D-8 Visa Minimum Investment of KRW 100 Million: How to Transfer Your Investment Funds and What to Watch Out For
The minimum investment amount for a D-8 visa is at least KRW 100 million per investor, and the money must show a documented record of entering Korea from overseas under the investor's own name to be recognized as investment capital. This applies to foreign investors who intend to invest in a Korean corporation and participate directly in its management under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. Below, we walk through the legal basis for the KRW 100 million threshold, the two accepted transfer methods, the correct sequence relative to the foreign investment report, and the points where applications actually get stuck during review.
The Legal Basis for the KRW 100 Million D-8 Visa Minimum Investment
The D-8 (Corporate Investment) status of residence is defined in Annex 1-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, and the investment amount threshold follows the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. Here is the key point: the investment funds recognized by immigration authorities must be "money that came from abroad," and that flow must be visible on paper.
Why KRW 100 Million — The Foreign Investment Promotion Act Standard
Article 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act sets the minimum amount recognized as foreign investment at KRW 100 million or more. If you fall short of KRW 100 million, you cannot even register as a foreign-invested company, and without that registration, you never reach the D-8 application stage. You can verify the exact statutory text by searching for the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act on the Korean Law Information Center.
Joint Investments Are Calculated Differently
When two or more people invest together, the working standard is not a combined KRW 100 million — each investor who wants a D-8 visa must contribute at least KRW 100 million individually. People often ask, "Can't we just pool KRW 100 million between the two of us?" — but with that structure, both applicants are likely to run into visa trouble. Shareholding ratio requirements are also examined, and since the assessment varies by investment structure, a review tailored to your specific setup should come first.
Is Having KRW 100 Million Enough?
Simply having KRW 100 million in your bank account is not sufficient. In the actual review, what matters is where the money came from and through what route it entered Korea. This is precisely where approvals and denials diverge.
How to Transfer Your Investment Funds — The Two Recognized Routes
There are essentially two ways to bring in investment funds: an international wire transfer through a foreign exchange bank, or carrying cash in person with a customs declaration. Whichever you choose, there must be a record proving the funds are "the investor's own money from abroad."
| Category | Bank Wire Transfer | Carrying Cash In Person |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Wire transfer from your own overseas account to Korea | Declare foreign currency to customs upon arrival |
| Documentation | Remittance confirmation, foreign currency purchase certificate | Customs foreign exchange declaration (confirmation) certificate |
| Practical assessment | Safest option — the money trail is clear | If the declaration is missed, funds cannot be recognized |
| Common problems | Sender name mismatch, purpose not stated | Bringing in cash undeclared, leaving a gap in documentation |
Bank Wire Transfer — The Safest Route
The principle is to wire the funds directly to Korea from an overseas account held in the investor's own name. When sending, state the purpose explicitly as "investment," and after receipt, be sure to keep the remittance confirmation and foreign currency purchase certificate issued by the bank. These documents become the backbone of your investment proof later, both for foreign-invested company registration and the D-8 review. Depending on the transfer currency and the exchange rate applied at the time, the KRW-converted amount can land just under KRW 100 million — this actually happens — so it is safer to send a buffer above the minimum.
Carrying Cash In Person — The Customs Declaration Is Everything
Bringing cash into the country yourself is also accepted, but with a condition. Upon arrival, you must declare the foreign currency to customs and obtain a foreign exchange declaration (confirmation) certificate. Cash brought in without this certificate cannot be proven to be "money from abroad," and no amount of paperwork afterward can salvage it as investment funds. This customs declaration is exactly what people most often miss.
What About Money Already in Korea?
Money already sitting in a Korean account, or income earned in Korea, is generally difficult to have recognized as foreign investment. That said, exceptions exist depending on how the funds entered the country and your status of residence — and recent reviews have grown stricter on this point. Whether your particular funds can qualify varies case by case, so confirming this before executing any transfer is the correct order of operations.
Foreign Investment Report and Transfer — Sequence Comes First
From the outside it may look like "send the money, file the report, done" — but in practice, cases where the sequence goes wrong and everything must be redone from scratch are not uncommon. As a rule, the foreign investment report must be filed before the transfer, either with a foreign exchange bank or with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). The overall framework of the system can be found in the foreign investment guidance from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The Full Procedure in Order
| Step | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | File the foreign investment report | Foreign exchange bank or KOTRA, before the transfer |
| 2 | Wire or carry in the investment funds | In your own name, with documentation secured |
| 3 | Corporate establishment registration and business registration | Proof of capital payment |
| 4 | Foreign-invested company registration | Registration certificate issued |
| 5 | D-8 visa application | Business plan and other documents reviewed |
If You Already Sent the Money Before Filing
If the money went out before the report was filed, there are situations where remediation is possible and situations where the funds must be brought in again from the start. Which path applies depends on the stated purpose of the transfer, the receiving account, and the route the funds took. This is the stage where most people get stuck and come to us for help.
The Investor-Name Principle
The sender must be the investor named in the foreign investment report — no one else. Money sent from a spouse's account, a family member's account, or a friend's account will not be linked to your investment, no matter how well the amounts match. If the investment is made in a corporation's name, the funds must come from that corporation's account — they must not be mixed with transfers from the representative's personal account.
Request a free consultation now → 02-363-2251 / KakaoTalk: alexkorea A structural review before you transfer can prevent mistakes that are hard to undo.
Where Applications Actually Get Stuck in Review
No matter how thick the document stack is, a weak explanation of the money trail derails things immediately. Three patterns come up repeatedly in practice.
A Weak Explanation of the Source of Funds
Even if KRW 100 million was transferred, an insufficient explanation of how that money was accumulated leads to prolonged review or requests for supplementary documents. The documents you need differ by source type: salary records for savings from wages, tax filings for business income, proof of the gift relationship for gifted funds. In recent similar cases, what determined approval was not the amount but how coherently the source of funds was documented.
Split Transfers
Sending the money in multiple installments is allowed, but the more installments there are, the greater the burden of keeping the purpose and sender name consistent on every single transfer. If even one installment is missing the stated purpose or comes from a different name, that amount is excluded from recognition — and the total can drop below KRW 100 million. If you plan to split the transfers, it is safest to standardize the details for every installment in advance.
Third-Party Transfers and Borrowed Funds
Money borrowed from acquaintances, or money sent by a third party on your behalf, is the category that works most heavily against you in the actual review. The baseline view is that investment funds must belong to the investor personally. If you have no choice but to raise the funds through borrowing, the outcome depends entirely on how the structure is designed — so do not proceed without a review beforehand.
After the Transfer — Registration Through Visa Application
Getting the money into the country is not the finish line. After the investment funds are paid in, corporate establishment, foreign-invested company registration, and the visa application follow — and each stage reuses the documentation from the stage before it.
Corporate Establishment and Proof of Capital Payment
The transferred investment funds are paid in as capital during the incorporation process, and the bank's proof of payment goes into the registration documents. If the amount and name on the remittance confirmation do not match the payment records, the problem surfaces at a stage after registration. More important than any single document is a money trail that reads as one unbroken flow from start to finish.
The Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate
Once the contribution is complete and you register as a foreign-invested company, a registration certificate is issued — and this is a prerequisite document for the D-8 application. Registration has a deadline; if you let it sit after payment, the entire schedule slips.
The D-8 Application — What Remains Is the Business Plan, Not the Money
At the visa stage, in addition to proof of investment funds, you submit a business plan, evidence of a secured business premises, and other documents through Hi Korea. In the actual review, applications fail more often because the explanation of what business you will run with that money and how is weak — not because of doubts about whether the KRW 100 million went in. Processing times and the intensity of review vary by the immigration office with jurisdiction, so it is safest to check your office's standards before applying.
Pre-Transfer Checklist
Before you hit the send button, run through the items below.
- Did you complete the foreign investment report before the transfer?
- Does the sender's name match the investor named in the investment report?
- Is the purpose of the transfer stated as investment?
- Did you add a buffer above KRW 100 million to account for exchange rate fluctuations?
- Can you document the source of your funds with the right paperwork for its type?
- If carrying cash, did you obtain the customs foreign exchange declaration (confirmation) certificate?
Warning: Cash brought in without a customs declaration and transfers made under a third party's name are the classic cases where remediation after the fact is effectively impossible. A structural review before the transfer is the only prevention.
Practical tip: The remittance confirmation, foreign currency purchase certificate, and customs certificate are reused as originals throughout the entire process. Make copies the moment they are issued and store them separately by stage — it will keep your timeline from slipping.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What exactly is the minimum investment amount for a D-8 visa?
Under the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, it is at least KRW 100 million per investor. Because currency conversion timing can leave you short, standard practice is to transfer a buffer above the minimum.
Q2. Can two people each invest KRW 50 million and get D-8 visas?
The working standard is that each investor seeking a D-8 visa must contribute at least KRW 100 million individually, so that structure is unlikely to work. Joint investment structures can only be assessed properly once shareholding ratios are reviewed as well.
Q3. Can I invest with money that is already in Korea?
Domestic funds are generally difficult to have recognized as foreign investment. Assessments can differ depending on how the funds originally entered the country, so confirming eligibility before acting is the correct order of operations.
Q4. Can a family member send the money on my behalf?
The sender must be the investor named in the foreign investment report; a transfer under a family member's name will not be linked to your investment. If the funds are a gift, consider a structure where the money is moved into your own account first, gift documentation is prepared, and the transfer is then made in your own name.
Q5. Can I send the investment funds in multiple installments?
Yes, but the sender name and stated purpose must be consistent on every installment — if even one is off, that amount is excluded from recognition. If you plan to split the transfers, it is safest to settle the details for each installment in advance.
Q6. Is there a deadline for incorporation after the transfer?
Foreign-invested company registration has a deadline, and letting things sit after payment pushes the entire schedule back. How the deadline applies varies case by case, so proceed only after confirming with the authority with jurisdiction.
Need Expert Guidance?
A single mistaken transfer of D-8 investment funds takes many times longer to undo. The transfer structure, the source-of-funds explanation, and the reporting sequence all need to be settled before you act — and this is exactly where things go wrong most often for people handling it alone. Fees vary by case, so we will give you an exact quote during your free consultation.
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- Address: 3F, Sungwoo Building, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (04614)
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