South Korea Announces ‘Workation’ Visa For Foreign Nationals

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice has announced that it will initiate a test phase of a visa allowing foreign nationals to travel for work in 2024.

The newly proposed workation visa will be introduced on Monday, 1st January 2024 to allow foreign nationals engaging in a workation in Korea to stay for up to one year from their entry date and can be extended for a further year.

Workation, a term coined from work and vacation, refers to a contemporary working trend where individuals continue their regular work routine while embarking on long-term travel. Countries in Europe, Central and South America and Southeast Asia have recently introduced workation visas for digital nomads in response to the emerging trend.

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice said the introduction of the workation visa is anticipated to stimulate economic activity as high-income foreign nationals explore various regions of Korea and it presents an opportunity to enhance the global promotion of Korea.

Eligibility for the visa includes those affiliated with foreign companies as recipients of the workation visa are prohibited from engaging in employment with a local company or taking part in for-profit activities in Korea and must obtain a separate work visa for profit-related activities.

Visa applications can be submitted at Korean embassies and those currently on short-term stays in Korea can also change their visas if they meet the requirements.