I'm so sure that most Filipinos want to visit Korea because of the influence of K-drama (koreanovela), k-pop, cosmetics, foods, and tourism locations. So, let's start. Anyway, this is the first VISA on my passport to be attached/applied, got lucky and approved!

The application process is SO simple that you can even do it all by yourself (there’s really NO need for hiring a travel agency). As such, with the help of this guide, let us make your South Korean travel dreams come true!

Disclaimer Alert: No one can give guarantee to your South Korea Visa's Approval because I'm not an expert on South Korea tourist VISA like you, I'm just a traveler. This is just my experience and first time application to any kind of VISA and got Approved.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A SOUTH KOREA VISA FOR TOURISTS

STEP 1: DETERMINE THE TYPE OF SOUTH KOREA VISA THAT YOU NEED TO APPLY FOR

There are, of course, various types of South Korean visas out there that you can apply for a visa for studying, a visa for business, a visa for joining a family, etc. For this particular guide though, I will only be discussing the requirements for a tourist visa since it’s an experience that I’ve gone through myself.

If, however, you have a different situation or purpose of visit, it’s best that you contact the South Korean Embassy for more information and the complete requirements. You can do this via telephone ([02] 856-9210, local no. 270 or 500) or email: [email protected]

STEP 2: PREPARE THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR APPLICATION

The requirement will depend on your financial/employment status and these are the additional requirements you'll need to provide at the embassy:

Passport - Of course, passport but make sure that your passport is valid for more than 6 months before your intended travel date, it has your signature, and has at least two (2) blank pages.

Photocopy of Philippine Passport bio page - This is found on page 2 (the part where your passport photo and other info are shown).

Accomplished South Korea Visa Application Form

• Download the application form here or get a copy from the Korean Embassy.
• Properly fill the form by hand with your information in CAPITAL LETTERS.
• Erasures are NOT allowed and you should also NOT write outside the boxes, replace the page, and write again clearly.
• Do NOT leave anything blank if not applicable to you, just put "N/A".

1 Passport-sized photo - This should be around 35mm x 45mm, colored, and against a white background. Paste this on your South Korea visa application form and I choose Great Image to make sure that the passport-size image will fit on the form.

Options:

Cover letter and itinerary - These are NOT required, but it’s always good practice to prepare them.

However, if you are a freelancer or if you have missing documents that you can’t submit such as an ITR, a Certificate of Employment, etc. — it is therefore a MUST that you submit a cover letter to the embassy to explain your situation.

As for the itinerary, there have been some cases wherein some applicants were asked to submit a rough draft of their South Korea itinerary; so it’s best to prepare this just in case.

A. EMPLOYED

• Original COE (Certificate of Employment) to be printed on your company’s official letterhead. It must contain your position at the company, date hired, salary, office address, HR landline number (cellphone number is not allowed), and HR e-mail address.* (This is one the best factors to be approved)
• Original personal bank certificate. It must include account type, current balance, account opening date, and 6 months average balance (ADB).
• An original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last three (3) months. Note: Please write in advance a letter of request for a Bank Statement
• Photocopy of income tax return (ITR Form 2316). Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourists to OECD member countries within the last 5 years are exempt from submitting an ITR.
• If invited by a Korean national, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of your invitor’s passport or ID card.
• If invited by a company in Korea, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of the Korean company’s business permit.
• If you’re a freelancer and can’t provide a COE, then you’ll be asked to submit some form of proof like pictures or screenshots of your work, letters from clients, etc. Basically, you need to prove to the embassy that you are earning a living and won’t be going to Korea to look for work.

B. FOR BUSINESSMEN

• Photocopy of business registration from SEC or DTI.
• Photocopy of business or mayor’s permit.
• Original personal bank certificate. It must include account type, current balance, account opening date, and 6 months average balance (ADB).
• An original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last three (3) months. Note: Please write in advance a letter of request for a Bank Statement
• Photocopy of income tax return (ITR Form 2316) with a personal TIN. Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourists to OECD member countries within the last 5 years are exempt from submitting an ITR.
• If invited by a Korean national, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of your invitor’s passport or ID card.
• If invited by a company in Korea, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of the Korean company’s business permit.

C. FOR HOUSEWIVES

• If the husband is employed, the husband’s original certificate of employment is printed on the company’s official letterhead. It must contain the husband’s position at the company, date hired, salary, office address, HR landline number (cell phone number is not allowed), and HR e-mail address. If the husband is self-employed, photocopies of his business registration from SEC or DTI as well as their business or mayor’s permit.
• Original personal or husband’s bank certificate. It must include account type, current balance, account opening date, and 6 months average balance (ADB).
• An original or certified true copy of personal or husband’s bank statements/passbook for the last three (3) months. Note: Please write in advance a letter of request for a Bank Statement
• Photocopy of husband’s income tax return (ITR Form 2316). Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourists to OECD member countries within the last 5 years are exempt from submitting an ITR.
• Photocopy of NSO-issued marriage certificate.
• If invited by a Korean national, you must also provide an invitation letter and a copy of your inviter’s passport or ID card.
• If invited by a company in Korea, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of the Korean company’s business permit.

D. FOR STUDENTS / MINORS

• Original school certificate.
• Photocopy of school ID.
• Photocopy of NSO-issued birth certificate.
• Parents’ supporting financial documents:
• If parents are employed, the original certificate of employment. It must contain their position at the company, date hired, salary, office address, HR landline number (cell phone number is not allowed), and HR e-mail address. If parents are self-employed, photocopies of their business registration from SEC or DTI as well as their business or mayor’s permit.
• Parent’s original bank certificate. It must include account type, current balance, account opening date, and 6 months average balance (ADB).
• Parent’s original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last three (3) months. Note: Please write in advance a letter of request for a Bank Statement
• Photocopy of parent’s income tax return (ITR Form 2316). Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourists to OECD member countries within the last 5 years are exempt from submitting an ITR. Photocopy of parents’ NSO-issued marriage certificate.
• If invited by a Korean national, you must also provide an invitation letter and a copy of your inviter’s passport or ID card.
• If invited by a company in Korea, you must also provide an invitation letter and photocopy of the Korean company’s business permit.

STEP 3: PROCESS YOUR SOUTH KOREAN VISA AT THE SOUTH KOREAN EMBASSY

You can just walk into the South Korean Embassy from Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM to submit your visa application. First come first serve basis and there's no appointment needed I would love to suggest going early to the Embassy so you can have your work(if have one) after submitting the applications and requirements. Please note that if you come later than 10:00 AM you might not be accommodated for the day.

KOREAN EMBASSY LOCATIONS:

KOREAN EMBASSY IN MANILA

122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Email Address: [email protected]

Telephone: (63-2) 856-9210, local no. 270, 500

KOREAN CONSULATE IN CEBU

12th Floor Chinabank Corporate Center, Lot 2, Samar Loop Cor. Road 5, Cebu Business Park, Cebu

Email Address: [email protected]

Contact No.: (63-32) 231-1516(-9)

I have applied at the embassy in McKinley which is the nearest to me and the process basically goes like this:

First thing first, find the gate where you are able to submit your application and that's the gate facing the C-5, not the way up going to Mckinley at the entrance they will instruct you to write down your name on the logbook before entering the premises, and before you are able to fully submit your application, they'll check your requirements if complete before you receive the queue number. Wait for your number to be called on the LED screen (take note that there are separate windows for 1st-time applicants and for those with OECD visas/stamps).

When your number is displayed in the designated window. The staff inside will collect your documents and double-check them. She may ask you simple questions to verify your info or your documents. (Interviews are typically NOT done, but depending on your situation, they might conduct one — or they might just ask for additional documents before giving you the date for your visa application result). Once that’s done with, She will give you a paper slip indicating the release date of your visa application result.

NOTE: The South Korea visa application is FREE of charge as long as you are only going to stay 59 days or less. For stays spanning from 60 to 90 days, there is a fee of about Php 1,800. Also, an authorized representative can file your visa application on your behalf.

STEP 4: CLAIM YOUR SOUTH KOREA VISA RESULTS

Releasing of visa results is customarily done from Mondays to Fridays from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM only.

PROCESSING TIME:

• 3 working days = Manila applications with OECD visas within the past 5 years
• 5 working days = Manila applications without OECD visas
• 7 working days = Cebu applications with or without OECD visas

If you’re a first-time applicant like me, it is recommended that you claim your passport. And as always, should your application be approved (yay!), make sure that your South Korea visa has your correct name, passport number, etc. before leaving the embassy’s premises.

F.A.Q. (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Q. How much do I need to have in my bank account to be granted a visa?

A. There’s no official amount. People have said at least PHP 50,000 and PHP 100,000 is the safest but there’s no confirmation on this. People have mentioned that they’ve been approved with less. Some have been rejected with more. Your application is contingent on many factors so there’s no amount that can guarantee approval. In my case, the money I have in my bank is up and down, going above PHP 100,000 and lower than PHP 10,000 last November and December but yeah good cash flow on your bank account is a good factor. As long as your application doesn’t raise any red flags and you have enough money to support yourself for the duration of your stay, then you should have a good chance of getting approved.

Note: You can borrow money from your friends but don't drop a very huge amount in just one transaction 2 to 3 weeks before applying. One huge amount will be suspecious to the Korean Emabassy

Q. Do I need to have confirmed flight and hotel bookings?

A. No, you don’t. Confirmed flight and hotel bookings are not required. On the application form, you can just put down the contact details of the hotel you intend to stay at. It doesn’t have to be a finalized booking. You can always change after you’ve been granted a visa. but in my case, I just booked in Agoda cancellation-free just to make sure that I can afford to stay.

Q. Is there an interview?

A. Not necessarily. An interview will only be conducted if they have questions about your application.

Q. Do I have to go to Manila to apply?

A. No. A representative can file the application on your behalf so long as all required documents are complete. If you can’t have someone file it for you in Manila, then you may be able to course it through a travel agency in your area. Some people have done that.

Q. Can I apply for a multiple entry visa?

A. Yes, but only under certain conditions. Frequent travelers who have visited Korea more than 4 times in the last 2 years or have visited Korea over 10 times in total can apply for a multiple-entry visa. You can check the details here.

Q. I heard about the BDO / BPI promo. Could you tell me more about it?

A. Until 31 December 2019, BDO Gold and Elite cardholders can apply for multiple entry visas to Korea. The same goes for BPI Gold credit card, BPI Platinum credit card, and Gold BPI Express Teller debit cardholders as well. Check the following links for full details: BDO / BPI.

Q. If I get rejected, how soon can I apply again?

A. After six (6) months.

Q. Do I need a visa to Jeju Island?

A. No, Philippine passport holders can visit Jeju Island visa-free for up to thirty (30) days.

Q. I heard that I can enter Korea Without VISA

A. Yes, you may enter Korea without a VISA during the Winter Olympics this year 2018, but by entering Yangyang Airport and not by entering Incheon Airport while there's no Direct Flight from MANILA to YANGYANG.

Q. After the Expiration of my VISA Can I immediately re-apply?

A. Yes, you may re-apply once your VISA expires.

OVERALL AND GOODLUCK

As long as your application and requirements are complete and you think that you're financially stable go ahead and apply and may your Korean adventure dream come true. You don't need to hire a travel agency and pay for processing as it is free to have one. I hope this guide helps you a lot and this informations also from my friends.

Thank you and good luck!!