F-2-8 (Residence – Tourism/Resort Real-Estate Investor) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What F-2-8 Is

A 거주(F-2) status-change category for a foreign national (or a corporation's current officer/major shareholder) who has invested above a legally prescribed minimum amount in a designated tourism or resort real-estate facility (e.g., a condo/resort-membership investment-immigration property), plus their accompanying spouse and unmarried children. It confers residence status without restrictions on employment activity, in contrast to lower-tier investors who only qualify for 방문동거 (visit/cohabitation) status.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Investors who have only paid a contract/down-payment above a stated foreign-currency threshold, but haven't completed the full investment, are instead granted 방문동거 (visit/cohabitation) status rather than F-2-8 — full F-2-8 requires completed ownership registration ('등기완료자') or confirmed membership status ('콘도 등 회원'), not merely a deposit.
• After maintaining the investment and F-2 status for a stated number of years (digit dropped by extraction), the investor and accompanying family may qualify to convert to 영주(F-5) permanent residence, subject to criteria.
• Investment periods/amounts under this tourism/resort program can be combined with the separate 공익사업 투자이민제 (public-interest project investment-immigration program, associated with F-2-12/13/14) to meet aggregate thresholds.
• If invested funds are withdrawn before permanent residency is obtained, the sales/development company must report the withdrawal to the immigration office within a stated number of days — failure to report can lead to the company losing its ability to file applications on investors' behalf.
• Disqualifying factors include: a prison sentence (with or without suspension) for a Korean-law violation within a stated number of years, a fine above a stated amount, deportation/departure orders within a stated period, submitting false documents, or being subject to an entry ban — plus analogous overseas criminal-history disqualifiers for certain violent/trafficking/drug/fraud offenses.

3. Criteria Summary

• F-2-8 is not a points-based category.
• The definition above is taken from the manual's own wording for this code.
• Numeric thresholds, stay periods and fees are set in the manual's tables and annexes and are deliberately not reproduced here — confirm the current figures before filing.
• Where a rule depends on another status, check that status's own criteria too; several of these codes take their conditions from a principal holder.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• The manual does not attach a salary or contract framework to this code specifically.
• Where income or financial capacity is assessed, it is evidenced with the documents named under that requirement rather than against a published floor.
• If your circumstances involve employment, verify separately whether this status authorises it — several of these categories do not.
• Do not assume the salary rules of a neighbouring code apply; they are set per status.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• Employer sponsorship is not the organising basis of this code.
• Any economic activity must fall within what the status authorises; where it does not, activity-outside-status permission is the mechanism.
• Report changes of circumstance that bear on the ground for the status.
• Keep the evidence that established eligibility available for extension reviews.

6. Required Documents

• Application form, passport, standard photograph and the fee.
• Evidence establishing the ground on which this status is claimed, as described above.
• Residence and identity documents as required at the counter.
• Any further documents the reviewing office considers necessary.

7. Fees and Processing

• Fees follow the published schedule for the application type rather than the subtype.
• Processing time varies by office workload and by how clearly the qualifying ground is evidenced.
• Where a principal holder's status governs the period granted, the principal's expiry date is the practical constraint.
• Apply with margin before any existing permission expires.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• The qualifying ground for this specific code is not established by the evidence.
• The circumstances fit a neighbouring code better, making this a category mismatch.
• Supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date.
• An underlying condition the status depends on has ceased to apply.
• Unresolved immigration compliance history.

9. FAQ