Your own business,
starting in Korea

Five first steps to starting up

1. 01

   Shape your idea

   Sum up, in one line, whose problem you'll solve and how.

   Put your target customers, start-up costs and how you'll make money on a one-page business plan. You can reuse it when you register and when you apply for support programs.

2. 02

   Choose a business type

   Compare a sole proprietorship with a corporation to see which suits you.

   A sole proprietorship is quick and cheap to register. A corporation takes more steps (articles of incorporation, paid-in capital, corporate registration), but it can help with raising investment and may connect to the corporate investor (D-8) visa.

3. 03

   Register your business

   Gather the documents you need and complete business registration.

   Apply at the tax office that covers your business address, or online through the National Tax Service's Hometax (hometax.go.kr). You'll usually need your residence card and the lease for your business premises. Licensed businesses, such as restaurants, also need the relevant permits.

4. 04

   Check your visa status

   First make sure your visa status allows you to run a business.

   Some statuses, such as permanent residence (F-5) or marriage migrant (F-6), allow business activity fairly freely. Student (D-2) and employment (E-series) visas generally don't. Visas designed for foreign founders include the corporate investor visa (D-8) and the tech startup visa (D-8-4), which requires points from the Ministry of Justice's OASIS program.

5. 05

   Support programs & networking

   Explore startup support programs and meet people facing the same questions.

   K-Startup, run by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), lists government startup support programs in one place. Some programs are aimed at foreign founders, so check the listings regularly.

   Visit K-Startup (opens in a new tab)↗

People who started here