D-8 Visa Minimum Investment of KRW 100 Million — How to Wire the Funds and Key Cautions
The D-8 visa minimum investment is KRW 100 million, and simply depositing KRW 100 million into a Korean account is not the end of it — the funds must be remitted from overseas under your own name and registered as a foreign-invested company to be recognized. This route is for a foreign individual or a foreign corporation establishing a Korean entity to directly manage and operate it; passive capital contributions or name-lending arrangements are not accepted. This article walks through the KRW 100 million remittance process, source-of-funds documentation, foreign exchange reporting, and the exact points where applications get stuck in real screening — all in one place.
What the D-8 Visa Minimum Investment of KRW 100 Million Really Means
KRW 100 Million Is a "Floor," Not a "Ceiling"
Under the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, the minimum recognized D-8 investment per foreign investor is KRW 100 million. This is a recognition floor, not an exemption threshold — wiring exactly KRW 100 million does not mean every business will be auto-approved. In practice, screening officers also evaluate whether KRW 100 million is reasonable relative to the scale of the business.
This is especially true for industries with high rent or large licensing deposits, where it is often hard to demonstrate genuine business substance on KRW 100 million alone. Recommended investment size by industry varies case by case, so we will guide you precisely during a free consultation.
The Money Must Come from "You" into Korea
The point most often missed for D-8 is whose name the money is sent under, and where it is sent from. Money moved from a relative's Korean account, money borrowed inside Korea, or a remittance under a third party's name does not count as investment capital. Funds must move from your own overseas account into the Korean entity's foreign-currency capital account to qualify for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reporting.
Caution: If you contribute capital in KRW from inside Korea, registration as a foreign-invested company itself becomes impossible. The funds must be remitted from overseas in foreign currency.
Foreign Investment Notification Comes Before the Wire
File First, Wire Second
The order of operations gets reversed all the time. People send the money first and try to file the notification afterward, only to find the foreign exchange bank cannot accept the funds correctly or the capital ends up booked as an ordinary inbound deposit. The proper sequence is ① Foreign Investment Notification → ② Remittance → ③ Company Incorporation → ④ Foreign-Invested Company Registration.
Foreign Investment Notification is filed through a foreign exchange bank (delegated by KOTRA) or via KOTRA Invest KOREA. The governing statute, the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, can be reviewed at the Korea Law Information Center.
Items You Must Fix at the Notification Stage
| Item | Content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Investor | Individual or foreign corporation | Name change requires refiling |
| Investment Amount | Stated in foreign currency (USD/EUR, etc.) | Watch for FX fluctuations |
| Industry | Per Korea Standard Industrial Classification | Check restricted/prohibited sectors in advance |
| Investment Method | Acquisition of new shares (capital contribution) | Acquisition of existing shares has separate rules |
| Korean Entity Info | Name, address | Mark as "to be established" if not yet incorporated |
Foreign investment restrictions vary by industry, so check the Consolidated Public Notice on Foreign Investment from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
How to Wire KRW 100 Million — The Practical Steps
Step-by-Step Flow
- Prepare to withdraw from your own account in your home country
- Obtain the notification number after the Foreign Investment Notification is accepted
- Remit to a Korean foreign exchange bank under the label "Foreign Direct Investment Capital"
- Enter the correct remittance purpose code and notification number on the wire
- Once received, convert from foreign currency to KRW and hold in the capital account
- Register the entity and obtain proof of capital payment
What You Absolutely Must Confirm When Wiring
The remittance message (MT103) or wire instruction must include the words "Foreign Direct Investment" or "Capital Investment for D-8" together with the notification number. If that label is missing, the bank processes it as an ordinary remittance, and you will need to file a correction later. Correction procedures directly delay immigration timelines, so getting the wire right the first time is essential.
Practical Tip: It is cleanest to send the full KRW 100 million in a single remittance. Splitting it forces you to justify the source of funds for each leg, and FX swings create a real risk of falling short of KRW 100 million.
Shortfalls Caused by FX Movement
Sending USD from abroad and then converting at arrival can leave you below KRW 100 million when the won is stronger — this is one of the most common points where things go wrong. Banks apply the exchange rate as of the date of receipt, so if the rate drops between your departure and the funds arriving, you will need to top up. In practice, we recommend sending a buffer of around KRW 105 million to KRW 110 million.
The exact rules on which FX rate applies vary by case, so we will guide you precisely during a free consultation.
Request a free consultation now → 02-363-2251 / KakaoTalk: alexkorea A single bad remittance can cost you a month or more in corrections and re-wires. Get it checked before you send.
Proving the Source of Funds — More Important Than the Paperwork Itself
What Immigration Actually Looks At
Before the documents pass formal review, immigration first asks whether this KRW 100 million is truly your own money and how you accumulated it. Even if the cash is sitting in your account, a weak story about how it got there can derail everything quickly. In particular, a recent large inbound deposit will trigger a source-of-funds explanation request.
| Source Type | Difficulty of Acceptance | Additional Documents Required |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulated Salary | Low | Employment certificate, payslips, tax returns |
| Business Income | Medium | Business registration, P&L, tax payment proof |
| Real Estate Sale | Medium | Sales contract, deregistration of title, proof of receipt |
| Parental Gift | High | Gift agreement, gift tax paid, parents' source of funds |
| Loan / Borrowing | Very High | Effectively not accepted as a rule |
Where Gifted Funds Usually Get Stuck
If a parent sends KRW 100 million to a child, the funds still need to be remitted to Korea under the child's name and there must be evidence of gift tax reporting. "My parents are wealthy and gave it to me" is not a sufficient explanation. In real screening, officers sometimes trace the chain back to the source of the parents' funds as well.
If this part is weak, you end up in the worst situation: the money has arrived, but the visa does not issue.
After Wiring — Foreign-Invested Company Registration and Capital Custody
Timing of Registration Is Everything
Completing the wire does not mean you can file the D-8 application immediately. You must complete entity registration → issuance of the Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate → business registration before the visa application packet is complete. If capital is drawn down along the way and the account balance falls below KRW 100 million, screening officers tend to view it with suspicion.
Why You Cannot Spend Capital Carelessly
Capital belongs to the company, but at the D-8 screening stage immigration also examines whether the capital is actually being put into the business. Office deposits, fit-out costs, and initial operating expenses are fine, but unexplained withdrawals or transfers to the representative's personal account get flagged immediately. The entity's bank statements are read line by line during screening.
Caution: Wiring KRW 100 million in and then pulling the same amount back out to your personal account — so-called "capital washing" — can violate the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and will result in a D-8 denial.
Required Documents Related to the Remittance at D-8 Application
Document Checklist
- Copy of the Foreign Investment Notification
- Foreign currency remittance confirmation (issued by the foreign exchange bank)
- Proof of capital payment
- Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate
- Corporate registry extract
- Business registration certificate
- Source-of-funds evidence in your own name (overseas bank statements, employment/income proof)
- Remittance trail (overseas outflow + Korean inflow shown together)
What People Most Often Leave Out
Many applicants gather the overseas withdrawal evidence yet submit only the Korean inflow side. Immigration wants to see both legs of the transaction connected under the same name, so the overseas withdrawal record must be included to complete the narrative. If this piece is missing, additional-document requests stretch out the processing time.
Processing times vary by immigration office, and we provide guidance based on the fastest active timelines.
Cost Guidance
The costs for the D-8 visa application, company incorporation, and Foreign Investment Notification consist of statutory fees plus administrative processing costs, and they vary case by case — we will provide precise figures during a free consultation. Industry, investor nationality, and entity type all affect both cost and timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Can a friend already in Korea wire the KRW 100 million on my behalf? A. No. The funds must be remitted directly from your own overseas account to qualify as foreign direct investment. A third-party remittance forces you to start the process over from the beginning.
Q2. Can I split the KRW 100 million into two or three transfers? A. It is possible, but not recommended. You will need to prove the source of funds for each leg separately, and FX swings on the final leg are usually where shortfalls below KRW 100 million happen.
Q3. Can I just contribute KRW 100 million in won from inside Korea as capital? A. No. Foreign investment requires foreign-currency remittance as a principle, and a KRW-only contribution makes it impossible to register as a foreign-invested company. Without that registration, D-8 issuance is blocked.
Q4. Can I use the capital for an office security deposit after the wire arrives? A. Business-related spending is permitted. However, the transaction record must clearly show the purpose, and you should avoid sending funds out to the representative's personal account.
Q5. The money is coming from my parents — how should I handle it? A. Move it first from your parents' account to your own overseas account, and then remit it to Korea in your own name. The safest path is to also prepare evidence of gift tax reporting and documentation of your parents' source of funds.
Q6. What happens if FX movement leaves me below KRW 100 million? A. You need a top-up remittance, and that too must come from your own overseas account under the same notification number. A correction filing is required, and processing time grows accordingly.
Need to Talk to a Specialist?
A D-8 KRW 100 million remittance is not just sending money — it is a sequence where notification, wire, incorporation, and registration must all click together at once. A single misaligned step is usually the most common reason applicants have to start over.
VISION Administrative Office Services
- Foreign Investment Notification filing on your behalf
- Advisory on the KRW 100 million wire procedure (remittance purpose code, notification number guidance)
- Foreign-Invested Company registration and entity incorporation
- D-8 visa application and source-of-funds consulting
- Capital management and screening response
VISION Administrative Office
- Phone: 02-363-2251
- Email: [email protected]
- KakaoTalk: alexkorea
- Address: 3F Sungwoo Building, 324 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (04614)
In practice, it is common to see visa timelines slip by a month or more because of one mishandled wire. Have it reviewed before you send, and we will help route your KRW 100 million into capital along the safest possible path.
This article is provided for general information only. For actual case application, please verify with announcements from HiKorea and the Korea Immigration Service, as well as the competent authorities.
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