South Korea Is Launching a Digital Nomad Visa for Remote Workers and K-Culture Visa for Hallyu Fans

We can already imagine ourselves working there.
by Meryl Medel | January 04, 2024

Imagine working in a cute and cozy cafe in Seoul during the weekdays, then hopping on the KTX to head to Busan for a weekend beach trip. Soon, this could be your reality with the new South Korea digital nomad visa. So whether you’re a fan of K-drama, K-pop, K-beauty, and all K-things or you simply just love to explore new places, read on to find out everything you need to know so far about the new South Korea digital nomad visa:

What is the digital nomad visa and what can you do with it?

Also known as a workcation visa, the South Korea digital nomad visa is a new visa being rolled out starting 1 January 2024 for foreigners who wish to stay in the country for an extended period of time while still supporting themselves with a remote job back home.

“To make remote work and vacation of foreigners in Korea smoother, we have decided to launch a new digital nomad visa,” the Korean Ministry of Justice said in a statement, citing the rise of the workcation trend.

“So far, foreigners were required to apply for tourist visas or just stay for less than 90 days without a visa for ‘workcation’ in Korea. The new system will allow employees and employers in overseas firms to tour and work remotely in Korea for a longer period of time.”

With a South Korea digital nomad visa, you are allowed to:

• travel to South Korea and work remotely for a job abroad
• stay in South Korea for at least a year, which can be extended up to another year, which can total up to 2 years
• bring your spouse and children under 18 with you to South Korea

However, it is important to note that this visa does NOT allow you to apply for a job within South Korea.

Who is eligible to apply for a digital nomad visa?

Applicants for the South Korea digital nomad visa must:

• be at least 18 years old
• have at least one year of work experience in their current field
• have an annual income twice the amount of South Korea’s gross national income (GNI) per capita for the previous year (Note: South Korea’s GNI per capita in 2022 is 42.48 million won, or about 1.81 million pesos, which means an applicant needs at least an annual income of 3.62 million pesos).
• have private health insurance with coverage of at least 100 million won or about 4.3 million pesos to cover any hospital expense or emergency evacuation to their home country

How can you apply for South Korea digital nomad visa?

As of writing, details on the new visa are scarce. But below are the requirements that have been mentioned thus far:

• application form
• passport
• one standard photo
• application fee
• proof of employment and income source, such as employment certificate, salary statement, account transaction details, etc.
• details of their criminal history, if any
• proof of private health insurance
• proof of family relationship, if accompanied by family

Are Philippine passport holders eligible for this?

While there is no complete list of eligible countries, the Ministry of Justice’s statement said that the workcation visas are being introduced and operated mainly in tourist countries such as Europe, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. So there is a chance that the Philippines may be included in this list.

However, we’re still waiting for further details from the Korean Ministry of Justice and the Korean Embassy in the Philippines. We promise to update this page once new information is made available, so make sure to bookmark this page!

Are there other new visas coming?

Aside from the digital nomad visa, South Korea also announced that they will be launching the K-Culture Visa, which is targeted specifically towards Hallyu fans. To further boost tourism, the country plans to host K-culture events this year, and the upcoming K-Culture visa aligns with this. So if you love K-pop and K-drama, this is the visa for you.

So far, details for the K-Culture Visa are still scarce, but reports say that more information will come out mid-2024. We’ll keep you updated, so make sure to follow Windowseat.ph on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok!

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