Tourists to enjoy more lenient visa rules for Korea

Commissioner Kim Young-june at a briefing at the Foreign Press Center Korea (Photo Credit: Jeon Han)

Earlier this month, Korea's Ministry of Justice announced new measures that will make it easier for international tourists to enter and stay in their country.

At a briefing at the Foreign Press Center Korea in Seoul, Kim Young-june, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service, a branch of the Ministry of Justice, said that mainland Chinese tourists can benefit from free tourist visas over the next three months, between July 6 and September 30.

He also added, "The benefits will also be applied to tourists from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia. Also, three-month tourist visas issued between March 1 and June 30 can be extended, allowing visitors to stay for as many as six months." To make the extension more convenient for tourists with the said visas, there's no need for them to visit an immigration office to have their visa extended, even if the date on the stamp has expired. The validity of their visas will automatically be considered as extended.

The Republic of Korea decided to implement this proactive measure in order to provide foreign tourists with easier and convenient access to Korea due to the recent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.

Here in the Philippines though, the said announcement created a bit of confusion and a lot of people have been asking me about the 'free tourist visas' to Korea. I think this was also recognized by the Korean Embassy here and so to clarify this, they released a statement last July 3 that says:

The validity of every single-entry visa that was issued before and after the MERS development (from March 1 to June 30, 2015) was extended from the current three months to six months. Persons subject to the extension are allowed to enter the Republic of Korea even after the visa expiration date, which would prevent them from going through inconvenient procedures such as visiting Korean embassy to have their visa extended.

So that means that when Korea's Ministry of Justice announced the 'free tourist visas', they were pertaining to automatic extension of visa validity and NOT really the removal of visa as travel document/ no-visa policy. Hence, people with no Korean visas STILL NEED TO APPLY.

Kindly also take note that tourist visa processing here in the Philippines is FREE if you intend to stay for 59 days or less in Korea and has a fee of Php1,800 if you intend to stay for 60-90 days. (You can read about new visa requirements in my post HERE.)

OTHER VISA APPLICATION UPDATES:

It would also be interesting to note that starting July 1, 2015, all visa applicants who have travelled as tourist to Korea at least once within 5 years will be exempt from submitting an  ITR copy. Processing time will also be reduced to 3 working days, but they are still required to apply at window 1 or 2.

Those who have travelled to korea once within 5 years with purpose other than tour such as business, church visti, family visit, are still required to submit ITR copy. They are required to apply at window 1 or 2. Processing time is 5 working days.

Those who have travelled to Korea more than twice within 4 years are exempt from submitting ITR copy and may apply at window 3 (frequent travellers).

Visa application time has also been adjusted to 8:30 am to 11:00 am (from previous 9-11am), while passport releasing is now from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm (from previous 2-4pm)  starting June 1, 2015.

For more details, latest updates, and inquiries, you can visit the Official Website of the Korean Embassy in the Philippines HERE.

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Credits to Korea.net (Jeon Han & Lee Seung-ah), Korean Embassy in the Philippines, KTO, and KTO Manila.

For more information about Korean Tourism, you may visit the Korea Tourism Organization Official page, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

For Filipinos, follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila at Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk (@ktomanila) for the latest updates on Korea tourism, events, tour packages and promos. :)

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New Requirements for Korean Visa Application in the Philippines

Last February 17, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines made an announcement for new tourist visa application requirements, which took effect last March 1.

I’ve been planning to renew my Korean Visa which expired last December 2014, so I took note of the changes.

Before the announcement, the requirements are as follows:

1. Application Form
2. One (1) piece of passport size colored picture (3.5 cm x 4.5cm with white background; should be glued to the application form)
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
5. Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable, and Korean Visas will not be counted)
6. Original Certificate of Employment
7. Original Personal Bank Certificate 
8. Photocopy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316
9. Invitation Letter & Copy of invitors Passport if personally invited by a Korean (If applicable)
10. Invitation Letter & Copy of Korean Company Business Permit if invited by a company in Korea (If applicable)

Now after March 1, 2015, Korean Visa applicants would need to provide additional information for the following:

• Certificate of Employment- must include applicant's position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number(cell-phone number is not allowed), HR e-mail address.
• Bank Certificate - must include account type, current balance, account opening date, 6 months average balance (ADB)
• Copy of Income Tax Return- should have personal TIN number

Also as an additional requirement, the embassy also requires applicants to submit their Bank Statements or Passbook for the last 3 months. This may be in its original or certified true copy form.

All documents must be issued within 3 months on the date of application.

IMPORTANT DETAILS FOR 1^ST TIME APPLICANTS:

Tourist visa processing is FREE if you intend to stay for 59 days or less in Korea and has a fee of Php1,800 if you intend to stay for 60-90 days.

Visa Application time is 9-11 am (Monday-Friday) and provided that you are submitting complete and correct documents, Korean Visa Application should be a breeze.

Visa is usually released after 5 working days. Releasing time is 2-4 pm (Monday-Friday).

Also, those who have travelled to OECD member countries within 5 years as tourist are exempt from submitting ITR copy and may apply at window 3 (frequent travellers). Their visa will also be released after 3 working days. (You can check OECD member countries HERE)

However if you have unused tourist Visa to the OECD member countries, you will be considered as first time traveller, and thus, should apply at window 1 or window 2. 

For those who have travelled to Korea, only those who have visited more than twice within 4 years will be considered frequent travellers.

Some tips that I can give based on the 2 instances that I successfully applied for a Korean Tourist Visa are as follows:

• Always download the latest application form.
• Write legibly and if possible, avoid erasures in the application form. Leave no blanks too. You can put N/A for those that are not applicable to you.
• Never tamper the documents that you submit. Never submit falsified or invalid documents.
• There is no specific guideline as to how much money should be declared in your bank account but at least you should have enough money to cover for your trip with a little extra for emergencies (and this is just my hypothesis)
• You can submit supporting documents such as plane tickets, approved leaves, and confirmed hotel reservations but they are not necessary (but do keep them in handy).

Good luck with your application, and hopefully I, too, will be able to secure a new Korean Visa and be able to visit Seoul again! ^^

For more details and to download the application form online, visit the official website of the Korean Embassy in the Philippines HERE. 

Planning to visit Korea? For information about Korean Tourism, you may visit the Korea Tourism Organization Official page, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

For Filipinos, follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila at Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk (@ktomanila) for the latest updates on Korea tourism, events, tour packages and promos. :)

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