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Republic of Korea · entrepreneur

Startup Korea Special Visa: D-8-4(S)

By · Last reviewed:

Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Full-review date shown above.

An assessed innovative-startup founder route using an MSS recommendation, with a separate immigration application and no academic or OASIS-score requirement in the recommendation criteria.

Eligible innovative startup and representative, expert assessment, MSS recommendation and separate immigration approvalConditional PR application pathwayThe statutory technology-founder branch has a two-year ceiling per grant, subject to the actual immigration decision and continuing startup conditions. The recommendation letter is valid for 12 months; that is not the visa’s period of stay.In flux
Processing time
The recommendation announcement describes rolling applications and monthly evaluations, followed by a separate immigration/mission assessment. Neither selection nor a visa has a guaranteed completion date.
Government fees
D-8 holders have specified Korean stay-procedure fee exemptions, including status change, extension and residence-card issuance. This does not make every service free: KOTRA identifies outside-status activity permission and registration certificates as chargeable. Consular visa fees are a separate assessment under the mission’s current nationality/reciprocity schedule; the general long-stay single-entry base is USD 60 equivalent. Incorporation, tax, translations, office and business costs are separate.
Typical duration
The statutory technology-founder branch has a two-year ceiling per grant, subject to the actual immigration decision and continuing startup conditions. The recommendation letter is valid for 12 months; that is not the visa’s period of stay.
Required support
Eligible innovative startup and representative, expert assessment, MSS recommendation and separate immigration approval
Leads to permanent residency
Conditional — separate application
Reviewed Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗

In short

An assessed innovative-startup founder route using an MSS recommendation, with a separate immigration application and no academic or OASIS-score requirement in the recommendation criteria. Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Costs, application stages and eligibility conditions are set out with their sources below.

Cite this: https://visaatlas.org/visas/south-korea/startup-korea-special-visa#answer

What is the Startup Korea Special Visa: D-8-4(S) in Republic of Korea?

Startup Korea Special Visa: D-8-4(S) is an unsponsored South Korea route. Indicative government fees are D-8 holders have specified Korean stay-procedure fee exemptions, including status change, extension and residence-card issuance. This does not make every service free: KOTRA identifies outside-status activity permission and registration certificates as chargeable. Consular visa fees are a separate assessment under the mission’s current nationality/reciprocity schedule; the general long-stay single-entry base is USD 60 equivalent. Incorporation, tax, translations, office and business costs are separate; indicative processing time is The recommendation announcement describes rolling applications and monthly evaluations, followed by a separate immigration/mission assessment. Neither selection nor a visa has a guaranteed completion date; typical duration is The statutory technology-founder branch has a two-year ceiling per grant, subject to the actual immigration decision and continuing startup conditions. The recommendation letter is valid for 12 months; that is not the visa’s period of stay. A qualifying technology-founder F-5 basis requires at least three continuous years in the statutory D-8 technology-founder category, at least KRW 300 million of attracted investment, at least two Korean employees and other Ministry conditions. The special-visa recommendation does not guarantee this later eligibility or waive the separate permanent-residence decision.

Primary guidance checked with Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED on 15 November 2026.

Overview

Startup Korea Special Visa D-8-4(S) complements the ordinary D-8-4 technology-startup route. A non-Korean representative of an eligible actual or proposed startup applies for an MSS recommendation based on feasibility, innovation and the team’s ability to enter Korea. The recommendation criteria waive academic-background and OASIS-score requirements; they do not waive immigration screening. An overseas founder can apply through a Korean mission, and a proposed entity must be established in Korea within six months when permission is issued before incorporation.

Additional sources

Eligibility

Typical criteria

  • ✓Non-Korean representative of an eligible existing or proposed startup. The published criteria ordinarily allow one representative; up to three co-representatives can each apply only under the specified existing-business or K-Scouter-supported conditions.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ✓The startup must meet the Support for Small and Medium Enterprise Establishment Act criteria: normally within seven years of establishment, or within ten years in a designated new industry. Ordinary trade, distribution and restaurant businesses are not the intended innovative/technology-startup basis.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ✓An expert assessment examines feasibility, innovation, growth, team capability, Korean market entry and economic contribution. Academic qualifications and OASIS points are not required for this special recommendation; a credible business and actual eligibility remain necessary.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ✓If permission is issued before the Korean entity is established, establish it within six months. After recommendation, submit the separate immigration application within the letter’s 12-month validity and meet the immigration authority’s own requirements.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗

Common blockers

  • !Excluded entertainment/gambling or other prohibited business; financial default, national/local tax arrears, listed wage arrears or another participation restriction.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • !False, copied or stolen plans, missing evidence, inability to verify eligibility or failure of the actual representative to attend the presentation. Recommendation and visa issuance may be cancelled if later ineligibility is established.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • !Treating an MSS recommendation or online recommendation application as an issued immigration permission, or relying on an aggregator’s later deadline instead of the actual portal timestamp.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗

Typical evidence

  • ·Recommendation application, business plan, passport or residence-card copy, corporate/business registration where applicable, any required K-Scouter co-representative verification and personal-information consent.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ·Evidence supporting innovation, market demand, development stage, commercial/investment history, team capability, finance and the Korean incorporation or relocation plan. The representative presents the proposal and answers the panel’s questions.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ·After selection: recommendation letter plus the receiving immigration office or mission’s separate visa/status documents, genuine startup and residence evidence. Additional requests can be made; recommendation-stage forms are not the complete immigration checklist.Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED ↗
  • ·For continuing residence, retain proof of the actual incorporated startup, authorised founder activity, operations, tax/residential records and compliance with the permission. Confirm the branch-specific renewal requirements; ordinary corporate-investor records cannot replace technology-founder evidence.KOTRA / Invest KOREA ↗

Application pathway

  1. Check the live recommendation call

    The official K-Startup notice currently displays a closing timestamp of 30 December 2026 at 00:00. Confirm the portal’s Korean-time interpretation and any amendment before submission; do not read this as the end of 30 December or use another agency’s later summary date.

  2. Prepare and personally submit the founder file

    Use the original call and attached forms. Establish startup age/industry eligibility and any co-representative exception, provide a genuine plan and submit through the official recommendation process linked by the notice.

  3. Complete expert evaluation

    The process checks eligibility and authenticity, then the founder presents the business in person or by the permitted video-conference procedure. Final selection considers the plan and presentation; the announcement describes monthly evaluation.

  4. Apply separately for immigration permission

    Use the MSS recommendation within 12 months at the competent immigration office if eligible in Korea or the appropriate Korean mission overseas. Selection does not guarantee issuance. Obtain the actual visa/status permission before relying on founder residence rights.

  5. Establish and maintain the Korean startup

    Where permission precedes incorporation, complete establishment within six months. Register for long stay within 90 days of entry, follow the authorised startup activity, complete applicable employment-information reports and obtain renewal before the granted expiry.

  6. Apply independently for family or later residence

    A spouse or unmarried minor child must obtain their own eligible family permission and meet the current relationship, livelihood and housing checks. Parents are outside ordinary F-3 spouse/child eligibility. Family permission does not automatically grant work rights. Any technology-founder permanent-residence application must independently establish the qualifying residence, attracted investment, Korean employment and other current conditions.

After approval: prepare for your next step

For Startup Korea Special Visa: D-8-4(S), use the actual decision and the issuing authority’s instructions to establish what has been granted. A successful application, permission to enter, permission to work and a residence document are not interchangeable.

  1. 1. Check the decision. Confirm the name, passport, status granted, start date and any next action. Resolve an error with the authority before relying on the document for travel or employment.
  2. 2. Establish the travel step. Read any entry window, activation, collection or in-country registration instruction. For an extension or change of status, do not assume leaving the country is required or safe while a further step remains pending.
  3. 3. Confirm what you may do. Check whether employment, self-employment, remote work or study is permitted under the status granted. Do not infer unrestricted work rights from the absence of an employer sponsor.
  4. 4. Organise the household. Check each accompanying person’s permission separately, then arrange healthcare, accommodation, access to money and the relevant local registrations. A tax number or bank account does not by itself prove a right to work.
  5. 5. Keep the ongoing conditions visible. Record the actual expiry, renewal process, permitted absences and any duty to report changes. An initial grant does not automatically establish permanent residence or citizenship.
Official Startup Korea Special Visa: D-8-4(S) instructionsBuild my moving plan for this routeMoving to South Korea

Official application links

Where to actually go next

Government links only

These are the official pages to use for this route. Open them before preparing documents: the forms, fees, appointment systems, and sponsor steps can change without warning.

  1. Official guidanceApplicant
    Read the live Startup Korea recommendation call ↗

    Check the current deadline, original forms and official submission link before preparing the application.

    Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED · verified

  2. Official guidanceApplicant
    Read the complete special-visa recommendation announcement ↗

    Check founder/co-representative eligibility, exclusions, evaluation, six-month incorporation condition and 12-month letter validity.

    Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED · verified

  3. Official guidanceApplicant
    Read Korean visa and residence procedures ↗

    Prepare the separate mission or immigration application, registration and continuing-residence file.

    KOTRA / Invest KOREA · verified

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a degree or 80 OASIS points?+

Those academic and OASIS requirements are not part of the special D-8-4(S) recommendation criteria. The ordinary D-8-4 route continues separately. You still need an eligible innovative startup, the assessment, MSS recommendation and successful immigration screening.

Can I apply before establishing a Korean company?+

The special announcement allows issuance before establishment, on condition that the entity is established in Korea within six months. A recommendation alone does not establish lawful residence or permission to work.

Can several co-founders apply?+

Normally one representative is eligible. Up to three co-representatives may each apply only where the specified established-business/registered-co-representative or K-Scouter-supported conditions are met. Every applicant needs a separate recommendation application and required participation.

Does selection guarantee a visa?+

No. Use the recommendation within its 12-month validity for a separate immigration/mission application, with all additional documents. The immigration authority can refuse issuance.

When does the present call close?+

The original K-Startup listing currently states 30 December 2026 at 00:00. Check the live notice and its Korean-time interpretation; midnight is not the end of that date. Summaries elsewhere show different later dates, so use the original portal.

Does the route automatically lead to permanent residence?+

No. The statutory technology-founder permanent-residence basis has independent residence, attracted-investment, Korean-employment and other criteria. Neither recommendation nor a two-year maximum initial status satisfies those conditions by itself.

Need tailored advice?

We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.

Find a regulated advisor in South Korea

How we verified this

We check every figure on this page against the primary government source, record the date it was last checked, and re-check it on a regular schedule. Rules change, so always confirm time-sensitive details with the official source before you rely on them. Visa Atlas is an information-only publication and does not give legal advice.

Primary source: Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED

Last checked: 15 November 2026

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