Wander-full Visa Tips #1: South Korea

Annyeonghaseyo! 🤗

Are you dreaming of going to where your KPop and KDrama idols are? Is South Korea on your bucketlist?

So what's stopping you? Oh, yeah. Filipinos need to apply for a visa before coming to South Korea. That's why! But don't fret! I have some tips which I hope you will find useful! 😊

Applying for a visa can be nerve-wracking and intimidating so I can understand why some would rather hire a travel agent. For South Korea tourist visa though, I would suggest doing it on your own as it is fairly easy. Please continue reading to know what documents you need to prepare and other relavant information related to South Korea tourist visa application.

Requirements

1. Duly accomplished application form which you can download here.

2. One piece passport-sized colored photo (They did not specify the color of the background but I submitted a photo with white background.)

3. Passport which is valid for at least 6 months at the time of application (This is what they say on their website but I suggest a passport valid for at least six months after your return ticket date. Why? To avoid any problem with the immigration officer when you exit the Philippines.)

4. Copy of passport bio page (page 2)

5. Original and copy of visa/arrival stamps to OECD member countries, if applicable

6. Original Bank Certificate (must include account type, account opening date, account balance, 6 months average daily balance)

7. Original or certified true copy of Bank Statement for the last 3 months

8. Other supporting documents

• For Employees: Original Certificate of Employment with complete details (i.e. applicant's name, position, date hired, compensation, offiice address, HR landline number and e-mail address), copy of ITR or Income Tax Return with personal tax identification number or TIN
• Self-Employed: Copy of Business Registration from SEC or DTI, copy of Business Permit or Mayor's Permit, copy of ITR
• For Students: Original School Certificate, copy of School ID, copy of Birth Certificate, parent's financial documents, copy of parent's Marriage Certificate
• For Invitees of a Korean National: Invitation letter and copy of inviter's passport or identification card
• For BPI or BDO promo : Latest original credit card statement, original and copy of credit card (While the promo says income document is waived, I suggest you still submit them for their reference. The actual card will only be presented, not surrendered).

Fees

Tourist visa application is free for Philippine passport holders intending to stay in South Korea for not more than 59 days. You read that right, it is free! If you wish to stay for 60-90 days, there's a PhP2,000 fee.

Procedure

The complete procedure can be found here but here is a quick guide:

1. Be at the Korean Embassy early. I was there at 7:30 AM and I was already 5th in line. Schedule of application is Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM.
2. Register at the guard's station before you enter the consular office. You will be asked to leave your ID. Don't forget to get it back when you leave. 😁
3. Once you are inside, present your documents to the guard for initial screening of your documents. If your requirements are complete, he will provide you with your queue number and assigned window.
4. Once your number is called, smile as you hand in your documents to the consular representative. If he's okay with everything, he will give you a paper with a release date stamp.
5. Go back to the embassy on the date of release. Schedule is Monday to Friday, 1:30PM to 4:00PM (I got there at 12.30PM and they let me wait inside).

Korean Embassy in Manila is at 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634, Philippines.

For inquiries, you may reach them at their e-mail address: [email protected] or through contact number: (63-2) 856-9210 lcal 270 or 500.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need to book a flight and reserve a hotel before filing for my visa application? No, these are not required. Even if you attach your flight and hotel reservation in your application, they will just remove and return them to you.

• Is personal appearance of applicant required? For tourist visa, no. You can ask a representative to submit your application for you if you cannot file the application yourself. No authorization letter needed.

• How long is their processing time? It usually takes 3-5 working days to process your visa application.

• How much show-money do I need? As this is not the sole basis of approval/denial, it is hard to tell exactly how much. Some say you have to have at least PhP50,000 but my friend had much less when she applied but still got approved. I guess you just need to establish that you have enough funds to support your travel to South Korea.

• How early can I apply for a visa? You can apply as early as 90 days prior to your scheduled departure.

• What are the common reasons of denial of visa? Some reasons of refusal of visa are: your passport is invalid, you failed to establish the purpose of your travel, you failed to prove strong economic and social ties to the Philippines, you have previously violated Korean Law, you submitted false or misleading documents (e.g. wrong TIN in ITR, no contact number of HR in COE, etc.).

• How long before I can re-apply after being denied? You can re-apply after 6 months.

• I only want to go to Jeju Island. Do I still need to apply for a visa? No, you can enter Jeju without a visa and stay for 30 days.
  
  

Once you get your visa, you can book your ticket and start planning for your trip. I will share my previous itineraries with you in my future post, budget included! I also plan to write about my other visa application experiences (e.g. Japan, US, etc) so watch out for that.


Bye for now 😘,
@wander-full