🇰🇷 East & South Asia
South Korea
South Korea for American digital nomads: 90 days visa-free (k-eta for some nationalities), a nomad visa (Workation Visa (F-1-D) → pilot, extended into 2026), and a heavy tax regime once you become tax resident.
East & South Asia 🛂 Has nomad visa 🧾 heavy tax
At a glance
| Tourist entry (US passport) | 90 days visa-free (K-ETA for some nationalities) |
| Digital nomad visa | Workation Visa (F-1-D) → pilot, extended into 2026 — income requirement 2x Korean GNI per capita → ₩85M/yr (~$62-70k) after tax → steep, 1 yr |
| Path to permanent residency | No → temporary status only |
| Tax system | Worldwide · top rate 45% top + local |
| US tax treaty | Yes |
| Family-law exposure (payer) | Obligation 5/10 · cross-border collection 4/10 |
| Safety (hard stats) | Homicide 0.5/100k · road deaths 8.1/100k |
Full detail with ratings and sources: visas & residency · tax breakdown · legal exposure · safety & crime
General reference — not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Rules change
often and depend on your situation; US citizens are taxed by the IRS on worldwide income no
matter where they live. Verify specifics with a qualified professional before acting.
Data last updated · Source: Compiled from the visas, tax and legal datasets
Cities we cover in South Korea
Month-by-month weather: Seoul climate