a serious runway — long enough to establish routines, build local connections, and genuinely settle into a city rather than treating it as a transit stop. The income cut for under-35s is the sharper development: it brings the visa within range of many mid-level remote workers who previously fell short of the doubled GNI threshold.

The regional incentive is worth reading closely. The reduced income bar applies specifically to people who live outside the Seoul-Incheon-Gyeonggi belt, which covers the bulk of Korea's population and real estate costs. That structure functions as a deliberate policy lever — it offers easier access in exchange for living in areas the government wants to repopulate. Reviewing the visa terms, we found this mirrors a pattern emerging in other markets: some countries are structuring their digital nomad programs around geographic distribution rather than treating the whole country as a single eligibility zone. For nomads already interested in Korea for its infrastructure and quality of life, the program now comes with a longer horizon and a more accessible entry point.

The one firm constraint to plan around: the overseas employment rule means freelancers without a formal foreign employer relationship need to establish one before applying. That detail will matter more than the income threshold for nomads working on short contracts or through personal service arrangements.