South Korea
Workation Visa (F-1-D): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes, with a specific, confirmed figure. South Korea's Workation visa (F-1-D, launched 2024) requires private medical insurance covering more than ₩100 million (about US$75,000), including medical treatment, hospitalisation and emergency repatriation, for the whole stay. It is for remote workers aged 18+ with at least a year of experience in their field, earning more than twice Korea's prior-year GNI per capita (around ₩85 million/year). One year, extendable to two.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | ₩100,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Repatriation required | Yes |
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Private/personal medical insurance covering more than ₩100 million (about US$75,000) for the period of stay, covering medical treatment and hospitalisation AND emergency repatriation/evacuation to the home country. An international policy meeting these terms is accepted. |
Age 18+, at least one year of experience in the same field, working remotely for an overseas employer or running an overseas business (no Korean-source income). Income must exceed twice Korea's prior-year GNI per capita as announced by the Bank of Korea, after tax (around ₩85 million/year, ~US$66,000; the figure adjusts annually, so confirm with the consulate). One year, extendable by one (two years max). Apply at a Korean embassy or consulate; spouse and children under 18 may accompany.
Who qualifies for the South Korea nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- ≈ $5,320/mo (2× GNI per capita)
- Length of permit
- 12 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Business owner
Freelancers are not eligible. The bar is recalculated yearly against GNI per capita.
Tax
Profit-making activity inside Korea is prohibited.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
South Korea's Workation visa (F-1-D) requires private medical insurance covering more than ₩100 million (about US$75,000), including emergency repatriation, plus income above twice Korea's prior-year GNI per capita (around ₩85 million/year); it runs one year, extendable to two.
Our take
Korea is unusually precise: the ₩100 million floor and the explicit repatriation requirement mean a thin or repatriation-less policy is rejected.
Buy a plan that clearly states cover above ₩100 million including emergency repatriation, and keep the certificate, since the consulate checks the wording.
What happens if you get it wrong
Cover below ₩100 million, or a policy that omits emergency repatriation, does not meet the rule.
Quoting an old income figure can trip you up, since the threshold (2× prior-year GNI per capita) is recalculated annually.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in South Korea without insurance?
A fever you assume is flu until the platelet count comes back. Common across the places nomads spend winters.
| The first doctor visit, before anyone worries | $25–$60 |
| Back again, this time to emergency | $75–$500 |
| Four nights on fluids and monitoring | not verified here |
| At least | $100–$560 |
One step in this bill has no verified price for South Korea yet, so the real total sits above this one. We would rather leave the line blank than guess at it.
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in South Korea runs $5,000 to $10,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Private medical insurance covering more than ₩100 million (about US$75,000) for the stay, including treatment, hospitalisation and emergency repatriation. It is a specific, confirmed requirement.
More than twice Korea's prior-year GNI per capita (around ₩85 million a year, roughly US$66,000). It adjusts annually, so confirm the current figure with the consulate.
Remote workers aged 18+ with at least a year of experience in their field, working for an overseas employer or their own overseas business. No Korean-source income.
One year, extendable by one more (two years maximum).
Yes. The rule explicitly requires cover for emergency repatriation/evacuation to your home country, not just treatment in Korea.
How to apply
- Processing time
- About 3 to 4 weeks per consulate guidance; no expedited service.
- Government fee
- Varies by nationality on a reciprocity basis, for example US$45 for US citizens.
- Where to apply
- A Korean embassy or consulate, in person by appointment or by mail.
- 1
Confirm eligibility: aged 18 or over, employed by or owning a foreign company for more than a year, able to work remotely, meeting the income threshold (more than twice Korea's prior-year GNI per capita, about US$65,800 a year), and holding private health insurance covering at least EUR 70,000 for treatment and repatriation.
- 2
Gather documents: application form, passport, photo, an apostilled criminal background check, an employment verification letter, income proof, and insurance proof.
- 3
Book an appointment and apply in person, or by mail, at your Korean embassy or consulate.
- 4
Pay the visa fee (for example US$45 for US citizens; it varies by nationality) and wait about three to four weeks.
- 5
Receive the F-1-D visa (valid one year, multiple entry), then enter Korea. It can be extended, up to a maximum total stay of three years.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
South Korea publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least ₩100,000,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation of remains has to be covered explicitly. It is a line item, and either your certificate names it or it does not, and plenty of otherwise strong policies leave it out. Ask your insurer to state it.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
Three minutes of honest questions, then we'll match you to insurance that meets South Korea'srequirements and actually works where you're going.
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