I still remember the exact moment a client of mine — a software developer from Toronto — realized she’d been researching the wrong Korea Investor Visa track for three weeks straight. She’d assumed she needed to save up KRW 100 million before she could even think about starting a company in Korea. She hadn’t. What she needed was a filed patent application and a Bachelor’s degree, both of which she already had. That one conversation saved her months.
Korea’s investor visa system isn’t a single visa — it’s a family of four related tracks, and each one is built for a different kind of founder: the well-capitalized investor, the certified venture executive, the bootstrapped tech founder, and the founder who isn’t quite ready to incorporate yet. Picking the wrong track costs you months of wasted paperwork. This guide walks through all four so you can identify yours before you file anything.
Table of Contents
- The Four Investor Visa Tracks at a Glance
- D-8-1: The Classic Corporate Investment Track
- D-8-2: The Venture and Technology-Transfer Track
- D-8-4 (OASIS): The Startup Track Without Big Capital
- D-10-2: Your Runway Before You Incorporate
- Which Track Fits You? Decision Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Four Korea Investor Visa Tracks at a Glance
All four tracks sit under Korea’s D-8 (or D-8-adjacent) investor visa family, governed by the Foreign Investment Promotion Act (FIPA) — the law that sets the rules for how foreign capital and foreign-run businesses get registered in Korea. Before diving into each one, here’s the comparison I sketch out on a whiteboard for nearly every client during their first consultation.
| Track | Who it’s for | Capital requirement | Core evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-8-1 | Investors funding a corporation | KRW 100 million minimum | Investment size, ownership stake |
| D-8-2 | Executives of certified venture/tech-transfer firms | Varies by certification type | Venture certification status |
| D-8-4 (OASIS) | Tech founders with IP or credentials | None — capital-agnostic | OASIS points + mandatory item |
| D-10-2 | Founders still preparing to incorporate | None | Preparation activities only, no business operation yet |
Business Consultant’s Note: In my years advising founders through this decision, I’ve noticed the track people default to is almost always D-8-1 — simply because it’s the one they hear about first. But in practice, I’d say close to half of the founders I meet are actually better suited to D-8-4 once we look at what they actually have: a patent, a degree, and a real business idea, but not KRW 100 million sitting in an account.
D-8-1: The Classic Corporate Investment Track
This is the track most people picture when they hear “Korea Investor Visa.” You invest a minimum of KRW 100 million into a Korean corporation and take on an active management role — typically holding at least 10% of voting shares. The funds have to originate from outside Korea, and you’ll need documentation such as a Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate or bank confirmation of the overseas remittance.
D-8-1 works well for founders or investors who already have capital ready to deploy and want a straightforward path without a points system to navigate. The tradeoff is that immigration scrutiny on the source and legitimacy of funds has tightened in recent years — a virtual office with no real workspace, for instance, is a common reason applications get flagged during site inspections.
We’ve covered the full D-8-1 process, including the incorporation sequence and common filing mistakes, in our dedicated D-8-1 guide.
D-8-2: The Venture and Technology-Transfer Track
D-8-2 is narrower and less commonly used than D-8-1 or D-8-4. It’s designed for executives of certified venture firms or for founders entering Korea through a technology-transfer arrangement — meaning the visa is tied to a formal venture certification rather than a straightforward capital deposit.
Because certification requirements and country-specific restrictions can shift, this is a track where I always tell clients: don’t assume — verify your exact eligibility with HiKorea or a licensed immigration consultant before building a business plan around it. Some nationalities face additional restrictions under this specific subcategory, so this isn’t a track to self-diagnose from a blog post alone.
D-8-4 (OASIS): The Startup Track Without Big Capital
This is the track that surprises the most people — and the one we get the most questions about. D-8-4 doesn’t ask how much money you’re bringing in. Instead, it evaluates you through the OASIS points system, weighing your education, intellectual property, business plan quality, and completed OASIS training. You’ll also need at least one “mandatory item” — most commonly a filed patent, utility model, or design application. Here’s the detail that changes everyone’s timeline calculation: a filed patent application is generally enough. You don’t need a granted patent to qualify.
D-8-4 also requires establishing a brand-new Korean corporation — acquiring an existing company doesn’t count.
Business Consultant’s Note: I worked with a hardware founder from Singapore who assumed his lack of savings ruled him out entirely. Once we filed his utility model application and confirmed the filing through KIPRIS, Korea’s patent database, he had his D-8-4 in hand months before the patent was even granted. Capital wasn’t the obstacle — the sequence of filings was.
We go much deeper into the OASIS scoring system, the mandatory item requirement, and the full incorporation sequence in our D-8-4 OASIS visa guide.
D-10-2: Your Runway Before You Incorporate
Not every founder is ready to incorporate on day one. D-10-2 is a preparation-stage visa — a subcategory of the broader D-10 job-seeker visa — built specifically for founders who need time to complete OASIS training, file a patent application, or otherwise get their groundwork in place before formally launching a company. It doesn’t authorize active business operation; think of it as your runway, not your takeoff.
Once your corporation is registered, your IP protection is in place, and you clear the OASIS points threshold, the standard next step is converting to D-8-4. Stay durations and renewal conditions for D-10-2 change periodically, so confirm your specific timeline through HiKorea before planning around a fixed number of months.
Which Track Fits You? Decision Checklist
Run through these Korea Investor Visa questions to narrow down your track:
- Do you have KRW 100 million or more ready to invest, with clean documentation of its overseas source? → D-8-1 is likely your track.
- Are you joining or founding a certified venture firm, or entering through a technology-transfer arrangement? → Look into D-8-2, and verify your specific eligibility directly with HiKorea.
- Do you have a filed patent, a relevant degree, or OASIS training — but not large capital? → D-8-4 (OASIS) is built for you.
- Are you still building your business plan, filing IP, or completing OASIS training before you’re ready to incorporate? → Start with D-10-2 as your preparation runway.
If your entity structure is settled and you’re ready to think about incorporation mechanics — LLC versus corporation, corporate bank accounts, and office requirements — our guide to Korean business entities covers that next step. For the general registration process shared across all tracks, see our guide to registering a business in Korea as a foreigner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch between these Korea Investor Visa tracks if I picked the wrong one?
In many cases, yes — for example, moving from D-10-2 to D-8-4 once you incorporate is a standard progression. Switching between other Korea Investor Visa tracks depends on your specific circumstances, so confirm the process with HiKorea before assuming it’s automatic.
Do I need a Korean co-founder for any of these tracks?
Not for D-8-1, D-8-2, or D-8-4 as described here. Requirements can vary by specific arrangement, so always confirm against your exact business structure.
Which track is fastest to obtain?
There’s no universal answer — D-8-1 can move quickly if your capital documentation is clean, while D-8-4 can also move fast if your mandatory item (like a filed patent) is already in place. Processing speed depends more on document readiness than on which track you choose.
Is D-8-4 really free of any capital requirement?
There’s no minimum investment threshold, but incorporation costs, office leases, and often patent filing fees are still real expenses. It’s capital-agnostic, not free.
Where can I verify the exact current requirements for each track?
HiKorea’s official visa guidance and the 사증민원 자격별 안내 매뉴얼 are the authoritative sources, since specific thresholds and documentation requirements are updated periodically.
The Bottom Line
Four Korea Investor Visa tracks, one underlying question: what do you actually have to offer — capital, a venture certification, technology and credentials, or just time to prepare? Getting this decision right at the start saves you from the kind of three-week detour my Toronto client went through.
If you’re not sure which Korea Investor Visa track fits your situation, AMP Interpro’s Business Setup & Marketing team can walk through your specific profile and help you pick the right path from day one. Contact us to get started.
