On a student or job-seeking visa and starting a tech company?

Foreign nationals in Korea on a D-10 job-seeking visa who want to start a technology company have a dedicated pathway: the D-8-4 tech startup visa, designed for founders building an innovative business rather than joining an existing employer. But D-10 isn't a single visa — it's three distinct sub-categories, each with its own eligibility path, and D-8-4 itself splits into two qualification tracks. Getting the sequence and sub-category wrong is the most common reason applicants stall out before ever reaching D-8-4.

D-10 is three visas, not one

• D-10-1 (general job-seeking): job-hunting or a short-term paid internship before formal employment
• D-10-2 (tech startup preparation): attending a startup-immigration education program, preparing/filing IP applications, and setting up the founding corporation — internship activity is restricted on this track
• D-10-3 (advanced-tech intern): an internship in an advanced technology field under a qualifying employer recognized by the Ministry of Justice

Getting into D-10-1: points system and exemptions

D-10-1 requires either qualifying on the points system or meeting one of three exemptions:

• Points system: a bachelor's degree (or Korean associate degree) holder scoring 60+ of 190 total points, with the base-item component at 20+ points
• Exemption 1 — first job-seeking change after graduation: a D-2 (student) graduate changing to D-10-1 for the first time skips the points system entirely (initial stay: 6 months; a points-system review applies on extension)
• Exemption 2 — strong Korean-language graduate: a graduate of a Korean degree program (associate or higher) within 3 years of graduation, holding TOPIK level 4+ or having passed the mid-term evaluation of KIIP stage 4 (or placed into KIIP stage 5 pre-evaluation)
• Exemption 3 — E-1 through E-7 work-history holder: someone whose prior E-series employment contract ended for a valid reason
• Disqualifying grounds apply regardless of track: a prison sentence within the past 5 years, forced deportation/departure order within 5 years, a fine of KRW 3 million+ within 3 years, or a third D-10 status change within 3 years without a full departure from Korea

D-10-2 eligibility (tech startup preparation)

A bachelor's-degree-or-higher holder (or Korean associate degree) qualifies through any one of: holding or having filed a Korean patent/utility model/design right; completing (or currently enrolled in) at least one OASIS program course (loses eligibility 3 years after completion); K-Startup Grand Challenge participation with a status-change recommendation; or holding a qualifying OECD-country IP right. Initial stay is 6 months, capped at up to 2 years depending on the applicant's qualifications.

D-8-4 has two qualification tracks

• Points-system track: a bachelor's-degree-or-higher holder (Korean associate degree also qualifies) scoring 80+ of 448 total points with at least one mandatory item satisfied, having already completed Korean corporate registration and business registration
• Exemption track (any one of): selected for the K-Startup Grand Challenge and receiving commercialization support; founding a corporation tied to the applicant's own technology within the program's terms with a Ministry of SMEs and Startups recommendation; being a recipient of a government startup-support program within the past 2 years with KRW 30 million+ in direct funding (same corporate/recommendation conditions as the Grand Challenge track, high-tech businesses only); or approval by the Startup Korea Special Visa private evaluation committee Initial D-8-4 stay is 2 years, extendable.

What we handle

• Reviewing your current D-2/D-10 status and business concept to confirm the correct D-10 sub-category and, later, the D-8-4 track that fits
• Points-system scoring review, or confirming which exemption applies, at each stage
• Business plan structuring, IP filing coordination, and OASIS/K-Startup program guidance for the D-10-2 stage
• Company registration and business registration filing ahead of the D-8-4 application
• Certified translation and apostille of the supporting documents
• Filing the D-2→D-10, D-10-2, and D-8-4 change-of-status applications in sequence

How the process works

1. We review your current visa status, academic background, and business concept to map the correct D-10 sub-category and points-system/exemption path.
2. We help structure the business plan, coordinate IP filings or OASIS/K-Startup participation, and register the company ahead of the D-8-4 filing.
3. Supporting documents are translated and apostilled as needed, and we file the change-of-status application at each stage.

Who typically needs this

Foreign nationals in Korea on a D-2 student or D-10 job-seeking visa who want to found a technology startup rather than take employment, and founders already running an early-stage tech company who need to formalize their visa status.

Common mistakes

• Applying for D-10-1 under the full points system without checking whether one of the three exemptions applies
• Assuming any business idea qualifies for D-8-4 — the track is specifically for technology/IP-based startups, and the points-system track requires the corporation and business registration to already be complete
• Letting the D-10-2 OASIS-completion clock run past 3 years before filing for D-8-4
• Registering the company before confirming which D-8-4 track (points vs. exemption) applies, which can create a mismatch between the business plan and the filing
• Missing the window before a D-10 visa expires, since job-seeking status has its own time limit, and repeated D-10 status changes without departing Korea are capped

Timeline

Business plan preparation and company registration typically take 2–4 weeks; visa processing time depends on the immigration office's caseload once the application is filed.

Not on a D-10 visa but looking to invest directly instead? See our FDI company setup & D-8 investor visa service. Not founding a startup and looking to convert to regular employment instead? See our E-series work visa filing service for the D-10-to-E-7 pathway.