How to Start a Business in Korea as a Foreigner — D-9-4, D-9-5 & the Sole Proprietor Visa Guide (2026)

For foreign nationals looking to do business in Korea, the first visa category they usually encounter is the D-8 visa. Overseas immigration consultancies, the Korean government's English-language materials, and most press coverage all introduce D-8 as Korea's "business visa." As a result, many applicants assume that a D-8 is required to start any business in Korea.

In practice, however, D-8 is designed for foreign nationals who establish a corporation or invest in an existing one. Its subcategories make this clear: D-8-1 for essential specialists (such as executives) of a foreign-invested corporation, D-8-2 for founders of venture companies, D-8-3 for joint venture partners with a Korean national, and D-8-4 for technology-based startup founders. All of them presuppose a corporation or investment-backed enterprise. The applicant sets up or joins a corporate entity and resides in Korea as its representative or officer.

But most people considering Business Immigration are not planning a corporate-level venture or a tech startup. They are planning sole-proprietor small businesses: convenience stores, cafés, unmanned retail shops, Korean restaurants, hair salons, laundromats. For this kind of relocation, D-8 is not the right visa — a different category applies.

Korea maintains a separate visa track for foreign sole proprietors: D-9-4 and D-9-5.

D-9-4 does not involve setting up a corporation. The applicant registers a business under their own name as a sole proprietor. Nationality is unrestricted, and the range of eligible industries is extremely broad.

D-9-5 is a special-track visa for former international students who graduated from a Korean university. It allows those who completed their studies in Korea to continue in Korea as entrepreneurs rather than return home, with a substantially lower investment threshold.

Lawyeon Visa & Immigration Center specializes in D-9-4 and D-9-5 — the sole-proprietor Business Immigration track for foreign nationals. We integrate the regulatory, contractual, and operational aspects of Korean sole-proprietor immigration into a single project, and this is our dedicated practice area.

The minimum investment thresholds are straightforward: 300 million KRW or more for D-9-4 and 100 million KRW or more for D-9-5. The numbers themselves are simple. What actually matters in review, however, is not the size of the funds but how those funds reached Korea.

For D-9-5, up to 50 million KRW of the 100 million KRW investment may consist of funds raised domestically in Korea. The remaining 50 million KRW must still be foreign capital remitted from abroad.

Funds that typically qualify as domestically raised include savings accumulated during the applicant's studies in Korea — part-time work, teaching assistantships, scholarships, or family remittances that the applicant held in a Korean account while residing on a D-2 (Student) or D-10 (Job-seeking) status. Even in this case, the applicant must still document how the funds were lawfully accumulated.

Simply holding the remitted funds in a personal account in Korea does not qualify them as investment capital. There must be documented evidence that the funds were actually deployed into the business.

This is why our project design begins with a budget allocation plan. Rather than first remitting 300 million KRW or 100 million KRW and then deciding where to spend it, the deployment plan should be designed before relocation, and funds should be moved in accordance with that plan so that investment capital is fully recognized at visa review.

Everything above assumes a relocation from abroad. But there are also foreign nationals already residing in Korea. Typical cases include those on F-3 (Accompanying Family) as the dependent of a Korean spouse's family, those on E-7 (Specially-designated Activities) employed by a Korean company, and those on D-2 (Student) or D-10 (Job-seeking).

Those already in Korea can continue on a business visa through a change of status of stay, without having to return to the home country. Rather than obtaining a new D-9 visa via a Korean diplomatic mission abroad, the application is filed directly with the Immigration Office inside Korea. The home-country documentation burden is significantly lighter, and the entire procedure can be completed in Korea without a break in residency.

For former international students who meet the D-9-5 requirements, this is the default path. Since both the Korean degree and the residency record are verifiable domestically, an in-country status change is the natural route. Those currently in Korea on employment or accompanying-family status who wish to transition into business can likewise pursue an in-country status change, provided they meet the requirements.

For both D-9-4 and D-9-5, the initial period of stay is typically one year. Continuing to reside in Korea beyond that year requires a period-of-stay extension.

What is evaluated at extension review is whether the business is actually operating. Specifically, revenue performance, tax filing history, maintenance of the business premises, employment status, and continuity of the commercial lease are all examined. Applicants who only formally satisfied the investment threshold at visa issuance but have no actual business activity will find extension difficult.

A D-9-4 or D-9-5 holder may invite their spouse and minor children to Korea. The status granted to family members is F-3 (Accompanying Family).

The invitation procedure works as follows: the principal applicant first obtains a Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance (CCVI, 사증발급인정서) from the Immigration Office in Korea; family members abroad then use this certificate to apply for an F-3 visa at the competent Korean diplomatic mission. The F-3 period of stay is tied to the principal holder's (D-9 holder's) period of stay. When the principal holder receives an extension, the family's F-3 can be extended together; conversely, if the principal holder's stay ends, the family's F-3 ends as well.

A key point to note about F-3: employment is restricted as a general rule. If a spouse wishes to pursue separate employment in Korea, a change from F-3 to a work-eligible status must be considered separately. For school-age children, enrollment in Korean public or private schools is available, and special admissions tracks for foreign students are offered for university admission.

Inviting parents is not feasible on the D-9 holder's status alone; it must be examined separately through a different status (for example, F-1 Visitor/Cohabitant). The scope of family members to be invited and the status design for each is something we review together during the pre-consultation stage.

This concludes the overview of Korea's Business Immigration visa system — why D-9-4 and D-9-5, not D-8, are the right categories for foreign sole-proprietor entrepreneurs, and how the system works in practice: investment recognition, status change for those already residing in Korea, period-of-stay extension, and accompanying-family invitation.

The next three episodes turn from the visa to the actual project.

Lawyeon Visa & Immigration Center brings together experienced attorneys from Law Firm Lawyeon, interpreter-coordinators, and startup immigration specialists to support foreign sole-proprietor Business Immigration via D-9-4 and D-9-5. Initial consultations are free of charge, and applicants can submit inquiries directly from their home country through our consultation thread.