Home Visa/Immigration Requirements South Korea Visa Application and Immigration Requirements – 2019

South Korea Visa Application and Immigration Requirements – 2019

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This Article contains information on the South Korea Visa Application and Immigration Requirements – 2019. South Korea, an East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, shares one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders with North Korea. It’s equally known for its green, hilly countryside dotted with cherry trees and centuries-old Buddhist temples, plus its coastal fishing villages, sub-tropical islands and high-tech cities such as Seoul, the capital.

Yearly, many people travel to South Korea for numerous reasons either for tourism, business, study, visit or immigration. Depending on the purpose of the trip to South Kore, there are different types of visas that apply to the occasion.

So before applying for a South Korea visa, it is necessary to know the South Korea visa requirements and which of the visa category that you are eligible for.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS AND REQUIREMENT FOR A KOREAN VISA APPLICATION

The following documents are required for the South Korea visa application:

  1. Duly accomplished application formDownload here. You can also find it below.
  2. 1 passport size colored photo
  3. Passport (must still be valid for at least 6 months)
  4. Photocopy of the passport bio page (Page 2)
  5. Photocopy of all your OECD Visas (If You Have Them). Only if you have them. If you don’t, skip this part. If you have visas to any member country of the  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), you will need to submit the ORIGINAL copy and a photocopy of all of them. (Past Korean visas are not counted.) To see all the OECD member countries, visit this website.
  6. If invited by a Korean: an Invitation letter and a copy of the inviter’s passport. (Ignore if not applicable.)

In addition, you will need to prove that you can support the trip. Here are the additional documents you need to secure according to your employment status.

FOR EMPLOYEES

  1. Certificate of Employment. Must be original; and must have the address of the employer, the landline number and email address of employer’s HR department, applicant’s position, date hired, and compensation. Mobile number is not allowed.
  2. Original Personal Bank Certificate. Must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB.
  3. Original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook covering the last 3 months.
  4. ITR (Income Tax Return, Form 2316), ideally with BIR stamp.
  5. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (If applicable only)

FOR SELF-EMPLOYED

  1. Photocopy of Business registration form from DTI or SEC. SEC Registration must include pages with the names of stockholders.
  2. Photocopy of Business permit or Mayor’s permit
  3. Photocopy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 with corresponding payment receipt from BIR authorized bank and with pages including net income and total revenue.
  4. Original Personal Bank Certificate. Must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB.
  5. Original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook covering the last 3 months.
  6. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (If applicable only)

FOR HOUSEWIVES OR HOUSEHUSBANDS

  1. Your own or your spouse’s original Bank Certificate. Must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB.
  2. Your own or your spouse’s Bank Statement. Original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months.
  3. If spouse is employed
    – Spouse’s Original Certificate of Employment. Must be original; and must have the address of the employer, the landline number and email address of employer’s HR department, applicant’s position, date hired, and compensation. Mobile number is not allowed.
    – Copy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 Copy. Highlight your name on the list.
  4. If spouse is self-employed
    – Copy of spouse’s Business Registration from SEC or DTI
    – Copy of spouse’s Business Permit or Mayor’s Permit(Copy)
    – Photocopy of spouse’s ITR (Income Tax Return) with BIR stamp or Form 2316 with corresponding payment receipt from BIR authorized bank
  5. Photocopy of NSO Marriage Certificate

FOR STUDENTS

  1. Original School Certificate
  2. Photocopy of School ID
  3. Photocopy of NSO Birth Certificate of applicant
  4. If parents are employed
    – Parents’ Original Certificate of Employment. Must be original; and must have the address of the employer, the landline number and email address of employer’s HR department, applicant’s position, date hired, and compensation. Mobile number is not allowed.
    – Copy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 Copy AND Company Alphalist (Form 1604 CF with BIR received stamp). Highlight your name on the list.
  5. If parents are self-employed
    – Copy of parents’ Business Registration from SEC or DTI
    – Copy of parents’ Business Permit or Mayor’s Permit(Copy)
    – Photocopy of parents’ ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 with corresponding payment receipt from BIR authorized bank
  6. Parents’ Original Bank Certificate. Must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB.
  7. Parents’ Bank Statement. Original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months.
  8. Copy of parents’ marriage certificate.

FOR RETIRED SENIOR CITIZENS

  1. Original Personal Bank Certificate. Must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB.
  2. Original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook covering the last 3 months.
  3. Copy of Senior Citizen ID

HOW TO APPLY FOR A KOREAN VISA

1. COMPLETE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS.

Make sure you have gathered all the requirements listed above.

The list follows a certain order. The basic requirements first, then photocopy of OECD visas, then the financial/employment documents, and lastly the invitation letter or cover letter if you have it.

You will also be given the list when you enter the embassy, so you can rearrange the docs on the spot.

2. SUBMIT THE DOCUMENTS TO A DESIGNATED TRAVEL AGENCY.

Now that you have all the required documents, it’s time to find an officially designated travel agency. The embassy accredited 35 agencies where you can lodge your application. If you’re familiar with the Japan Visa application process, it works pretty much the same.

The good news is, many of these travel agencies have branches all around the country, which means it’s easier for applicants in the provinces to apply.

The only applicants that can directly apply at the embassy are spouses and children of Koreans, government employees on official business trip, applicants with humanitarian reasons to travel urgently, and holders of visa issuance number (a separate document issued in Korea).

The visa itself for stays shorter than 59 days remains FREE-OF-CHARGE, but now that the embassy has employed travel agencies, they will surely be collecting a processing fee from applicants. The fee varies from agency to agency. But call your chosen embassy to confirm their rates.

Processing time:
  • 3 working days – for those applying in Manila with OECD tourist visas within the past 5 years.
  • 5 working days – for those applying in Manila without OECD visas

These are the processing times by the embassy. But because the agencies are now in the picture, the whole process takes much longer to give agencies time to collect, document, sort out, deliver to and pick up the passports from the embassy.

Some embassies promise 5-7 days, some 7-20 days. It really varies per agency.

3. CLAIM YOUR VISA AND PASSPORT.

Pick up your passport (hopefully with a visa attached) when you are informed by your travel agency. Some agencies can arrange to mail it to you if you prefer, but most will ask you to come back and pick it up from their office.

Please consult the South Korean Embassy in your country for the updated South Korean Visa requirements!

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