What are the requirements for Korea's digital nomad visa (F-1-D)?

Korea's digital nomad visa (officially F-1-D 'Workation' visa) launched January 2024. Here are the current requirements as of 2026. Eligibility: - Must be employed by a company OUTSIDE Korea (proof of contract required) - Annual income at least ~84.96M KRW (~$62-66K USD), which is 2x Korea's GNI per capita - Clean criminal record - Health insurance with minimum 100M KRW coverage Duration: - Initial grant: 1 year - Extendable to 2 years total - Family members (spouse + children under 18) can accompany you What you CANNOT do: - Work for Korean employers or clients - Run a Korean-registered business - The visa is strictly for remote work for foreign companies How to apply: - You can apply at a Korean embassy in your home country, or - You can convert from tourist status while in Korea (this is unique, most work visas cannot be converted in-country) Phone and insurance notes: the F-1-D does NOT qualify you for a postpaid Korean phone plan (you need an employment-type visa for that). However, you can get a prepaid SIM that works for most things except bank verification. The health insurance requirement is strict. Your home country insurance must explicitly cover Korea with at least 100M KRW (~$74K USD) in coverage. Many standard travel insurance policies do not meet this threshold. SafetyWing and World Nomads have plans that qualify. The income threshold is significantly higher than digital nomad visas in Southeast Asia (Thailand DTV only requires ~$16.5K in savings). But Korea offers better infrastructure: fastest internet in Asia, safe cities, and excellent public transport. The visa pilot has been extended following strong initial interest, so Korea appears committed to keeping this option available.