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  • Places to Visit in South Korea
    • Where to Visit in Busan, South Korea
      • Haeundae Beach (해운대 해수욕장) in Busan, Korea
      • Gwangalli Beach & Gwangan Bridge (광안리 해수욕장 & 광안대교)
      • Gamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을) in Busan, South Korea
      • BIFF Square (BIFF 광장) & Kakao Friends, Busan, South Korea
      • Gukje Market (국제시장), Busan, South Korea
      • Taejongdae Resort Park (태종대 유원지), Busan, South Korea
      • Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동용궁사), Busan, South Korea
      • Shopping in Busan: Complete Guide to Department Stores
      • Luxury Hotels in Busan, South Korea
      • Oryukdo Island (오륙도) & Oryukdo Skywalk
      • Songdo Beach & Songdo Cloud Trails (송도해수욕장 & 송도구름산책로), Busan, South Korea
      • Dongbaekseom Island (동백섬) in Busan, South Korea
      • Songjeong Beach (송정해수욕장), Busan, South Korea
      • Dadaepo Beach (다대포 해수욕장) & Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dream in Busan, Korea
      • Beomeosa Temple (범어사) in Busan, South Korea
      • Busan X The SKY in Busan, South Korea
      • Jukseong Church (Dream Open Set / 죽성성당) in Busan, South Korea
      • Nakdong Estuary Eco Center (낙동강하구에코센터) in Busan, South Korea
      • Nurimaru APEC House (누리마루 APEC 하우스) in Busan, South Korea
      • F1963, Urban Cultural Complex, Busan, South Korea
      • United Nations Memorial Cemetery (유엔기념공원) in Busan, South Korea
      • Ilgwang Beach (일광해수욕장) in Busan, South Korea
      • Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (부산현대미술관)
      • Seongjigok Reservoir (성지곡수원지) in Busan, South Korea
      • Hwamyeong Rose Park (화명장미공원), Busan, South Korea
    • Where to Visit in Seoul, South Korea
      • Complete Guide to Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) in Seoul
      • Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장), Seoul, South Korea
      • The Story of King Sejong (세종이야기) in Seoul, South Korea
      • Insadong (인사동), Seoul, South Korea
      • Jogyesa Temple (조계사) in Seoul, South Korea
      • Seoul Lantern Festival (서울 빛초롱축제)
    • Other Destinations in South Korea
      • Jeonju Hanok Village (전주한옥마을) in South Korea
      • Jeonju Hyanggyo (전주향교), South Korea
      • Tongdosa Temple (통도사), Gyeongsangnamdo, South Korea
  • Blog
  • Korea 101
    • How to Apply for South Korea Visa
    • Top 10 Best-Selling Korean Ramyeon (Ramen) in South Korea
    • Top 10 Best-Selling Korean Snacks in South Korea
    • Top 10 Best-Selling Korean Ice Cream
    • 10 Hottest Korean Skincare Brands at Olive Young
    • Korean Food (Beef Dishes)
    • Korean Food (Pork Dishes)
    • Korean Food (Noodles)
    • Interesting Korean Culture (Q&A)
    • Introduction to Korean History
    • Public Transportation in South Korea
    • Busan, South Korea
  • Learn In Korea
    • Study in Korea: General Information
    • Best Universities in South Korea: Rankings
    • Korean Expressions for Real Life
    • Learning Korean with Kdrama
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How to Apply for South Korea Visa

Whether you want to travel to South Korea or study there, you must find out if you need a visa or if so, what type of visa you need. Even though many countries are exempt from visa requirements for short-term purposes, citizens of some countries or people who need to stay a longer period in South Korea, for example, for studying or working, still have to apply for a South Korea visa. I’ll go over the general process and include links where you can find further information about South Korea Visa for your purpose and situation.

South Korea Visa Application Process

  1. First, you need to find out if you need a visa for your visit to South Korea or K-ETA is enough for you.
  2. If you need a South Korea visa, what type of visa do you need (for example, work, travel, or study)?
  3. Find a South Korean embassy or consulate in your area.
  4. Prepare all required documents and submit the South Korea visa application.
  5. Wait for the visa application for review.
  6. Once the visa is approved, it will be affixed to your passport. You need to visit the embassy or consulate again to receive your passport back.
A Sample Picture of South Korea Visa
Sample of South Korea Visa (Image credit: Wikipedia)

What is K-ETA?

South Korea’s Immigration Service explains that “K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) is an online electronic travel authorization that visa-free foreign visitors need to obtain before entering the Republic of Korea for the purpose of the tour, visiting relatives, participating in events or meetings, or business (excluding profit-making activities).”

You can find out if you hold a passport of countries or regions eligible for K-ETA on K-ETA’s website.


South Korea Visa Categories

There are subcategories under each category according to the purposes. So please find out a specific visa category for your visit here on Korea Visa Portal. The most applied categories are

  • C-3: Short Term Visit
  • D-2: Study/Language Training
  • H-2: Work and Visit

How to Find a South Korean Embassy or Consulate near You

Getting South Korea Visa (or not) depends on too many factors: your country, the purpose to visit South Korea, how long you will stay, and so forth. Thus, the best way to find out the exact process for you is to visit the website of South Korea’s embassy or consulate in your country. The website of each embassy or consulate has a visa service section. It includes information regarding visa issuance. Study to find out if you need a visa or what type of visa you need before you start the visa application or contact the office. Here is a short clip on how to find a South Korean diplomatic mission in your country.

Or, you may want to click here for the search page on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.

Here are the links to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: in English / in Korean


Visa-Waiver or Visa-Free Countries (Visa Exemption)

Foreign nationals must have a valid passport and a Korean visa issued by the Korean Embassy or consulate to visit South Korea. Although citizens from visa-waiver or visa-free countries do not need a visa to visit South Korea, all visitors from those countries should obtain K-ETA from 2021. Sep. 1.

Below is a list of visa waiver countries with general passport holders for short-term visits. Foreigners under the visa-waiver program are not allowed to work or engage in any paid activities. The waiver or requirement would be different for diplomatic and official passport holders.

Again, please get in touch with a South Korean embassy or consulate in your country to make sure you meet all the requirements to visit South Korea. Due to COVID-19 it is quite chaotic and difficult to update the visa or K-ETA requirements for every country on time.


List of Visa Exemption Countries – Countries (Days of Period of Sojourn)

  • Africa
    • Botswana (30), Eswatini (Swaziland) (30), Lesotho (60), Mauritius (30), Morocco (90), Republic of South Africa (30), Seychelles (30), Tunisia (30)
  • Americas
    • Antigua & Barbuda (90), Argentina (30), Bahamas (90), Barbados (90), Brazil (90), Canada (6 months), Chile (90), Colombia (90), Costa Rica (90), Dominica (90), Dominican Republic (90), Ecuador (90), El Salvador (90), Grenada (90), Guatemala (90), Guyana (30), Haiti (90), Honduras (30), Jamaica (90), Mexico (90), Nicaragua (90), Panama (90), Paraguay (30), Peru (90), Saint Kitts & Nevis (90), Saint Lucia (90), Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (90), Suriname (90), Trinidad & Tobago (90), United States (90), Uruguay (90), Venezuela (90)
  • Asia
    • Brunei (30), Hong Kong (90), Japan (90), Macao (90), Malaysia (90), Singapore (90), Taiwan (90), Thailand (90)
  • Europe
    • Albania (30), Andorra (30), Austria (90), Belgium (90), Bosnia-Herzegovina (30), Bulgaria (90), Croatia (90), Cyprus (30), Czech Republic (90), Denmark (90), Estonia (90), Finland (90), France (90), Germany (90), Greece (90), Hungary (90), Iceland (90), Ireland (90), Italy (90), Kazakhstan (30), Latvia (90), Lichtenstein (90), Lithuania (90), Luxembourg (90), Malta (90), Monaco (30), Montenegro (30), Netherlands (90), Norway (90), Poland (90), Portugal (60), Romania (90), Russia (60), San Marino (30), Serbia (90), Slovakia (90), Slovenia (90), Spain (90), Sweden (90), Switzerland (90), Turkey (90), United Kingdom (90), Vatican City (30)
  • Middle East
    • Arab Emirates (90), Bahrain (30), Israel (90), Kuwait (90), Oman (30), Qatar (30), Saudi Arabia (30)
  • Oceania
    • Australia (90), Fiji (30), Guam (30), Kiribati (30), Marshall Islands (30), Micronesia (30), Nauru (30), New Caledonia (30), New Zealand (90), Palau (30), Samoa (30), Solomon Islands (30), Tonga (30), Tuvalu (30)

Additional Contact Information

  • Korea Immigration Service: +82-2-1345
    Available in multiple languages: Korean, English, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Mongolian, Nepali, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese
  • Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330
    Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Russian, Thai, and Vietnamese

  • Planning a trip to South Korea? Click here to find more destinations here.
  • Do you want to study in South Korea? Here is a basic guide to start with.
  • Want to learn about Korean culture and more? Click here to find more information about it.
  • Trying to learn Korean language? I have some interesting real expressions for you.
  • A big fan of Korean food? How about some Korean noodles?

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