Moving to South Korea
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in South Korea, in one place.
Eastern AsiaThinking about moving to South Korea?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
South Korea at a glance
How long can you stay in South Korea?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- eTA before you fly
- Stay
- 180 days
Australian passport- Rule
- eTA before you fly
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in South Korea
South Korea has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Workation visa (F-1-D, digital nomad) – an income of At least twice Korea's GNI per person for the previous year (KRW 84.96 million a year in 2022 terms), for 12 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
Citizenship in South Korea
Naturalization takes about 5 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed in some cases.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in South Korea
South Korea taxes foreign income only when you bring it into the country.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 8%
- Top income tax rate – 53%
- Corporate tax – 24%
- VAT or sales tax – 10%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in South Korea
Everyday prices in South Korea are about 57% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is South Korea safe?
The US State Department rates South Korea Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2025-05-28), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Japan and Australia. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in South Korea
In M-Lab's open speed tests across South Korea over the last 12 months, half came in above 91 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 298 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (6,830,523 tests).
By place:
- Seoul – 84 Mbps typical
- Busan – 94 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in South Korea
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
South Korea: the basics
| What | South Korea |
|---|---|
| Capital | Seoul |
| Currency | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Languages | Korean, English |
| Population | about 51.6 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for South Korea
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
South Korea FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Workation visa (F-1-D, digital nomad).
It asks for an income of At least twice Korea's GNI per person for the previous year (KRW 84.96 million a year in 2022 terms).
About 5 years of residence.
In some cases.
Check the rules for your situation and your own country's.
South Korea taxes foreign income only when you bring it into the country.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 57% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 91 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 298 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Seoul and Busan.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The South Korean won (KRW).
The main languages are Korean and English.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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