What is South Korea's F-1-D Digital Nomad (Workation) visa?

Remote workers employed or contracted outside Korea. Piloted from 2024 and formally launched on 30 June 2026. It lasts issued for up to 1 year and extendable; the maximum cumulative stay was raised from 2 years to 3 at the formal launch. None. F-1 is a visitor-class status, so time on it does not build toward the F-5 permanent residence you would get from a work or points-based route.

What is South Korea's E-7 visa (specially designated activities)?

Skilled professionals with a Korean employer. The main work route for foreign white-collar staff. It lasts up to 3 years, renewable. Feeds the F-2-7 points-based residence visa, which in turn leads to F-5 permanent residence. Direct F-5 is otherwise available after 5 years of qualifying residence.

What is South Korea's F-2-7 points-based residence visa?

People already in Korea on a work visa who want status that is not tied to an employer. The intended stepping stone to permanent residence. It lasts 3 years, renewable. F-5 permanent residence after 3 years holding F-2-7 — faster than the general 5-year route, and the reason this visa exists.

What is South Korea's D-8 corporate investment visa?

Founders and investors establishing a Korean company, including the D-8-4 startup variant. It lasts up to 5 years depending on the sub-category, renewable. Counts toward F-5; substantial investors have a dedicated faster F-5 sub-category.

GlobeQuest

Moving from Lesotho to South Korea

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

Lesotho

South KoreaShort stay

Travel authorisation

Lesotho passport holders need an electronic travel authorisation before flying to South Korea. It's an online form, usually approved quickly, and lighter than a full e-visa.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in South Korea — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026South Korea's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to South Korea

Digital nomadHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

F-1-D Digital Nomad (Workation) visa

Remote workers employed or contracted outside Korea. Piloted from 2024 and formally launched on 30 June 2026.

What you need

Income pegged to the previous year's GNI per capita, which the Bank of Korea restates annually — the 2025 figure is KRW 52,416,000 (about US$36,960), so the standard 2× bar is about KRW 104.8 million. Budget against the multiple, not against a dollar number.
Three bands: 2× GNI per capita is the default; a middle band of about 1.5× applies to most relaxed cases; and 1× applies to applicants aged 18–34 living outside Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi
At least one year of continuous experience in your field with a foreign employer, or running your own foreign business
Private health insurance covering at least US$75,000 of treatment and repatriation for the whole stay
Work for a non-Korean employer or clients; no Korean-source employment

How long it lasts: Issued for up to 1 year and extendable; the maximum cumulative stay was raised from 2 years to 3 at the formal launch.
Path to permanent residence: None. F-1 is a visitor-class status, so time on it does not build toward the F-5 permanent residence you would get from a work or points-based route.
Cost: Modest application fee at a Korean mission.
Processing time: Several weeks.

Worth knowing

The regional discount is the headline: an 18–34-year-old living outside the Seoul capital region qualifies on 1× GNI rather than 2×, halving the income needed. Almost no other country prices its nomad visa by geography.
The threshold is indexed, not fixed. It moves every time the Bank of Korea publishes a new GNI per capita, so a figure quoted in dollars goes stale within a year.
It is explicitly not a route to settling in Korea. If that is the goal, E-7 then F-2-7 is the path.

Sources:Ministry of Justice — Korea Immigration Service Korea Visa Portal

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

E-7 visa (specially designated activities)

Skilled professionals with a Korean employer. The main work route for foreign white-collar staff.

What you need

Job offer in one of the designated E-7 occupations — the list is specific and updated periodically
A degree in a related field plus 1 year of experience, or 5 years of experience without a matching degree
Salary generally benchmarked against a proportion of GNI per capita
The employer must meet Korean-to-foreign staffing ratio rules

How long it lasts: Up to 3 years, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: Feeds the F-2-7 points-based residence visa, which in turn leads to F-5 permanent residence. Direct F-5 is otherwise available after 5 years of qualifying residence.
Cost: Application fees are modest; the employer bears the sponsorship burden.
Processing time: Several weeks to a couple of months, including the employer's confirmation of visa issuance.

Worth knowing

The occupation must map onto a designated E-7 category. A job that is real and well-paid but outside the list simply cannot be sponsored on this visa.
Employer staffing-ratio rules mean small Korean startups often cannot hire foreigners even when they want to.
Changing employer requires permission, not merely notification.

Sources:Hi Korea — official immigration portal Ministry of Justice — Korea Immigration Service

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

F-2-7 points-based residence visa

People already in Korea on a work visa who want status that is not tied to an employer. The intended stepping stone to permanent residence.

What you need

A points score across age, education, Korean language ability (TOPIK or KIIP completion), income, and work experience
Existing qualifying status in Korea, usually E-7 or similar
Clean record and no immigration violations

How long it lasts: 3 years, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: F-5 permanent residence after 3 years holding F-2-7 — faster than the general 5-year route, and the reason this visa exists.
Cost: Modest government fees.
Processing time: Weeks to a couple of months at an immigration office.

Worth knowing

F-2 status decouples you from your employer, which is the practical prize — you can change jobs freely.
Korean language ability is worth a large share of the points. Completing the KIIP social-integration programme is the most reliable way to close a scoring gap.
F-2-7 is no longer the only F-2 route. The Top-Tier visa launched in 2025 grants F-2 residence directly to high-tech specialists — semiconductors, bio, batteries, displays, with more sectors being added — who hold a master's or doctorate from a top-100 university plus global experience and are offered roughly 3× GNI per capita (around KRW 140 million). It carries permanent residence after 3 years and extends to spouse and children. If you fit it, it beats the points route outright.

Sources:Hi Korea — official immigration portal

InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

D-8 corporate investment visa

Founders and investors establishing a Korean company, including the D-8-4 startup variant.

What you need

Investment in a Korean corporation — commonly cited at a minimum of KRW 100 million for the standard D-8
Foreign-investment registration with KOTRA and a registered Korean entity
For the D-8-4 technology-startup variant, a bachelor's degree plus intellectual property or an OASIS programme score instead of the capital threshold

How long it lasts: Up to 5 years depending on the sub-category, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: Counts toward F-5; substantial investors have a dedicated faster F-5 sub-category.
Cost: The investment itself plus incorporation and registration costs.
Processing time: Months, dominated by the investment registration rather than the visa.

Worth knowing

The capital must be genuinely remitted and registered as foreign investment — moving money into a Korean account is not sufficient.
The D-8-4 startup route is the one worth knowing about: it substitutes IP and programme participation for cash, which is a very different proposition.

Sources:Hi Korea — official immigration portal Ministry of Justice — Korea Immigration Service

StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

D-2 student visa

Students at accredited Korean universities.

What you need

Admission to an accredited institution
Proof of funds for tuition and living costs
Tuberculosis screening for some nationalities

How long it lasts: Course length, renewed annually.
Path to permanent residence: Study time counts only partially toward F-5, but graduates of Korean degrees earn significant F-2-7 points, which is the more useful effect.
Cost: Application fee plus tuition.
Processing time: Several weeks once the institution issues its confirmation.

Worth knowing

Part-time work is permitted with permission and is capped by hours and by your Korean level.
Graduating from a Korean university plus TOPIK level is close to the ideal F-2-7 profile — worth planning for from the start of the degree.

Sources:Hi Korea — official immigration portal

On the ground