The working holiday visa is a joint program run by many countries around the world including South Korea. The aim and purpose of the visa is for young citizens to study, travel or explore the visiting country while working part time to supplement your travelling.

South Korea has a working holiday visa scheme set up [...]]]>

Korean Passport and Flag

The working holiday visa is a joint program run by many countries around the world including South Korea. The aim and purpose of the visa is for young citizens to study, travel or explore the visiting country while working part time to supplement your travelling.

South Korea has a working holiday visa scheme set up with 12 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States of America. In 2010 South Korea and Ireland started a working holiday visa agreement with 400 visas to be issued yearly for Irish and Korean citizens.

The working holiday visa is valid for 12 months however in the case of the United States it is valid for 18 months. The working holiday visa in Korea is called the H-1 Visa.

Working Holiday Visa Requirements for Korea:

• When applying for the Visa you must be aged between 18 – 30.

• Must have original bank statement issued in the last 3 months with sufficient funds. Usually anything above 2,000 usd or 1,500 euro.

• Schedule and plan of your trip. e.g I will live in Seoul for 3 months and sight see while working part time then move to Busan.

• Criminal Background check. The criminal background check must be affixed with an Apostille. The apostille is a stamp or document issued by your government to verify that the documents are real.

• Round trip ticket. However it is not always checked.

• Medical insurance to cover you for your stay in Korea.

• The working holiday visa must be applied for in the Korean embassy in your home country. You cannot apply for the visa abroad and you must visit the embassy in person.

Restrictions:

• You are not allowed to teach English while on the working holiday visa. If you wish to teach you must change your visa to the E2 visa while in Korea.

• You are not allowed to engage in any Adult Entertainment related to businesses also becoming a dancer, singer or acrobat is prohibited.

• Not allowed to engage in jobs that require a specific licence or skill, such as in the field of medical practices, lawyer, professor, pilot, etc.

• Not allowed to engage in journalism, religion, academic research or instruction of engineering-related technical skills. You must get a different visa for these.

• You must have no dependent children.

After arriving in Korea and within 90 days you must register for the Alien Registration Card.

Below you can find a basic introduction about immigration in Korea.

Entering South Korea
There are many ports of entry to Korea however the procedure remains the same. You will need to have a valid passport with 6 months or more remaining on the expiry date. First you head through the immigration counter and [...]]]>

Korean Passport

Below you can find a basic introduction about immigration in Korea.

Entering South Korea
There are many ports of entry to Korea however the procedure remains the same. You will need to have a valid passport with 6 months or more remaining on the expiry date. First you head through the immigration counter and they will check your passport. You will also have to give them an arrival card which you get on the plane before you arrive or can fill out before heading through immigration. They don’t usually ask any questions and give you a tourist stamp or stamp  your Korean working, student visa etc
From January 2012 all foreigners entering Korea will be required to get their two index fingers scanned and their face’s photographed.

Tourists and Business Travellers:
Over 50 countries have an agreement with South Korea allowing citizens to travel to Korea. The length of stay depends on the agreement made between South Korea and your country. For a full list and more details visit out Tourist Visa Page.
Tourists are not allowed to engage in work while in Korea however non-profit business trips and short term study at a language school is acceptable.

Working:
Foreigners who wish to work in Korea must have a working visa before they arrive. Arriving in Korea on a tourist visa to look for work is not allowed. Most people find a job online, apply and then the company sponsors and sorts out the visa which you then collect in your nearest embassy. If you are already in Korea and wish to get a working visa you must find a job that is willing to sponsor your visa. You will have to get together all the necessary documents, forms and you must obtain the work visa from an embassy or consulate in a country outside Korea. This is known by foreigners in Korea as a visa run. The most popular destination for visa runs is Japan.

Studying:
If you wish to study full time in university in Korea or a language course you will need a student visa. The exception is if you attend a language course for under 90 days, you can study on a tourist visa. There are 2 visas for studying in Korea, the D-2 Visa and the D-4 Visa. The D-2 visa is for people studying full time at a university and the D-4 visa is for people studying at a language school or language course. The process for getting the D-2 and D-4 visa is the same. Click here for a step by step guide on getting a student visa.

Spousal Visa
In Korea the spousal visa is called the F-2 visa. If you marry a Korean citizen you are entitled to get the F-2 Visa. From 2011 you can not register a marriage in Korea while on a tourist visa. You must register your marriage at a Korean embassy abroad.

Information on the tourist visa for Korea. Most countries have joined a visa waiver agreement with the Republic of Korea and are allowed to enter Korea without a visa for the purpose of tourism and travel. Another visa agreement is the Designated visa-free entry. The length of stay depends on the agreement made between South [...]]]>

Tourist Visa Korea

Information on the tourist visa for Korea. Most countries have joined a visa waiver agreement with the Republic of Korea and are allowed to enter Korea without a visa for the purpose of tourism and travel. Another visa agreement is the Designated visa-free entry. The length of stay depends on the agreement made between South Korea and your country. See the list below for all the details.

After you arrive in Korea you will get a stamp in your passport (see pic) and will state your entry date to Korea and the date that you must leave Korea. For example, if the date is May 12th you must leave before or on the day of May 12th. Overstaying your visa is a serious crime in Korea that will lead to deportation, a fine and possibly prison time.

Tourist Visa Extension
Extensions for tourist visas are possible in special cases such as accidents, health problems, flight cancellation, etc. Applications for visa extensions can be made at a local immigration office at least one day before the day of expiration.

If your country is not on the list below you will need to apply for a visa before you arrive in Korea. Contact your nearest Korean Embassy.

Countries under Visa Waiver Agreements

Designated visa-free entry

Source = http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/main_en.pt

Ok.  Many people have been asking about the D4 Student Visa on the internet. Here is how I got mine in Tokyo, Japan.

First of all, I found a university language program in Seoul. Sogang University seemed like the best option for me. I contacted the school and paid 3 months tuition (1,575,000WON). About 3 [...]]]> Ok.  Many people have been asking about the D4 Student Visa on the internet. Here is how I got mine in Tokyo, Japan.

First of all, I found a university language program in Seoul. Sogang University seemed like the best option for me. I contacted the school and paid 3 months tuition (1,575,000WON). About 3 days later I received a receipt and certificate of Admission by express mail.

The following day I went to the Korean Embassy in Tokyo. The requirements for the D4 Visa are as follows,

Your passport

2 Photos

Admission Certificate from the school

Bank statement with 3,000,000won (or equivalent in any currency) or a guarantee letter from someone you know in Korea.

5,000yen for the visa processing fee

NOW, here is what I did.  I arrived at the embassy filled out all the forms gave them my passport, pictures, admission certificate and that’s all.  I didn’t give them a bank statement or guarantee letter from someone in Korea.  I asked the staff if that was OK and they said “maybe, come back in 3 days” and then gave me a receipt.

3 days later I went back and had a shiny new Korean D4 Visa for 90 days in my passport.

Once you arrive in Korea and pay for the next semester at school, you can renew your D4 Visa.

After you have studied for 6months or more you can apply to work part-time with your D4 Visa.

Hope this helps someone out there. If you have any questions please leave a comment.