1. Direct Answer: What Is the D-8 Visa?
The D-8 (Corporate Investment) status has four types: D-8-1 (investment in a corporation), D-8-2 (venture investment), D-8-3 (investment in a Korean individual's business) and D-8-4 (technology startup). Most foreign investors ask about D-8-1, which requires an investment of KRW 100 million or more and ownership of 10% or more of the voting shares of a fully established Korean corporation, or shares plus an officer dispatch or appointment contract.
The maximum stay per grant is 5 years for D-8-1 and D-8-3, and 2 years for D-8-2 and D-8-4. This page compares the types; for the full requirements and document lists see D-8 Visa Korea: Requirements & Document List.
2. The 4 D-8 Types Compared
| Type | Target | Key test | Stay limit per grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-8-1 Investment in a corporation | Essential specialist in management, production or technology at a foreign-invested Korean corporation (fully established corporations only; people hired locally in Korea are excluded) | KRW 100 million or more and 10% or more of voting shares, or shares plus an officer dispatch or appointment contract | 5 years |
| D-8-2 Venture investment | Representative of a company confirmed as a venture company (or assessed as technologically excellent) | Venture confirmation or technology assessment | 2 years |
| D-8-3 Investment in an individual business | Essential specialist at a foreign-invested business run by a Korean national | KRW 100 million or more, 10% or more of total contribution, co-representative with the Korean on the business registration; Korean partner's business funds of KRW 100 million or more | 5 years |
| D-8-4 Technology startup | Founder of a Korean corporation: degree holder (domestic associate or above, foreign bachelor or above) or ministry-recommended, with intellectual property or comparable technology | Points test: 60 or more of 300 points (at least one mandatory item), plus corporation and business registration completed | 2 years (Startup Korea special visa holders without a corporation: 6 months) |
3. D-8-1: KRW 100 Million, 10% and Fund Names
- Target: a Korean corporation that is fully established; a company that is not yet established is not accepted.
- Amount and stake: investment of KRW 100 million or more, and 10% or more of the voting shares; or shares plus a contract to send or appoint an officer (Foreign Investment Promotion Act Enforcement Decree Article 2(2)).
- Name on the funds: in principle the investor's own name. Funds brought in or remitted on behalf of the investor by a spouse or minor child are accepted as an exception. For investors putting in KRW 300 million or more, funds in the name of parents or the spouse's parents can also be recognized.
- Below KRW 300 million: individual investors are asked for additional documents (see section 5).
4. Consulate Application vs Change of Status in Korea
- Consulate (visa) route: in principle at the Korean mission in the applicant's home country. An applicant who lives abroad and runs a business there, including long-term residents such as permanent-residence holders, may apply at the mission in that country.
- In-Korea route: a change of status at the immigration office. The requirements match the visa requirements above.
- After you hold D-8: D-8 is not subject to workplace change or addition permission; changes are handled as an alien registration change report.
Whether a change from your current status is possible depends on that status, so check with the immigration office responsible for your address before you file.
5. D-8-1 Documents Checklist (Visa Application)
- Visa application form (form no. 17), passport, one standard photo, fee
- For posted personnel: dispatch order stating the dispatch period, and certificate of employment
- Copy of the foreign-invested enterprise registration certificate
- Copy of business registration, certified corporate registry, original shareholder change statement
- Proof of funds brought in. Cash: export permit or report from the home customs or bank where applicable, plus a fund-transfer statement (remittance confirmation, foreign exchange purchase certificate or customs declaration). In kind: customs completion certificate copy and import declaration copy
- Individual investors below KRW 300 million: proof of how the capital was spent (purchase receipts, office fit-out costs, Korean bank account statements), proof the business premises exist (office lease; photos of exterior, workspace and signage), and home-country business experience records where needed
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the four D-8 visa types in Korea?
Q. What is the minimum investment for a D-8-1 visa?
Q. Do I apply at a Korean consulate or inside Korea?
A. Either route exists. For a visa, the applicant applies in principle at the Korean mission in his or her home country. Someone already in Korea files a change of status at the immigration office under the same requirements. Which route fits your case depends on your current status, so check with the immigration office.
Q. How long can I stay on a D-8 visa?
A. The ceiling per grant is 5 years for D-8-1 and D-8-3, and 2 years for D-8-2 and D-8-4. The period actually given is decided by the immigration office in each case.