Korea offers a dedicated visa for foreign founders who want to build a technology business here: the D-8-4 Technology Startup Visa. Unlike Korea’s standard investor visa, it does not require a minimum investment of KRW 100 million. Instead, it uses a points system built around intellectual property, government startup programs, and a training track called OASIS. The trade-off is a set of requirements that must be met in a specific order. This article explains how the points system works, how to get from arrival to an incorporated company, and what it takes to keep the visa.

Table of Contents
📌 목차 (Table of Contents)

1. What the D-8-4 Visa Is, and How It Differs from D-8-1

Korea has several business visas under the D-8 (Corporate Investment) category. The two most relevant to founders are:

  • D-8-1 (Foreign Direct Investment): For foreign investors who invest at least KRW 100 million in a Korean company under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. Approval is based mainly on the amount of capital.
  • D-8-4 (Technology Startup): For founders with a degree and technology, typically intellectual property, who establish a new Korean company. Approval is based on points, not on a minimum investment.

Key takeaway: D-8-4 is designed for founders whose main asset is technology rather than capital. If you can invest KRW 100 million or more, D-8-1 may be simpler. If you cannot, D-8-4 is usually the route.

2. Basic Eligibility

An applicant generally needs all of the following.

  • A degree: a bachelor’s degree or higher from a foreign institution, or an associate degree or higher from a Korean institution. The degree must already be conferred. Expected graduates do not qualify. In some cases, a recommendation from the head of a relevant central government agency can substitute for the degree.
  • Technology: intellectual property (a patent, utility model, or design right, registered or in some cases applied for) or technology recognized as equivalent, such as a startup item selected for a government support program.
  • A new Korean company: a newly established Korean corporation, with both corporate registration and business registration completed. Acquiring an existing company does not qualify.
  • Sufficient points under the points system (see Section 3).

Certain businesses are excluded, such as gambling-related businesses and adult entertainment establishments.

3. The Points System and OASIS

The pass mark

Under the Ministry of Justice’s current points system, applicants need at least 60 points out of 300, including at least one mandatory item. (Older materials refer to an 80-point threshold out of a different total. Confirm the current table before applying, as item scores can change.)

Mandatory items

At least one of the following is required. These items also carry the largest point values.

  • Patent registration
  • Investment of KRW 100 million or more secured from outside investors
  • Utility model or design registration
  • A government startup grant above a set amount
  • Several years of experience as a professor (E-1) or researcher (E-3) in Korea
  • A pending patent application (worth considerably fewer points than a registration)

Optional items: OASIS and others

The remaining points usually come from OASIS (Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System), a government-backed program that trains foreign founders and helps them prepare for D-8-4. OASIS courses and activities earn points, including:

  • IP basics and advanced IP courses
  • Startup basics
  • One-on-one mentoring
  • Incubation space
  • Incorporation support
  • Commercialization support
  • Invention and startup competitions (a top finish earns significant points)

Other optional items include an advanced degree and Korean language ability (TOPIK).

Key takeaway: In practice, most founders reach the pass mark by combining one IP item with several OASIS courses. Plan your OASIS schedule early, because courses and competitions run on fixed calendars.

4. The Typical Route: D-10-2 to D-8-4

Most founders do not apply for D-8-4 directly from abroad. The usual path runs through a preparatory visa.

① Enter on D-10-2 (Startup Preparation)

  • D-10-2 is the visa for foreign founders preparing to start a technology business in Korea, typically while taking part in OASIS.
  • It is generally granted for six months and can be extended, up to around two years in total.
  • During this stage you can attend OASIS, file IP applications, develop the product, and prepare incorporation documents. You cannot generate revenue on D-10-2.

② Build points and IP

  • Complete OASIS courses and file the patent, utility model, or design application.
  • Register the IP in a way that clearly connects it to the business you will run. Immigration looks at that connection again at extension.

③ Incorporate the Korean company

  • See Section 5.

④ Change status to D-8-4

  • Apply to the immigration office with the points evidence, corporate documents, and business documents.

D-10-2 entry → OASIS courses + IP filing → Incorporation and business registration → Change of status to D-8-4

5. Setting Up the Korean Company

Incorporation is where many founders lose time. The usual sequence is:

① Secure an office

  • You need a real business address for corporate registration, business registration, and the visa.
  • Immigration has increasingly checked whether businesses actually operate at the registered address. Virtual offices carry risk, especially at extension. (See our earlier article on using virtual offices as a corporate address.)

② Decide on capital and how to fund it

  • D-8-4 itself sets no minimum capital. Many founders start with modest capital.
  • If you bring funds from abroad as foreign direct investment of KRW 100 million or more, file a foreign investment report under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act before remitting. Smaller amounts must still be remitted through proper foreign exchange channels with the correct purpose code.
  • Opening a bank account before you have an alien registration card can be difficult. Plan this step with your bank in advance.

③ Register the corporation

  • Most founders choose a stock company (주식회사).
  • Prepare the articles of incorporation, appoint directors, and pay in the capital.
  • File for corporate registration at the registry office. Registration tax is three times higher in the Seoul metropolitan overcrowding control area for companies registered within five years of establishment, so the location matters. (See our earlier article on registration tax in Seoul versus other regions.)

④ Register the business with the tax office

  • File for business registration with the local tax office. Some activities require additional licenses or reports, such as e-commerce (mail-order business) registration.

⑤ Apply for D-8-4

  • Typical documents include: the application form, passport, alien registration card, photo, certificate of corporate registration, business registration certificate, degree certificate (apostilled), points evidence (IP certificates, OASIS completion certificates), and the office lease.

Key takeaway: Corporate registration and business registration must be completed before you apply for D-8-4. Build the incorporation timeline into your D-10-2 stay with room to spare.

6. Extensions and the Path to Permanent Residence

Extensions

D-8-4 is granted for a limited period and renewed based on actual business activity. At extension, immigration typically looks for:

  • Registered IP, or progress from application to registration, connected to the business
  • Evidence of operations: contracts, revenue, product development, and investment
  • Tax compliance: filed returns and a tax payment certificate
  • Hiring Korean employees, which is viewed favorably

A company that exists only on paper is the most common reason for problems at extension.

Permanent residence

D-8-4 holders who build a substantial business may be able to move toward permanent residence (F-5). The conditions reported include several consecutive years on D-8-4, investment or capital of around KRW 300 million, and continuous employment of Korean nationals. Confirm the current criteria before planning around them.

7. The Alternative: The Startup Korea Special Visa (D-8-4S)

Since late 2024, Korea has also offered a Startup Korea Special Visa (D-8-4S), run with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

  • Founders are selected through eligibility screening and a pitch to an expert panel, based on the business plan and team rather than points.
  • It generally does not require the degree or OASIS points that D-8-4 does.
  • Founders can apply before incorporation, then must incorporate within a set period after the visa is issued.

For founders with a strong business and team but no IP, D-8-4S may be the better fit. Selection is competitive and runs on fixed rounds.

8. Common Pitfalls

  • Applying with an unconferred degree: an expected graduation date is not enough.
  • Buying an existing company: D-8-4 requires a new company.
  • IP unrelated to the business: a patent in an unrelated field does not support the visa, and immigration checks the link again at extension.
  • Earning revenue on D-10-2: this is activity outside your status and can jeopardize the later D-8-4 application.
  • A virtual office with no real operations: increasingly likely to cause problems at extension.
  • Remitting capital without the correct foreign exchange filings: this can complicate both the company’s records and later remittances out of Korea.

9. Conclusion

The D-8-4 visa gives technology founders a way into Korea without a large capital investment, but it rewards careful sequencing: a qualifying degree, IP connected to the business, enough OASIS points, and a properly incorporated new company, in that order. After approval, the visa lasts only as long as the business shows real activity.

Founders who plan the D-10-2 stage, OASIS schedule, and incorporation together usually move to D-8-4 smoothly. Those who leave incorporation and IP to the last months of D-10-2 often run out of time.