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  >  Travel   >  South Korea   >  UPDATED: How to Apply for a Korean Tourist Visa in the Philippines

One thing I don’t like about traveling is the logistics involved. All that planning! Which hotel should I book? Which airline should I use? How much money should I bring? And dun dun dun dun, how do I friggin’ get a visa?! It’s such a daunting task that sometimes, I wish I could just magically transport myself to another country without having to go through all the hassle. But such is a traveler’s life, and if a girl wants to travel, a girl’s gotta get that visa.

THE GIRL GOT THE VISA!

I recently just applied for a Korean Tourist Visa and I was given one. It was kind of a relief because I had already purchased a round-trip ticket and booked a hotel for 7 days (which is not advisable, by the way). I am amazed by how fast and easy the process was. I think I spent a total of just about an hour and a half in the Korean embassy to submit my application, and to claim it 3 business days after. The commute from Quezon City to McKinley took longer. Pfft.

Here are the steps I took to apply for my tourist visa: (Note: I am an employee. There are additional requirements for applicants who are business owners)

STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR DOCUMENTS

This, I think, is the most difficult part (and it’s not even that hard!). The good news is, once you’re done with the first step, it’s going to be pretty much a walk in the park. For tourist visa applicants who are employees, the following documents are required:

1. The application form. (You can download it here.)

Fill out the form legibly using block letters. I used black ink on my application. Put N/A on blank spaces or for questions that are not applicable to you.

2. 1 passport-sized colored picture

I had mine taken in a photo studio. The usual passport requirements apply: visible ears, no earrings, no smiling with teeth, and use a shirt with a collar. The picture should have a white background.

There’s a box in the application form where you need to attach your picture. You can do it beforehand using glue or paste or you can do it at the embassy as paste is provided for the applicants on the writing desks there.

3. Original passport (must be at least 6 months valid)

Do not forget to bring your passport! It’s very important as you will need to leave yours at the embassy so that they can affix your visa once your application is approved.

4. Photocopy of passport bio-page

The bio-page is the page where all your details are. It’s the one with your picture on it. (But you already know that. Moving on!)

5. Original and photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past five years (Korean visas not counted)

OEC… The what now? OECD stands for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. If you have been to any of the member countries, you need to provide the original and photocopy of your visa/s and arrival stamps. Here is a list of the member countries:

AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
CANADA
CHILE
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK
ESTONIA
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
HUNGARY
ICELAND
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
KOREA
LATVIA
LUXEMBOURG
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
POLAND
PORTUGAL
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
SLOVENIA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES

6. Original certificate of employment

If it takes a long time for your company HR to provide COE, I suggest that you request for one way ahead of your travel date. Your COE must include your position in the company, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number, and HR email address.

7. Original personal bank certificate

The bank certificate is proof that you have means to travel and you can pay for your expenses. You can get this from your bank for a small fee. My bank is UnionBank and I paid PHP150 for my bank certificate. The process took less than 30 minutes. The certificate must include your account type, current balance, and account opening date.

There is no known set amount for the required current balance in your account. I personally do not have a lot of money in the bank account I used for my application. It’s my payroll bank account and I think it’s the best one to use as the bank statement will show that I get paid a certain amount regularly as an employee.

8. Bank statement (original or certified true copy)

There are a number of ways to get your bank statement. You can go to your bank and request for one (I did this and paid PHP50 for it at UnionBank), or you may already have it if you get your statement every month via mail, or you can print it out from your bank’s online banking facility. If you’re going for the third option, you may need to have it certified as a true copy. You are required to submit your bank statement for the last three months.

9. ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 Copy

If you’re a frequent traveler and had been to any of the OECD countries listed above in the last 5 years, you are exempted from submitting an ITR. I personally did not submit one as I had already been to Australia which is an OECD member. Yay!

If you haven’t been to any OECD country or are a first-time traveler, you may request an ITR copy from your company HR.

10. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (if applicable)

If you are a professional and have a PRC card or an IBP card, you need to submit a copy as well.

11. Additional requirements

If you have been invited by a Korean:

    1. Invitation letter
  1. Photocopy of invitor’s passport of identification card (authentication not required)

If invited by company in Korea:

    1. Invitation letter
  1. Photocopy of Korean Company Business Permit

TIP: I suggest holding off booking hotels and tickets as visa approval is never guaranteed. I know it’s quite tempting to buy tickets before getting a visa thinking it might help your case (especially when there’s a sale going on!). I did so and printed copies of both for submission, but they returned them to me and only took the requirements listed above.

STEP 2: SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION THROUGH AN ACCREDITED TRAVEL AGENCY

Now that you have your documents, it’s time to submit your application.

In the past, you could head over to the South Korean embassy in McKinley to submit an application. However, this has changed in July 2018. The Korean Embassy no longer processes walk-in applications from Manila applicants.

The list of accredited agencies are below:

1. Aboex Travel and Tours
2. Adventure International Tours, Inc.
3. Ark Travel Express Inc.
4. Blue Horizons Travel and Tours Inc.
5. Budget Travel and Tours Inc.
6. Casto Travel Philippines Inc.
7. City Travel and Tours Corporation
8. Come on Phils. Golf & Travel Agency Inc.
9. Constellation Travels, Inc.
10. First United Travel Inc.
11. Getaway Tours International Inc.
12. GrandHope Travel and Tours
13. H.I.S. (Philippines) Travel Corp.
14. Hanatour Manila Inc.
15. Hankookceb Corp.
16. Horizon Travel and Tours, Inc.
17. International Journeys Inc.
18. JOINENJOY (Island Resort Club Tour Services, Inc.)
19. JTB Asia Pacific Phil. Corp.
20. KP Joeun Consultancy Inc.
21. Las Palmas Tours and Travel Agency, Inc.
22. Marsman Drsydale Travel Inc.
23. MNK Travel and Tours Corp.
24. North Star International Travel, Inc.
25. Pan Pacific Travel Corporation
26. Party-on Travel and Tour Community Inc.
27. Rajah Travel Corporation
28. Rakso Air Travel and Tours Inc.
29. Reli Tours and Travel Company
30. Sharp Travel Service (Phils.) Inc.
31. Swire Travel Philippines Inc.
32. The Baron Travel Corporation
33. Travelpros
34. TravelServices Inc.
35. Uni-Orient Travel Inc.

Fees

If you’re staying in Korea for 59 days or less, the visa is free. However, the agency will charge for the processing of your visa. It could go anywhere from P800 – P2000 (estimate).

STEP 3: CLAIM YOUR VISA

Once the waiting is over (finally!), you can pick up your visa from the agency.

Waiting time

As I had already been to an OECD country, I was given 3 working days to wait before returning. For first time travelers or applicants who have not been to any OECD countries, the wait is 5 working days.

Please take note that these are turnaround times from the Korean embassy. It may take longer when claiming it from the agency.

Express

If you’re in a hurry, there is an option to expedite your visa process – Visa Express. You can get your visa in as fast as 2 days for an additional fee of P1000. More info available here.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a visa expert nor a travel agent. I am merely a person who loves to travel and I’m just sharing my visa application experience to those who want to know more information about the process. Going through the same steps as I did does not guarantee the approval of your visa application.