In short.
The D-8 visa in Korea (기업투자, corporate investment) is a long-term residence status for foreign investors. It is decided by the immigration office on its own criteria — and registering a company in Korea does not, by itself, get you the visa.
For the standard route (D-8-1), the rule of thumb is a foreign investment of at least KRW 100 million per investor, together with a meaningful stake or a management role. The harder questions in practice are where the money came from and whether the business is real.
This article explains the framework under current Korean law. It is general information, not advice on your situation.
Many founders assume that once the company exists, the visa follows: incorporate, and residence is a formality. In practice it is the opposite. A Korean company can be registered in two to three weeks, but the D-8 visa in Korea is a second, separate test — and it is the one where things go wrong.
Picture an entrepreneur who, after a regulatory change in their home market, decides to move part of the business to Korea: open a local company, hire staff, run operations on the ground. The incorporation goes smoothly. Then comes the immigration stage, where the office examines the size and origin of the investment, the substance of the business, and the investor’s own role. That is usually where the difficulties appear.
What the D-8 visa is — and why a registered company is not a visa
The D-8 is the residence status for a foreign national who runs or works in an enterprise that has received foreign investment in Korea. It is created by the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) and its Enforcement Decree, and administered by the Ministry of Justice.
The key is to separate two different processes. Setting up the company is a corporate matter, governed mainly by the Foreign Investment Promotion Act (외국인투자 촉진법) and the Commercial Act — the FDI report, incorporation, and registration of a foreign-invested company. Granting the D-8 visa is an immigration decision made separately: the office reviews the source of the funds, the structure of the company, and whether the business genuinely operates. A registered company is a precondition, not a guarantee. For the corporate side, see our guide to setting up a business in Korea as a foreign investor, and our overview page on foreign direct investment in Korea.
D-8-1 and D-8-4: two different routes
The D-8 category is not uniform. For most investors, two sub-types matter, and their requirements differ substantially. Choosing the wrong one — or starting to invest before the route is settled — is a common early misstep.
| Feature | D-8-1 (corporate investor) | D-8-4 (technology startup) |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Investment in a Korean company qualifying as foreign investment under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act | The applicant’s own technology, intellectual property, or innovative venture |
| Investment amount | As a rule, at least KRW 100 million per investor | No fixed investment threshold; assessed on a points and eligibility basis |
| Who it suits | Those who put in capital and run the business as a director or essential professional | Founders of technology and knowledge-based ventures |
General illustration only. The exact sub-type, requirements, and exceptions depend on the facts and on current Ministry of Justice practice.
Most entrepreneurs relocating a trading, manufacturing, or service business to Korea proceed on the D-8-1 route. The D-8-4 route is built for technology startups and uses a different evaluation logic. Because the sub-type shapes both the documents and the entire preparation, it is best fixed before any money is committed.
The KRW 100 million threshold — and the stake behind it
For the classic D-8-1 case, two baseline conditions generally apply, and both come from how “foreign investment” is defined. Under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act and its Enforcement Decree (Article 2), foreign investment as a rule means an investment of KRW 100 million or more made in one of two ways: acquiring at least 10% of the voting shares or equity of a Korean company, or holding shares in the company while also dispatching or appointing an officer — a director, representative director, or similar person who can take part in key management decisions.
Two points trip investors up. First, where several foreign investors come in together, the threshold is counted per person: two investors splitting a single KRW 100 million between them will not qualify either of them for a D-8. Second, the law contains a notable nuance — once a company is registered as a foreign-invested enterprise, a later partial transfer of shares or capital reduction that drops the holding below the line can still be treated as foreign investment. These are exactly the structural details that are cheap to get right before investing and expensive to fix afterward.
Where the investment comes from — the real sticking point
In practice the hardest question is not whether KRW 100 million arrived, but where it came from, by what route, and where it sits now. Investment funds generally have to be brought in from the investor’s own account abroad, through an authorized foreign-exchange bank, and recorded specifically as foreign investment.
Money already sitting in the investor’s personal account inside Korea, funds sent by a third party, capital borrowed locally, or cash carried in by hand will often not be recognized as foreign investment. Banks also conduct heightened checks on the origin of the capital and the transfer route. This is not a paperwork formality: questions about the source of funds are a frequent cause of delay and refusal, and a problem that is fixable at the start can become impossible to correct once the structure is in place. For that reason the funding plan is worth aligning with both bank and counsel in advance, rather than after a query is raised.
Why D-8 visas are refused
A D-8 is not issued automatically. The decision sits within the immigration office’s discretion, and what is examined above all is whether the business is real — not whether the file is complete. The common risk areas overlap and reinforce one another.
| Risk area | The problem |
|---|---|
| “Paper” company | No genuine office, activity, staff, or coherent business plan |
| Unclear source of funds | The origin and route of the investment cannot be shown transparently |
| Stake below the line | The particular investor’s contribution is under the required minimum |
| In-country status change | Switching from another visa to D-8 while in Korea often carries a higher refusal risk |
Because these factors compound, an issue that could be removed early may already be unfixable by the time the application is filed. That is why the investment structure and the case for the business are better built before the money goes in, not after a refusal.
Renewing and keeping the status
A D-8 is granted for a limited period and is extended, but renewal is not automatic. By the time it comes around, the business has to still be real: what counts is the company’s actual operation, the investment remaining in place, the office and staff, tax compliance, and the investor’s genuine role in management.
Material changes — winding down or suspending operations, withdrawing the investment, changing the shareholding or the management line-up — may require notice to the immigration office or a fresh review of the status. Left unwatched, these issues tend to surface precisely at renewal, when there is little time left to fix them.
Family: the spouse and children
A D-8 holder can generally bring immediate family — a spouse and minor children — on an accompanying status (the F-3 category). That status is tied to the principal investor’s visa: its duration and conditions depend on the D-8 remaining valid. What family members may and may not do — for example regarding work or study — is determined separately and should be checked for the specific situation.
Why this is not a do-it-yourself process
A D-8 case sits across three systems that have to line up: the corporate setup under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act and the Commercial Act, the foreign-exchange and banking side of moving the capital, and the immigration assessment of the business and the investor. A misstep in one shows up in another — most often as a refusal or a renewal problem — and by then the early choices are hard to undo. We support foreign investors and companies through that sequence from the start, so the structure is built to hold rather than reverse-engineered after a query. You can read more about foreign investment and company setup in Korea.
Key takeaways
• The D-8 is a separate residence status — registering a company does not by itself give you the visa.
• D-8-1 (investor): as a rule, at least KRW 100 million per investor, plus a meaningful stake (around 10% of voting shares) or a management role (Foreign Investment Promotion Act, Enforcement Decree Art. 2).
• The biggest risk is the source of the funds; banks apply heightened checks on origin and route.
• Refusals most often trace to a “paper” company or an unclear source of investment; the decision is discretionary and turns on whether the business is real.
• Renewal depends on the business staying real; family can accompany on the F-3 status. Structure the investment before committing funds.
Frequently asked questions
If I register a company in Korea, do I get the D-8 visa automatically?
No. Registering the company and granting the D-8 visa are two separate processes. The immigration office independently reviews the size and source of the investment, the structure of the company, and whether the business genuinely operates. A registered company is a precondition, not a guarantee of the visa.
How much do I need to invest for a D-8 visa?
For the standard D-8-1 route, the rule of thumb is a foreign investment of at least KRW 100 million per investor, together with a meaningful stake — in practice around 10% of the voting shares — or a management role such as being appointed a director. The exact requirements and exceptions depend on the deal structure and the sub-type, so they are worth confirming in advance (Foreign Investment Promotion Act and Enforcement Decree, Article 2).
Why are D-8 visas most often refused?
Typical reasons are the absence of a real operating business (a “paper” company), an unclear origin of the investment funds, and an individual stake below the required minimum. The decision lies within the immigration office’s discretion, and it weighs whether the business is real rather than only whether the documents are in order.
Can my family move with me on a D-8 visa?
Generally, a spouse and minor children can obtain an accompanying status (the F-3 category) tied to the principal investor’s visa. Its duration and the scope of what family members may do are determined separately and depend on the D-8 remaining valid.
Planning a company and a D-8 visa in Korea? The investment structure and the immigration documents are best shaped before funds are committed. You can send us a short summary of your plan through KakaoTalk to have your situation reviewed.
Pyoung-ho Kim (Kim Pyoung-ho), Attorney at Law, Yeohae Law Office. Korean attorney; passed the Korean Judicial Examination and completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute (43rd class). Recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Lawyer Award. Has handled 500+ cases across all practice areas since 2014. Yeohae Law Office supports foreign investors and companies in Korea. Yeohae Law Office, 16 Beopwon-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Jeonggok Building, Suite 406).
This article provides general information on Korean law as it currently stands and is not legal advice for any specific case. Whether a D-8 visa is granted is discretionary and depends on the particular facts; requirements and practice can change.
