D-8 Visa Minimum Investment of KRW 100 Million — How to Wire the Funds and What to Watch Out For

The minimum investment for a D-8 corporate investor visa is KRW 100 million, and that amount has to be recognized as foreign investment under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act — which means the source and flow of the money need to be cleanly documented from the moment you wire it.

This route is for foreign investors who incorporate a Korean entity and register themselves as an officer of that entity. Simply depositing KRW 100 million on its own will not earn you a D-8.

This article walks through the legal basis for the KRW 100 million threshold, the overseas remittance procedure, how to evidence the source of funds, the points where applications most often stall in practice, and the steps from wiring the money all the way through Foreign-Invested Company registration.

The Legal Basis for the KRW 100 Million Minimum

The Threshold Set by the Foreign Investment Promotion Act

The KRW 100 million bar for the D-8 visa comes from the minimum foreign investment amount set by the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act.

To qualify as foreign investment, each individual must contribute at least KRW 100 million toward the shares or equity of a Korean corporation.

A common point of confusion is that the KRW 100 million is not the company's paid-in capital — it is the amount of foreign investment wired in by a single foreign investor.

If you set up a company with KRW 100 million in capital jointly with a Korean partner, and the foreign shareholder's portion is under KRW 100 million, the D-8 will be refused even though the company's total capital sits at KRW 100 million.

Why KRW 100 Million Isn't Really the Finish Line

On paper, KRW 100 million is the floor. In actual review, however, examiners also look at whether KRW 100 million is appropriate for the scale of the business — and that is the part that matters most.

If you launch a business with several million won per month in rent and several million more in payroll on a capital base of only KRW 100 million, you can expect a supplementary-document request citing insufficient operating funds.

The comfortable threshold varies by industry, so whether KRW 100 million is enough for your sector is something that only becomes clear after your business plan is reviewed.

Caution: The KRW 100 million is not money you deposit one day and pull out the next. It has to remain as capital for a certain period even after Foreign-Invested Company registration, and pulling it out too soon can be grounds for cancellation of foreign investment status.

How to Wire the Investment — The Order It Has to Come In

Step 1: Originate From the Applicant's Own Overseas Account

The investment funds must be remitted to Korea from an overseas account held in the D-8 applicant's own name.

Wiring directly from a parent's, spouse's, or company account to the Korean corporate account is a frequent reason investments fail to be recognized as foreign investment.

If the money was lent to you by family, it has to first pass through your own account and then be remitted in your name, and the borrowing trail must be visible in the bankbook.

Step 2: Mark the Remittance Purpose as "Foreign Investment"

When you wire the funds, the Purpose of Remittance code must be entered as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

If the purpose is incorrectly entered as "living expenses," "study abroad funds," "salary," or similar, the Korean foreign-exchange bank will refuse to process it as foreign investment, and you'll have to re-wire from scratch.

The sending-side bank sometimes classifies the purpose at its own discretion based on local rules, so aligning the code with the Korean receiving bank ahead of time should come first.

Step 3: File the Foreign Investment Notification at a Korean Foreign-Exchange Bank

Either before or simultaneously with the remittance, you must complete a foreign investment notification through a Korean foreign-exchange bank.

If the money arrives first without a notification on file, it gets booked as an ordinary foreign-currency remittance and will not count as capital.

When the sequence of notification → remittance → capital payment → corporate registration → Foreign-Invested Company registration is broken, this is usually the step where things break.

Remittance Route Comparison

Remittance Route	Recognized as FDI	Practical Difficulty	Notes
Applicant's overseas account → Korean corporate account	Recognized	Cleanest	Standard route
Applicant's overseas account → Applicant's Korean account → Corporate account	Recognized	Moderate	Korean account must be opened in advance
Family/company account → Korean corporate account	Not recognized	Requires re-remittance	Most common mistake
Foreigner-held KRW already in Korea	Conditionally recognized	Demanding	Extra source-of-funds evidence

Source of Funds — Explanation Comes Before Paperwork

Where the KRW 100 Million Came From Is the Whole Game

The piece examiners scrutinize most heavily is the origin of the KRW 100 million.

The required evidence depends on whether it came from salary savings, business profits, sale of real estate, or a gift from family.

Even if the money is sitting in your account, if the narrative of how it accumulated is weak, things can unravel quickly.

Evidence by Source of Funds

Source of Funds	Required Evidence	Common Sticking Points
Salary savings	Employment certificate, payslips, tax-payment certificate, bank transaction history	Large deposits over a short period
Business profits	Business registration, financial statements, tax-payment certificate, dividend records	Mismatch between statements and account balance
Sale of real estate	Sales contract, registry record changes, proof of sale-proceeds deposit	Proceeds scattered across other accounts
Gift from family	Gift agreement, donor's source of funds, gift-tax payment	Donor's own source of funds is unclear
Loan	Loan agreement, repayment plan	Loans are not recognized as foreign investment

The Part Most People Miss

The piece commonly overlooked is a large deposit landing just before the remittance.

If an account that normally carries a small balance suddenly receives KRW 100 million in one lump just before the wire, you need evidence that traces one step further back to where that money came from.

If this explanation is thin, it gets flagged as a possible money-laundering signal and the supplementary-document loop drags on.

Practical tip: Build the balance in your account at least 3–6 months before the remittance, and keep a note for each large incoming deposit recording its source — this makes the later evidence work dramatically simpler.

Confirm Exact Costs and Procedures Through a Professional Consultation

A botched D-8 remittance is hard to unwind. Schedule your free consultation now → 02-363-2251 / KakaoTalk: alexkorea

Costs vary case by case, and we provide exact figures during the free consultation.

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After the Remittance — Through to Foreign-Invested Company Registration

Capital Payment and Corporate Registration

Once the KRW 100 million lands in the corporate account, you obtain a certificate of capital payment and proceed with corporate registration.

The company does not legally exist until corporate registration is complete, so during the gap between remittance and registration, the funds must not be diverted for any other purpose.

Issuance of the Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate

After registration, you obtain the Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate through a foreign-exchange bank or KOTRA InvestKorea.

This certificate is the single most critical document for the D-8 visa application — without it, the D-8 filing cannot even be accepted.

Filing for the D-8 Visa

Once the Foreign-Invested Company is registered, you file for the D-8 Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance through the Korea Immigration Service – Hi Korea portal.

Processing times vary by immigration office, and we identify the fastest available office and proceed there.

End-to-End Procedure Summary

Step	Stage	Key Point
1	Foreign investment notification at FX bank	Before or simultaneous with remittance
2	Remit from applicant's own overseas account	Purpose code FDI
3	Deposit to corporate account and capital-payment certificate	Preserve the capital
4	Corporate registration	File with the registry
5	Foreign-Invested Company Registration Certificate	FX bank or KOTRA
6	File D-8 Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance	Hi Korea or immigration office
7	Collect the visa at the embassy in the home country	Apply with the certificate number

The 5 Points That Most Often Trip People Up in Practice

1. The Remitter's Name Isn't the Applicant's

The single most common stumbling block is a wire sent from a spouse's account, a parent's account, or a corporate account in the home country.

If the remitter's name doesn't match the D-8 applicant, the funds are not recognized as foreign investment.

2. The Wrong Remittance Purpose Code Is Used

If the remittance purpose gets classified as "salary," "living expenses," or "study abroad funds," it gets booked as an ordinary remittance rather than foreign investment.

When this happens, you have to wire the money back to the home country and re-remit it correctly.

3. The Foreign Investment Notification Is Skipped

If the money arrives before the notification is filed, the FX bank will not process it as capital.

Beyond that, skipping the notification can amount to a violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

4. The Source of Funds Can't Be Explained

The balance may indeed sit at KRW 100 million, but if you can't explain where that money came from a few days earlier, a supplementary-document request lands immediately.

For funds received from family in particular, examiners will check whether gift tax was properly filed.

5. KRW 100 Million Is Too Small for the Business Scale

If the industry is one where KRW 100 million is judged insufficient to operate, you can hit the number on paper and still fail on business feasibility.

If this part is weak, you'll need either a capital increase or a restructured business plan.

Caution: Tripping just one of the five above is enough to push your D-8 timeline back by at least a month. Mapping which one applies to your case — before you wire — is the first step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can I split the KRW 100 million into multiple remittances?

Yes.

That said, every individual remittance must be in your own name, must fall within the scope of your foreign investment notification, and the total must be complete before you file for the D-8.

Splitting the remittance also means the source-of-funds evidence multiplies by the number of wires — keep that in mind.

Q2. Can I get a D-8 by investing foreign currency or KRW that's already in Korea?

Yes, conditionally.

You need to evidence that the funds were legitimately held by you and that the route by which they entered Korea was a procedure recognized under the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

This route is more demanding than an overseas remittance, and outcomes vary case by case.

Q3. Can I spend the KRW 100 million on operating expenses right after it arrives?

Capital may be used within the scope of the business's purpose.

However, if the funds are withdrawn immediately after the remittance and flow back to you or to family accounts, it can be treated as a recovery of foreign investment and the registration can be cancelled.

Q4. Can I make up the KRW 100 million with borrowed money?

Loan proceeds are not recognized as foreign investment.

The funds must be your own equity, and if a loan trail shows up in the bankbook, a source-of-funds supplementary request will follow.

Q5. Which comes first — the remittance or the company's incorporation?

In principle, the order is foreign investment notification → corporate registration → capital remittance and payment → Foreign-Invested Company registration.

That said, practice includes variations such as using a temporary-receipt account in the applicant's name before registration, so the right sequence for your case is something to nail down up front.

Q6. Does remitting more than KRW 100 million help my application?

It's not so much "more is better" as whether the capital matches the business scale.

For heavier industries, KRW 200–300 million is a more natural fit; for lighter ones, KRW 100 million is plenty.

The baseline for your specific industry needs to be confirmed with the competent authority.

Need a Professional Consultation?

A D-8 remittance is the kind of process where a single step out of order can send you back to the beginning.

We line up source-of-funds documentation, foreign investment notification, the remittance code, corporate incorporation, and Foreign-Invested Company registration as a single continuous flow.