South Korea launches digital nomad visa for workation: how to apply, check eligibility

South Korea has launched the “digital nomad visa” policy, aiming to attract 20 million foreign tourists and create $24.5 billion in tourism revenue. The scheme, launched on New Year’s Day, allows foreign national to live in the country for up to two years while maintaining a remote job in their home country.

“To make remote work and vacation of foreigners in Korea smoother, we have decided to launch a new digital nomad visa,” South Korea’s Justice Ministry was quoted as saying by The Korea Herald.

“So far, foreigners were required to apply for tourist visas or just stay for less than 90 days without a visa for ‘workcation’ in Korea. The new system will allow employees and employers in overseas firms to tour and work remotely in Korea for a longer period of time.”

The new visa scheme is aimed to attract young foreign nationals who are interested in Korean content and willing to learn about the country’s entertainment industry. With the so-called "Hallyu", or Korean Wave, of K-pop and K-dramas having spread across Asia and beyond since the early 2000s, a large section of young Indians too are fans of Korean popular culture. Every year, there is in increase in the number of Indian tourists and students in South Korea.