D-9-1, Korea's trade visa: TOPIK 3, 60 of 160 points, and a visa that only extends if you actually trade

Korea has two founder visas and two scoring systems. The technology startup route scores on the OASIS matrix. The trade route — D-9-1, the 무역경영 비자 — runs on a different card: 160 points, a language floor, and an extension regime that pays for performance.

One sourcing note before the numbers. This page's figures come from the Global Start-up Immigration Center — the body that operates the OASIS system — not from a Ministry of Justice notice.

The operator's page carries no verify-with-authority disclaimer of its own; this post does. Confirm every figure against HiKorea before you file.

The threshold

The operator states it in one line: TOPIK 3+ and 60 points out of 160, with a required item worth 10 or more.

The language requirement is not optional seasoning. TOPIK 3 sits in front of the points total — and TOPIK 3 also appears again inside the points system itself, as a 10-point elective item.

Foreigners who meet the points requirement and have no disqualifying grounds can be issued the visa or change their status of residence after examination. The operator notes the change-of-status path is actively permitted for long-term residents — D-2 students, for example — who meet the requirements.

Where the 160 points live

Item group	Maximum	What is inside
Prerequisite: trade performance	30	Average annual export/import performance over the past two years, in USD bands
Prerequisite: trade expertise	35	Working experience 20 · relevant university major 15 · OASIS-4+ Basic Trading Course 10
Elective: period of stay	20	Registered stay 1-5+ years; highest score counts
Elective: education	20	Doctorate 20 · master's 15 · bachelor's 10 · college 5
Elective: additional	55	Korean college education 30 · KRW 100M+ own capital 15 · TOPIK 3+ or KIIP 10

The prerequisite structure is the design feature. You cannot reach 60 on electives alone with no prerequisite anchor — at least one required item must carry 10 points or more.

The operator publishes one worked combination worth exactly 60: the OASIS-4+ Basic Trading Course (3 days, 10 points), a Korean college degree (5), a Korean college education background (30), and three-plus years of stay (15).

The business behind the points

Points alone do not qualify a trade business. The applicant holds an individual business registration — registered as a trade business — and a lease on an independent business establishment in their own name.

One anti-gaming rule deserves a plain-language note: co-representatives with the same qualification do not each bank the full points. The operator's rule divides the sum by the number of foreigners involved.

The extension regime is the real test

The operator is explicit about why: extensions exist to prevent the visa becoming a means of staying in Korea rather than actually operating a trade business.

So the extension scores your performance. First extensions: 5-10 points buys six months, 11-20 buys one year, 21 or more buys two — and the prerequisite item must carry at least 5 points or no extension at all.

The elective block widens at extension: Korean employees (full-time, six months or more) and annual personal income tax payments both convert to points, alongside an advanced trade training course approved by the Ministry of Justice.