Friday, March 09, 2012
Hope this note will help you :)
There are various types of visa you can apply for if you are planning to visit or do business in South Korea. We were granted a short-term tourist visa valid for 59 days stay and free of charge to Philippine passport holders. This is just a single entry visa, but if you wish to frequently travel to South Korea, they also issue double entry and extended multiple entry visas which you can apply for. Validity of these visas range from one to three years.
Worried that you'll be denied? Worry no more because the Ministry of Justice of South Korea made the requirements simpler to attract more tourists from South East Asian countries.
To those who wish to apply for a visa, here are the standard requirements:
- Application form duly filled in and signed. The form can be obtained from the Embassy or downloaded here. ***When you fill out the application form, make sure to write your contact number in Korea. Be it the hotel's or your guarantor's.
- One passport-sized colored picture
- Original passport and a photocopy of the first page (it should not less than 6 months valid)
- Original and photocopy of previous and valid visas to US, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, or Korea.
- Original employment certificate or business registration issued by SEC or DTI; *note that employment certificate should indicate compensation and length of stay in the company plus a valid landline number.
- Personal Bank Certificate *note that it should indicate the amount of money you have in the bank and the date it was opened.
- Individual Income Tax Return or copy of Form 2316 from the previous year.
- ACR & ICR (for foreign nationals who are resident in the Philippines)
**If invited by a Korean company, you need to submit an invitation letter and a photocopy of the business permit of the said Korean company.
If you lack these documents, the Korean Embassy allows alternative documents for proof of income such as land titles, vehicle registration, country club or golf membership and pension certificates.
If you are a student and your parents will finance your travel, you are required to submit school certificate, birth certificate and requirements 1, 2 and 3 of your parents.
If you are planning to visit South Korea twice within six months, you can apply for Double Entry Visa. It has the same requirements with the single entry visa but is valid for two visitations within six months.
Application Procedure
Once you have completed all the required documents, photocopy each one of them, and file your application at the Consular Office from 9 to 11 am only. Application is on a first come, first serve basis so make sure you come to the Embassy early. Gates open at 8 am.
Where is it located? The Korean Embassy is now located at the corner of Upper Mckinley Rd. and C5 Rd, right beside the British Embassy. Please refer to this for directions:
At the gate, you must get a gate pass and they will ask you to sign on the log sheet. Note that there is a separate log for first time travelers and frequent ones. Once you get inside, get your number from the reception table.
Your requirements should be arranged accordingly: visa application form on top, then photocopy of passport and visas issued from other countries and then the supporting documents. The embassy will return original passport on the releasing date assigned to your application. Note that they don't return any other documents so make sure you submitted photocopies of ITR, business permit, marriage contract, birth certificate, etc.
Visa processing takes 5 working days for first time travelers and 3 working days for frequent travelers. Releasing time is from 2 to 4 pm only. Single entry visa for 59 days is free of charge :)
If you wish to avoid the hassle of applying and queuing, you can ask assistance from a travel agency just like what we did. We tapped Systematic Tours and Travel to apply for us. We just paid 500 pesos for each applicant. You can contact them at 9111576 and 9130426. They are located at 2/F Hansel Arcade Aurora Boulevard Cubao Quezon City.
For more information, here's Korean Embassy contact details:
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634 Philippines
Tel. No. (02) 8569210, Fax No. (02) 8569024 (Consular Section)
E-mail: philippines@mofat.go.kr or ph04@mofat.go.kr
