A foreign founder planning to work in Korea needs immigration permission that fits the proposed role. D-8 is the name of a group of business-investment and startup categories that may be relevant. The right starting point is the work the person will do, the business they will join or establish, and the permission they already hold.
Imagine a founder who wants to open a clothing store in Seoul and manage it day to day. Another founder wants to develop software with a business partner. Both need customers and funding, but their immigration inquiries may follow different routes. A store investment and a technology startup call for different evidence.
These founders are hypothetical. This guide uses their plans to explain four D-8 categories, the role of startup programs, and the questions to resolve before making commitments. It helps prepare an inquiry rather than deciding whether a particular person qualifies.
What the permission belongs to
A visa relates to entry into Korea. The permission under which a person stays and carries out activities here is called their status of stay. D-8 categories are commonly called business visas, but the practical question is whether the person's status and conditions cover the proposed work.
That question belongs to the individual. A shareholder owns part of a company. The shareholder might remain overseas, visit for a meeting, or move to Seoul to manage staff. Those circumstances need to be described separately. Ownership or appointment as a director does not by itself establish work permission.
The business has its own registrations too. A corporation is a company that legally exists apart from its owners. A business may also qualify for recognition under Korea's foreign-investment law. That recognition concerns the investment arrangement; it does not guarantee the owner's immigration approval.
Our guide to starting a business in Korea explains how the business and immigration steps fit together. For the first visa inquiry, gather the person's nationality, current location and status, intended duties, proposed owners, and funding plan.
Four business routes to investigate
The Korea Visa Portal lists categories for corporate investment, venture businesses, investment in an individual business, and technology startups. These are different arrangements within D-8. They are not a complete list of every status a founder might use.
Someone who already has Korean residence permission should first ask whether it allows the intended business activity. For a person who needs a new route, the following distinctions help make that conversation specific.
D-8-1: investment in a corporation
The clothing-store founder is considering forming a Korean company and investing in it. A company can own the shop's stock and enter the lease in its own name. Our sole proprietor and corporation guide explains that business-form decision.
For the ordinary individual corporate-investor case, KOTRA's visa FAQ describes an investment of at least KRW 100 million and ownership of at least 10% of the voting shares or total capital. KRW means Korean won; 100 million won is 100,000,000 won. Voting shares represent ownership with voting rights in company decisions.
The amount is an investment in the business. Holding that balance in a personal bank account is only a starting fact. The founder should check whose funds will be invested, how they must enter Korea, what ownership they will acquire, and what evidence supports the transaction.
D-8-1 also covers certain essential professionals sent by an overseas company. KOTRA's route guidance describes qualifying executive, management, and specialist roles. A company sending a manager therefore needs to explain the employer, dispatch arrangement, and duties; it should not assume the manager must personally make the same investment as the shop founder.
For the store, a useful initial question is whether the proposed ownership, funding, and management role fit the corporate-investor route. The official assessment still extends beyond the two headline figures.
D-8-2: a formally recognized venture business
The word “venture” can describe almost any new enterprise in everyday conversation. In this category it has a specific legal meaning. The government's startup guide links the route to qualifying technical ability and venture-business confirmation or an accepted equivalent.
Imagine a founder developing a new manufacturing method. The relevant questions may include what technical rights the founder holds and whether the business has obtained the required recognition. Intellectual property means legal rights in inventions or other creations, such as a patent.
A novel idea or private investment does not establish the formal recognition by itself. The founder should ask which recognition is relevant, how it is obtained, and what personal evidence immigration needs. That helps distinguish a business described casually as a startup from a qualifying venture under this route.
D-8-3: investment and joint management in an individual business
An individual business operates through its owner rather than a separate corporation. D-8-3 concerns a qualifying investment in a Korean national's individual business with joint management.
KOTRA's FAQ describes investment requirements for the foreign participant, business-fund requirements for the Korean participant, and joint representation on the business registration. The ownership, funding, and management arrangement all need to be explained when asking about eligibility.
For the clothing-store founder, this would be a different proposal from opening a sole proprietorship alone. Hiring a Korean employee would also be a different arrangement. If a joint individual business is being considered, the inquiry should identify who owns it, who contributes the funds, and who will be named to run it.
Those conditions should be confirmed before choosing a partner or changing the business form around this route. A general answer about “investing in a Korean business” can overlook the details that distinguish the categories.
D-8-4: a qualifying technology startup
This category is relevant to founders building technology businesses. The founder's role, qualifications or technical ability, and evidence under the applicable pathway matter. A pathway is the particular set of conditions used to assess an application.
Imagine that the software business would help retailers decide how much stock to order. One founder would build the product; the other would find customers and manage sales. Each needs to explain their own background and role, even if they plan equal ownership.
The technical founder can describe what has been developed, what problem it addresses, and any rights in the work. The sales-focused cofounder should ask how their own circumstances will be assessed. Neither a software idea nor participation in a startup program establishes permission on its own.
Two names commonly appear in this discussion: OASIS and the Startup Korea Special Visa. They serve different purposes, so it is useful to understand them before deciding which office to approach.
How OASIS can help a founder prepare
OASIS stands for Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System. It provides startup support through designated centers. Activities can include education, intellectual-property support, mentoring, and business development. A mentor helps a founder work through a business problem or plan.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups' explanation describes OASIS training and support connected with technology-startup immigration. Individual activities can help build the business and provide evidence relevant to a pathway. The immigration effect depends on the applicable requirements.
The program numbers identify different activities. They should not be read as a universal sequence every founder must complete. For example, the Global Startup Center's 2026 program notice describes OASIS-4 entrepreneurship education and OASIS-5 mentoring. A founder should ask what the chosen activity provides and how it relates to the route under consideration.
For the software founder, a useful question is: “Would this course or mentoring activity provide evidence relevant to my application, and what other conditions would still remain?” The answer can prevent a course certificate from being mistaken for a complete visa qualification.
Program dates matter as well. That 2026 notice lists an application closing date of May 18, which has passed. The presence of an application page does not confirm that a place is currently available. Check the current intake with the program office.
Points-based advice also needs its date and scope checked. A June 2026 Ministry of Justice report records an expansion of exemptions from D-8-4 points requirements. A points table from an earlier guide should therefore not be treated as the test for every founder.
The Special Visa starts with a business assessment
The Startup Korea Special Visa provides a recommendation process focused on the business's feasibility and innovation. Feasibility asks whether the plan could work. Innovation concerns what is new about it. The assessment also considers matters such as the business's prospects in Korea.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups explains that it handles the recommendation process, after which the Ministry of Justice examines the immigration application. A recommendation is evidence supporting that application. The immigration decision remains a separate step.
The Global Startup Center's Special Visa page is a place to begin an inquiry. For the hypothetical software business, the founders can ask how the product and business plan would be assessed, which person may apply, and what evidence is needed for each proposed representative.
They should also confirm when a Korean company must be formed and which conditions apply before an application can proceed. Equal shares in a future company do not establish identical immigration eligibility for both people.
The ministry posted an amendment to the recommendation rules in February 2026. Use the current rules and program instructions to check eligible applicants, excluded businesses, required documents, and application arrangements. An older announcement is useful background without settling those current details.
Plan the sequence before moving money or booking work
The store founder's budget includes more than the proposed investment: premises, goods, professional help, and day-to-day expenses also need funding. The immigration inquiry should distinguish the planned investment from these other costs and explain where the money is held.
KOTRA's FAQ identifies evidence such as investment transfers, use of capital, and business premises. The actual checklist depends on the case. Before arranging a transfer, the founder should ask which records are needed and how the money's movement will be documented.
The same approach applies to a lease. The founder should describe the activity and proposed premises, then ask what evidence the application needs before accepting an expensive obligation. A document showing that an office was rented does not answer every question about the business or applicant.
Current location and status affect the order too. The founder should ask whether to apply from abroad or whether a change of status in Korea is available. Immigration Act Article 24 requires advance approval for the relevant change of status. Restrictions and exceptions depend on the person’s current status and nationality, so confirm the available application route with immigration before travel.
A person still preparing a technology startup can ask about D-10-2, the startup-preparation category. The inquiry should cover both eligibility and the activities that status permits. Preparation permission should not be assumed to authorize every planned business operation.
After approval, records remain important. Contracts, invoices, investment transfers, and relevant tax filings can help explain the business when an extension is assessed. Immigration Act Article 25 requires extension permission before the current period ends for someone who wants to stay longer. Approval of an initial stay does not make later extensions automatic.
Two examples of a useful first inquiry
The store founder could take this hypothetical note to the responsible office:
“I am outside Korea and want to manage a clothing store in Seoul. I am considering a Korean corporation in which I would invest 100 million won from savings held overseas and own 60% of the voting shares. A Korean partner would own the rest. Is D-8-1 the appropriate route to investigate for my role? What should I confirm about the funds, premises, and application location before making commitments?”
Those figures illustrate information to provide. They describe no approved arrangement or predicted result.
The software founders could ask: “We plan to build a product that helps retailers manage stock. One founder would develop the software and the other would handle sales. We are outside Korea, have not incorporated, and are considering equal ownership. What should each person check about D-8-4 and the Special Visa recommendation process? Which evidence of our roles, technical work, and business plan would help?”
For an actual inquiry, identify facts already established and decisions still open. Include nationality, location, current status, duties, business form, owners, and funding. Technology founders should add qualifications, rights in their work, and relevant program evidence.
Immigration Contact Center 1345 can help identify the relevant office and procedure. The HiKorea manual notice directs applicants to current guidance because published manuals can lag changes. OASIS information is also listed through HiKorea's startup-support page; current activities should be confirmed with the designated provider.
Our guide to business help for foreign founders explains which services address which questions. A useful first conversation should leave each founder with a route to investigate, the evidence to prepare, and a clear understanding of what must happen before work can begin.
Sources and scope
Official sources checked October 14, 2026. The Visa Portal supplies category names; KOTRA and government startup guidance explain route distinctions; the ministries and program providers explain their respective processes. Immigration Act Article 18 addresses work permission, alongside the change-of-status and extension provisions linked above.
This is general information. The examples are fictional, and the program descriptions do not determine individual eligibility. Confirm the current conditions, documents, and application route with immigration and the relevant recommendation or support program before committing funds.
Cover illustration created with AI for PIN Insights.
