Questions by situation
Each answer starts with the conclusion, then who it applies to, the documents and the timing. Jump here from “Choose your situation” above.
Can I get a Korea D-8-3 visa if I invest in a business run by a Korean and become co-representative?
Yes. D-8-3 is the sub-code for essential professionals in management or production/technology at a foreign-invested business run by a Korean national (individual): you must invest KRW 100 million or more, hold at least 10% of the business's total contributions and be listed with the Korean owner as co-representative on the business registration certificate. The Korean co-owner's business funds must also be KRW 100 million or more, and people hired in Korea are excluded. The maximum stay per grant is 5 years, and the actual period is set at review.
If I register a sole proprietorship in Korea by myself and invest in it, will I get a D-8-3 visa?
No. For Corporate Investment (D-8), a foreign-invested company must be either a Korean corporation or a business run by a Korean national, so a sole proprietorship registered by a foreigner alone is not a D-8-3 investment target. There has been a case where a refusal of a D-8 change for a foreigner's own sole proprietorship was upheld by the courts. If you want to run the business alone, first consider other routes such as setting up a Korean corporation under Corporate Investment (D-8-1).
How must co-representatives appear on the business registration for D-8-3, and is the original agreement required?
The business registration certificate must show the foreign investor and the Korean as joint business owners, and you submit a copy of that certificate together with the original joint business agreement. Add a copy of the foreign-invested company registration certificate to show the business is registered as a foreign-invested company. If you are posted by an overseas head office, also prepare a dispatch order stating the dispatch period and a certificate of employment.
What documents does the Korean co-representative need to prepare for a D-8-3 application?
The Korean co-owner prepares evidence of business funds (and their use) showing their own funds of KRW 100 million or more. This is a basic document for the visa at a mission, the Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance, change of status and extension alike, so it helps to keep a record of how the funds are used from the start. The original joint business agreement and the business registration certificate showing joint owners are also prepared together with the Korean partner.
I'm outside Korea — do I apply for a D-8-3 visa at the embassy or through a visa issuance certificate?
There are two routes. When applying directly at a Korean mission, you file in principle at the mission in your home country, and long-term residents who run a business while living abroad may file in their country of residence. A Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance is filed at the competent immigration office in Korea, and a single-entry visa with a stay of 1 year or less is issued considering the investment amount and business type. If you entered on a D-8 visa issued directly by a mission, you must submit documents based on the change-of-status list at alien registration, so prepare them in advance.
What proof do I need when sending my D-8-3 investment from overseas, and can I contribute in kind?
For a cash contribution, submit investment-fund inflow records such as a remittance confirmation, a certificate of foreign currency purchase or a customs declaration, and where applicable a foreign currency export permit (report) from your home customs or bank. For an in-kind contribution, prove it with a copy of the in-kind contribution completion confirmation issued by the Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service and a copy of the customs import declaration certificate. Funds should in principle be in the investor's own name; transfers in the name of a spouse or minor child are accepted as exceptions, and for investments of KRW 300 million or more, parents' and parents-in-law's names may also be accepted.
If my D-8-3 investment is under KRW 300 million, do the documents and review change?
Yes. Applicants investing under KRW 300 million also submit capital-use evidence (receipts for goods, office interior costs, Korean bank account statements, etc.) and, if required, documents from their home country showing business experience in the field. Small investors under KRW 300 million without business experience are subject to in-depth review. These extra documents apply to the visa, change of status and extension alike.
How do I show at the D-8-3 review that my business premises actually exist?
Business premises are proven with an office lease and photos of the exterior, workspace and signboard. For change of status and extension they are basic documents regardless of the investment amount, while for a visa applied for abroad they are additional documents for applicants investing under KRW 300 million. Proof of business performance (such as import/export records) is also submitted, so keep collecting actual sales records.
I'm in Korea on another visa and invested in a Korean's business — can I switch to D-8-3 without leaving?
If your current status may be changed to D-8, apply for a change of status of stay at the competent immigration office. Statuses not eligible for change in principle require leaving Korea and getting a visa, but if the investment is genuine — for example KRW 300 million or more or a substantial investment record — a change may be allowed after in-depth review, and small investors under KRW 300 million are advised where possible to leave and obtain a visa. Nationals of Ireland, France and the UK who entered on D-3, E-9, E-10, H-2, G-1 or H-1 cannot change. Change documents add proof of business performance, residence and business premises to the co-representative, Korean business-fund and investment-fund documents.
Besides the co-representative documents, what else is needed to extend a D-8-3 visa?
In addition to the business registration certificate showing joint owners, the original joint business agreement, the Korean co-owner's fund evidence and investment-fund documents, you submit your own personal tax payment certificate or VAT tax base confirmation documents and proof of business performance (such as import/export records). Proof of business premises and proof of residence (lease, accommodation confirmation, utility receipts, etc.) are also included. The review also checks whether the foreign-invested company registration has been cancelled, so keep the registration in good standing.
Is the shareholding requirement different if I invest in a designated R&D facility under D-8-3?
Yes. Under the visa issuance certificate standard, for an R&D facility designated by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy the total-contribution requirement is 30/100 or more instead of 10%. The facility must also have at least 5 dedicated researchers holding a bachelor's degree with 3 or more years of research experience or a master's degree or higher. You additionally submit the R&D facility designation and a staff list (name, position, education, research career, field, etc.).
If the business I invested in under D-8-3 changes or is renamed, do I need a new permit?
Corporate Investment (D-8) is not subject to workplace change or addition permits, so a change of the affiliated organisation or its name is handled by a report of change in alien registration details. However, the new business must also meet the D-8-3 requirements — investment of KRW 100 million or more in a business run by a Korean, 10% or more of total contributions and co-representative listing — so check the requirements and documents before reporting.
Can I apply for Korean permanent residency (F-5) after running a business on D-8-3 for years? Is there a sales threshold?
General permanent residency (F-5-1) is for adults who have stayed in Korea continuously for 5 years or more on statuses such as D-7 to E-7, and if the applicant holds Corporate Investment (D-8), average annual sales over the 2 years before the year of application must be KRW 1 billion or more. You must still be carrying on the economic activity of that status on the application date, and the other permanent residency requirements are reviewed as well. Keeping VAT filings and sales records in order every year is where preparation starts.
Key terms
- Investment in an Individual Business (D-8-3, 개인기업에 투자)
- The Corporate Investment (D-8) sub-code for foreign essential professionals who invest in a foreign-invested business run by a Korean individual and work there as co-representative.
- Co-representative listing (공동대표 등재)
- The state of a foreign investor and a Korean both appearing as joint business owners on the business registration certificate; a mandatory D-8-3 requirement.
- Total contributions (출자총액)
- The whole amount contributed to the business; a D-8-3 investor must hold 10% or more of it (30/100 or more for designated R&D facilities).
- Joint business agreement (공동사업자약정서)
- The document setting out the joint business relationship between the foreign investor and the Korean co-owner; the original is submitted at application and extension.
- Korean co-owner's fund evidence (국민 사업자금 입증서류)
- Documents showing that the Korean co-owner's business funds are KRW 100 million or more and how they were used.
- Capital-use evidence (자본금 사용내역 입증서류)
- Receipts for goods, office interior costs, Korean bank statements and similar records showing the investment was spent on the business; required when the investment is under KRW 300 million.
- In-depth review (정밀심사)
- A closer review of whether the investment is genuine, applied to small investors under KRW 300 million without business experience, among others.
- R&D facility (연구개발시설)
- A research facility designated by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; D-8-3 investment in one requires 30/100 or more of contributions and at least 5 dedicated researchers.
About our office
- Office
- Vision Administrative Office (비전행정사사무소 · VISAS KOREA)
- Principal
- Alex Lee (이원중), licensed administrative agent (행정사)
- Licence
- Administrative agent (행정사) — preparing immigration and residence filings and submitting them on the client’s behalf with written authorization (위임장)
- Scope
- Korean visas (visa issuance certificate, change of status, extension), permanent residency (F-5), foreign-invested company, branch and liaison office setup, immigration violation review and entry-ban response
- Languages
- Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
- Address
- 3F Sungwoo Bldg, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04614, Korea
- Hours
- Weekdays 09:30–17:30 (KST)
Who hires us for this
- Foreigners investing as co-representative in a Korean partner's sole proprietorship
- Investors who want to run premises together with a Korean without setting up a corporation
- Applicants starting with under KRW 300 million who need capital-use and other extra documents
- Foreigners already in Korea on another status who want to change to D-8-3
- Existing D-8-3 investors who must organise tax, sales and premises documents for extension
Back to top ↑
