"What visa does a foreigner need to run their own business in Korea?" Establishing or investing in a corporation falls under the corporate investment (D-8) group, while immigrating to run a sole-proprietor business — a convenience store, café or restaurant — falls under the trade management (D-9) group, specifically D-9-4 or D-9-5. The two differ in investment requirements and who they cover, so the first step is to confirm which subcategory fits your education and residence history.
Distinguishing D-8 and D-9
The visa most often presented abroad as Korea's business visa is D-8. But D-8 presupposes a corporation or an investment enterprise: D-8-1 covers essential professionals of foreign-invested corporations, D-8-2 venture-company representatives, D-8-3 joint businesses with Korean nationals, and D-8-4 technology start-up founders — all corporate structures.
Most people considering business immigration actually plan a sole-proprietor business: a convenience store, café, unmanned store or restaurant. Korea maintains separate statuses for this form — D-9-4 and D-9-5. The structure is business registration in the foreign national's own name without establishing a corporation, with no nationality restriction and almost no restriction on industry.
Requirements of D-9-4 and D-9-5
| Subcategory | Who it covers | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| D-9-4 | A foreign national who registers as a sole proprietor with funds remitted from their home country and operates the business in person | KRW 300M or more |
| D-9-5 | A graduate of a Korean university — master's degree or higher, or bachelor's degree with an OASIS score of 40 or more | KRW 100M or more |
D-9-5 is a preferential path with a lowered investment threshold, designed so that foreign nationals who completed their studies in Korea can continue into business here rather than returning home. It should be noted, however, that meeting the investment threshold is an application requirement and does not itself guarantee approval; how the funds' formation and movement are reviewed is covered in Part 2.
Meanwhile, Korea's small-business support programs (policy loans, guarantee-backed lending and the like) apply equally regardless of nationality once the small-business criteria are met, so public resources exist that a settled sole proprietor can access.
Franchise businesses and the disclosure document
Designing an independent business from scratch while still abroad — grasping Korean trade areas and licensing structures from a distance — is difficult in practice. Franchise businesses, whose operating manuals and supply chains are standardized at headquarters level, are therefore frequently considered as the business-immigration path. The language burden varies by industry: convenience stores with standardized operations, kiosk-centred unmanned businesses, and customer-facing food service each sit at different points.
What matters institutionally in franchise review is the disclosure document under the Fair Franchise Transactions Act. Headquarters must provide it to prospective franchisees at least 14 days before contract signing, and it contains itemized costs, the headquarters' financial condition, average franchise revenues, opening and closure rates, and the number of dispute-mediation cases. Because the law uses this document to correct the information asymmetry between franchisee and headquarters, it is appropriate to base the choice of headquarters on this public filing rather than on promotional materials.
Choosing between corporate and sole-proprietor paths
Suppose, for example, an international student who has completed a master's degree in Korea and is planning a small business, needing to decide between technology start-up status (D-8-4) and D-9-5. General criteria alone cannot settle the question: the two statuses are designed differently in business form (corporate versus individual), investment and eligibility requirements, and the stay path that follows.
Such a judgment weighs together 1) the form and scale of the planned business, 2) degree and residence history, 3) the size and formation of the available funds, and 4) long-term stay and settlement plans. The suitable subcategory can differ with the combination, so case-by-case review is required.
The order of review
Taking the above together, it is advisable first to decide whether the planned business is corporate or sole-proprietor in form; if the latter, to confirm which of D-9-4 and D-9-5 applies given your education and residence history; and then to examine candidate industries and headquarters on the basis of the disclosure document.
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).