"If I prepare the investment, will the D-9 visa be issued?" The thresholds are KRW 300M or more for D-9-4 and KRW 100M or more for D-9-5 (as of 2026). Preparing the amount is an application requirement; the review examines how the funds were formed, by what path they entered Korea, and how they were actually spent on the business. Funds lacking this structure may not be recognized as investment regardless of their size.
The three requirements of investment recognition
Recognition of investment requires three things. 1) Remittance in your own name — the funds must move from your own account in your home country to an account in your own name in Korea; funds sent from third-party accounts, funds borrowed within Korea, and funds routed through virtual assets or remittance and payment apps are not recognized. 2) Clarity of purpose — the declared purpose of the remittance must be investment; funds brought in as living expenses or tuition and later converted to business use create problems of recognition. 3) Lawful source — the formation of the funds must be documentable, whether as employment income, business income, inheritance or gift, or proceeds of an asset sale.
What carries weight in the review is not the absolute size but the clarity of source and path. Where family remitted the funds on your behalf, it must additionally be proven that the funds belong to you in substance.
The D-9-5 domestic-funds allowance
For D-9-5, up to KRW 50M of the KRW 100M investment may be funds formed within Korea, with the remainder being foreign capital remitted from the home country (as of 2026). Funds accumulated in a Korean account during study (D-2) or job seeker (D-10) stay — part-time work, assistantships, scholarships — are the typical case of domestic funds.
This allowance is designed so that a person who completed their studies in Korea can start a business here without depending entirely on remittances from home. It should be noted, however, that domestic funds equally require documentary proof of lawful formation.
Expenditure of the investment and the extension review
Keeping the remitted funds in an account is not recognized as investment; evidence that they were actually put into the business is required.
| Recognized | Not recognized |
|---|---|
| Franchise fees · lease deposits | Personal living costs (housing, food, phone) |
| Interior construction · fixtures and equipment | Asset purchases unrelated to the business |
| Initial inventory | Loans to yourself or family |
| Consulting and advisory fees · operating funds | Payments to counterparties of unclear substance |
The initial period of stay under D-9-4 and D-9-5 is in most cases one year, after which an extension is required. The extension review confirms that the business is actually operating — revenue shown in tax filings, maintenance of the premises, employment — so a business that met the investment requirement only formally, without real operations, will find extension difficult. In business immigration, continued operation of the business is the condition of continued stay.
Change of status and accompanying family
A person already staying in Korea — under study (D-2), job seeker (D-10), designated activities (E-7) or dependent (F-3) status, for example — can apply for a change of status within Korea and move to the D-9 group without going through an overseas mission. For D-9-5 applicants with Korean degrees and residence history verifiable domestically, this is the standard path.
A D-9-4 or D-9-5 holder may invite their spouse and minor children under dependent (F-3) status. The family's period of stay is linked to the principal's; when the principal's stay ends, the family's ends with it. Please note that F-3 status restricts employment in principle, so a spouse who wishes to work needs a separate change of status. Inviting parents is difficult on D-9 status alone and is examined under separate statuses.
When the funding path is not straightforward
Suppose, for example, KRW 100M assembled from two sources: funds your parents remitted to Korea directly, without passing through your own account, and savings you accumulated in Korea during your studies. Whether this will be recognized cannot be judged on general criteria alone: the name-and-path requirements, the ceiling of the domestic-funds allowance, and the provability of the gift all bear on it at once.
In such matters, 1) the formation and movement of each portion of the funds, 2) the provability of the gift relationship, 3) the share of domestically formed funds, and 4) the connection to the expenditure plan are examined together, and the conclusion can differ with the construction, so case-by-case review is required.
The order of preparation
Taking the above together, before moving any funds it is advisable first to organize the source documentation and the remittance path; to set the expenditure plan and then move and spend the funds according to it; and after opening, to keep organizing revenue and tax records in preparation for the extension review.
Frequently asked questions
The Visa & Immigration Center of Law Firm Lawyeon provides legal services specialized in the integrated handling of Korean immigration and visa matters together with criminal cases and immigration-violation reviews, built on extensive case experience, professional networks, and practical knowledge.
The Center was founded through the organic collaboration of attorneys Junwoo Min, Dohyun Nam, and Seungchul Kim — criminal-law specialists who have advised across a wide range of immigration matters — with Senior Advisor Taemin Ahn, who has served at the Seoul Global Center, as a center head at the Ministry of Justice's Global Start-up Immigration Center, and as a member of the Foreign Workers' Rights Protection Council of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration. It is Law Firm Lawyeon's dedicated center for immigration practice.
In particular, for departure orders and entry-ban dispositions that follow a final criminal conviction, the Center presents effective solutions through an integrated strategy spanning criminal defense, objections to the disposition, and applications to lift the entry ban, and it supports stable business activity in Korea by managing many clients' immigration risk.
This article is intended as general information about the relevant legal framework and is not legal advice on any individual matter. Determinations concerning immigration status may differ depending on specific facts such as residence history, income and contractual relationships. If your situation requires individual review, you may request a consultation with the Immigration Support Center of Law Firm Lawyeon (lawyeonvisa.app).