Business Investment (Corporate Investment) Visa

Who can apply

• ✓Foreign nationals who invest in or run a business in Korea.
• ✓It has four sub-codes: D-8-1 (essential specialized staff of a foreign-invested Korean corporation, minimum foreign investment of 100 million KRW under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act); D-8-2 (founder/representative of a certified venture business built on superior technology or intellectual property); D-8-3 (a foreigner who invests at least 100 million KRW into a sole proprietorship run by a Korean national and co-manages it); and D-8-4 (technology startup founder who holds a degree plus intellectual property or equivalent technical ability and passes a points test).
• ✓D-8-4 is the main startup path for international students, usually reached after the D-10-2 startup preparation visa.

Documents you'll need

• Passport
• application form with photo
• business registration certificate (사업자등록증) and corporate registration (법인등기부등본)
• for D-8-1/D-8-3, proof of foreign investment (foreign investment report and remittance/exchange certificate showing at least 100 million KRW brought in from overseas)
• for D-8-2, venture business confirmation (벤처기업 확인서)
• for D-8-4, degree certificate, proof of intellectual property (patent/utility model/design registration or a patent-application certificate from the Korean Intellectual Property Office), and OASIS points-supporting documents (course completion certificates from the designated Global Startup Immigration Center)
• documents proving the exact required set vary by sub-code and office (unverified for a full list)

How to apply

• Overseas embassy visa(사증) or domestic change-of-status.
• The D-8-4 startup path is commonly reached by change of status from D-10-2 within Korea after establishing a corporation.
• For D-8-1 and D-8-3 the investment money must generally be brought in from overseas and shown through a designated foreign-exchange bank; the source of funds must be lawful and documented.
• D-8-4 is not a fixed cash-threshold visa but a points-based one: you must set up a Korean corporation and score the required minimum on the technology-startup points table.
• Foreign residents staying 91+ days must complete foreigner (alien) registration at the immigration office within 90 days of entry.

Working on this visa

Yes, within the scope of the invested business or the founder’s own startup company. Holders manage/operate their own invested enterprise; working outside that business generally requires separate permission.

2025–2026 policy updates

• The technology-startup (D-8-4) points system and the OASIS (Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System) program continue to run in 2025, with 2025 OASIS participant recruitment for prospective D-8-4 founders.
• The current official HiKorea page states a passing threshold of 60 points out of 300 total (180 mandatory-category points + 120 optional-category points), with at least one mandatory item met.
• Older 2023-era write-ups cite an 80-out-of-368 threshold, indicating the points table has been revised; applicants must confirm the current figures on HiKorea.
• No confirmed change to the 100 million KRW minimum investment for D-8-1/D-8-3 was found for 2025-2026.
• No single official notice with a specific effective date for a 2025-2026 D-8 amendment was located in this research.
• (Re-verify effective dates on hikorea.go.kr / immigration.go.kr before relying on them.)

Common mistakes

• Assuming D-8-4 requires a fixed 100 million KRW cash investment — it is points-based, and investment is only one of several scoring options (though 300M KRW investment is required later for the F-5 route).
• Trying to jump straight to D-8-4 without first building the business and OASIS points on D-10-2.
• Bringing investment funds domestically instead of remitting from overseas for D-8-1/D-8-3.
• Applying with a degree that is only pending (the degree must already be obtained).
• Confusing D-8 (investment/startup) with D-9 (trade management).

Where this leads

Official source ↗  Official manual ↗