The government has formally adopted the "digital nomad (workation)" visa after running it as a pilot program for two years.
The Ministry of Justice's Korea Immigration Service has been operating the digital nomad visa on a permanent basis since June 30, following meetings with local governments and consultations on visa and residence policy, the ministry said Monday. Digital nomad is a compound of "digital" and "nomad," referring to a working style in which people work remotely while enjoying vacation, unbound by time or place.
The Ministry of Justice developed the program after a pilot run from January 2024 to May this year. It first eased some of the visa issuance requirements. For applicants who are younger or reside in non-metropolitan areas or population-declining (special-interest) regions, the income requirement was lowered to one to two times Korea's per capita gross national income (GNI) from the previous year.
Previously, regardless of age or region of residence, applicants had to earn at least twice Korea's per capita GNI from the previous year. Given that Korea's GNI was about 52.41 million won last year, this meant only high-income foreigners earning more than 100 million won could apply for the visa.
The maximum stay was also extended from two years to three years. The Ministry of Justice explained that it lengthened the period so that talented individuals from overseas could sufficiently experience Korea before choosing it as a place to settle.
As of May this year, 398 registered foreigners were staying in Korea on digital nomad visas. Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said, "The digital nomad visa aims to expand opportunities for creative talent around the world to experience Korea," adding, "We will develop a settlement model so that talented individuals can experience Korea's appeal, voluntarily settle here, and become assets to our country."
