Digital nomad visas explained: requirements, tax residency and Korea's F-1-D
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A digital nomad visa lets you live in a country for a period while working remotely for an employer or clients based elsewhere. Dozens of countries now offer one. They solve a real problem, because working on a tourist visa is often not permitted, but they also come with conditions and tax consequences that are easy to overlook. This is an overview of how they generally work; requirements change, so always check the official government source before you apply.
What a digital nomad visa is
Most are a residence permit for remote workers, typically valid for somewhere between several months and a few years, sometimes renewable. Common features:
- Your income must come from outside the country. You usually may not take a local job or work for local clients.
- They are often not a route to permanent residence.
- Many allow a spouse and children to come with you, sometimes with a higher income requirement.
Typical requirements
The details vary widely, but applications usually ask for:
- Proof of remote work: an employment contract with a foreign company, or proof that you own a business or freelance for foreign clients.
- Minimum income: often set as a multiple of an average wage or national income figure. Figures change from year to year.
- Health insurance that covers you in the country, sometimes with a minimum level of cover.
- A criminal record check from your home country, often with an apostille or legalisation.
- A valid passport, photos, application forms and a fee.
- Sometimes proof of accommodation or of savings.
Applications are usually made at an embassy or consulate, or online, and processing times range from days to many weeks.
Korea's workation visa (F-1-D)
South Korea's digital nomad visa, known as the workation visa (F-1-D), was piloted from January 2024. According to a Ministry of Justice press release of 7 July 2026, it has been run as a formal programme since 30 June 2026, with changes:
- It is aimed at people who have worked for a foreign company, or owned one, for more than a year and can work remotely. Working for Korean employers is not allowed.
- During the pilot, the income requirement was a flat twice Korea's per capita gross national income (GNI). Under the new rules it ranges from one to two times per capita GNI, with lower requirements for younger applicants and those living outside the Seoul metropolitan area or in areas with declining population.
- The maximum stay rises to three years, up from two during the pilot, with stays granted and extended a year at a time.
- Private health insurance and a criminal record check have been part of the requirements.
The ministry reported that 743 visas were issued between January 2024 and May 2026. Exact income amounts depend on the latest GNI figure, and documents, fees and processing differ by consulate, so check the Korean Ministry of Justice, the Hi Korea site or the Korean embassy or consulate where you will apply.
Tax residency: the part people get wrong
A visa decides whether you may stay; it does not decide where you pay tax.
- Many countries treat you as tax resident if you stay for around half the year or more, but the rules differ, and some look at where your home or family is rather than days alone.
- Some nomad visas come with tax exemptions for foreign income; many do not.
- Your home country may still tax you, and some tax citizens wherever they live.
- Tax treaties can prevent paying twice, but only if you claim their protection correctly.
- Working abroad can also affect your employer: their tax registration, social security contributions and employment law obligations.
Before you go, talk to your employer about whether they allow work from abroad, and speak to a tax adviser who knows both countries.
Before you choose a country
- Check your employer or contracts permit it.
- Compare time zones with your team.
- Check internet quality, healthcare and the cost of living where you will actually stay.
- Read the official visa page, not just blog summaries, which go out of date quickly.
Have you applied for a digital nomad visa, in Korea or elsewhere? Share your experience or ask your questions in the comments.