People, specially Filipinos, have been asking me how to get a tourist visa so they could visit Korea. Unfortunately, the Philippines doesn’t have a visa-waiver agreement with Korea (we used to have before 1994). Is it possible to enter and visit Korea without a visa? It is.
From Korea’s government website:
Frequent Visitors
- Applicable to all countries (save for China, Cuba, and Macedonia) that are not granted visa-free entry into Korea.
- Applicable to those who made more than 4 visits to Korea in the past two years, or more than 10 visits overall may enter Korea without a Korean visa as long as they have no Immigration offence or other criminal records.Tourists bound for another country.
- Applicable to those with a visa or a re-entry permit for US, Japan, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (5 countries) and traveling to any one of those countries through Korea.
- Those traveling from any one of the five countries mentioned above, whose final destination is not Korea.
- Must have a confirmed onward flight ticket for departure within 30 days after entering Korea, in addition to having no record or criminal offence in the five countries mentioned above.Special entry arrangements for Jeju Island
- Eligible foreigners: nationals of all countries not allowed visa-free entry into Korea (except for Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Cuba, Syria, Macedonia, Palestine, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Ghana) that enters via Jeju airport for tourism or transit.
- Duration of stay: up to 30 days
- Permitted area/range: Jeju Island
- Conditions of entry: those that arrive directly into Jeju island by flights or shipsRe-entry permit holders
- Registered foreigners with re-entry permit that enters Korea within the given re-entry date are allowed to enter without a visa.APEC Business Travel Card
- Eligible countries: Australia, France, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Papua New Guinea.
- Eligibility: APEC Business Travel Card holders are given Short Term Business (C-2) visa status, and are allowed to stay for up to 90 days.
One of my friends’ aunt (Pinay) has visited Korea as a tourist four times within two years. When she applied for a tourist visa again for the fifth time, she didn’t receive a visa on her passport but a stamped “Documents Accepted” (which usually means “Denied”). Her niece (my friend) called up the Korean Embassy in the Philippines and asked why she had been “denied.” She was told that her aunt doesn’t need a tourist (C-3) visa anymore to travel to Korea. They were skeptical at first but she booked a ticket anyway. She traveled to Korea a month later and told the Immigration office at Incheon Airport that she’s been to Korea four times and was allowed entry. On her second visa-free entry, she was asked to show her return ticket. She has one and was allowed entry again without a visa.
My mother is a Philippine passport holder and a US resident. I wanted her to visit us before she travel back to the US. I asked the Immigration office yesterday if it’s possible for her to travel without a visa under her circumstance. After several pauses and “wait a minute”s, I was told that she could come to Korea without a visa as long as her outbound ticket is for the US and she could stay up to 30 days.
For Pinoys who would like to visit Jeju Island, one travel agency I know that offers this tour is Horizon Travel (nope, I’m not connected in anyway and they don’t know that I’m posting this). You may visit their website or send an email at horizontravel@gmail.com
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Betchay,
Thanks for helping us your fellows..I have questions,I hope you can help me too. I just received a message from my previous korean student(he was here 1 year and a half ago) and his Dad wants me to work in thier own company I think out of gratefulness. We talkd already many times..I think they are sincere. They want me to be there asap if possible this month.They would provide me with everything.meals, house, etc..What should be the easy step to realize this? I am worried on the interview and other rquirements needed because I workd for a Korean academies here in Cebu for more than 3 years now but both were not registerd to any government agencies here..I don’t have that much saving also to show.. please give some advice…thanks again,,,…
Hi erjo! If they have a company, then they could probably sponsor you. They should ask the immigration office in their area on what they need to do. If you’re not coming here as a tourist, then they need to secure a CVI for you.
pls i want to come to korea for business purpose and iam nigeria and base south africa how can come?.
hi everyone..thanks to this blog and Ms.Betchay for all infos..I have visa now for 15days to SK,I got it Dec.28..yipeee!!! im so happy.Idont have invitation letter, I went there and submitted docs as said by Ms.Betchay…voila I have it now.Coming there on Jan.17 but needs to be back by Feb.1.Hope to see Ms.Betchay.
BETCHAY,
Gud eveng,I would like to visit my husband in SKOREA atleast 30 days,he’s a factory worker and I’m public school teacher,do i have to get tuorist visa,what are the requirements?
paano po kumukuha nung c3 na visa? nagrant po kasi kami ng internship sa GIST. sana po matulungan niyo po kami sa question namin. thanks po
hi poh betchay…
am a filipina i go singapor on feb,11 2010 stay there for two months as a tourist and i want to exit in korea cause i have boyfriend there is a korean he send me a invitation and pay the tikets but i dont have visa i want to stay there 3 to 5 days only then i dont work in company i dont have job my boyfrend and my family support me i have bank how can i go korea what is the best thing to do to go there
hi vina! you’ll have to apply for a visa at the Korean Embassy in Manila even if you are only planning to visit here for 3 to 5 days. if you’re not working and you don’t have an employment certificate, then just bring whatever documents you can bring with you… the embassy officials will decide if they are acceptable or not… good luck to you
Hello Ms.Betchay!
Makakuha po ba ako agad ng visa sa Korea?
Last December nasa Dubai ako for vacation.
And next month gusto ko magpunta sa Korea para bisitahin ang boyfriend ko. Sabi nya sa akin maghanap daw ako ng agency na tutulong sa akin para magkaron ng visa dahil wala din sya idea kung paano ako makapunta don. Yung invitation visa po ba? Sinabi nya sa akin pede daw yun pero paano po?
Anu po ang kailangan namin gawin? Sabi ng friend ko mas madali na daw ako makapag abroad sa iba dahil nakalabas naman ako ng bansa.
Salamat po !!
hi betchay im myla,, i just have some questions regarding that i want to visit in Korea this year,,i’ve been work in korea for 2 yrs ,then im already here in canada,i have my working visa here in canada,it is possible that if i want to go in korea for visiting for 2weeks could i go even i dont have visa in Korea?…and other question i over stayed in korea for 1 month it is already been recorded in the immigration?did i offense the immigration?it is possible to visit the korea eventhough i overstayed previously?thank you so much
may i know how to work to korea?
hi ms. betchay im karen may i know how to work in korea? because i want 2 work in korea,, tnx
Dear all i need to know what is the procedure of apply the visa for training in Korea Seoul i am working in Korean company in Dubai as accounts department but my company want me to send there in Korea head quarter for training for 10 days Please which visa should i apply to Korean consulate in Dubai which litter is required for training if any one know plz send me litter with paragraph.
Please help me my e mail id is cutezaman38@yahoo.com.
All expense paid by company like hotel and air ticket but i don’t know the visa procedure,
Thanks in advance with best regards.zaman
Miss Betchay,
Hello po, i just want to ask po if malaki ang chance po namin ng parents ko mbgyan ni visa? Ang father ko po ay nagka visa na din ng US visa at nagpunta na din sa ibang bansa, like japan etc po. i asked my father po kasi na mamasyal po sa korea with my mom. pero si mama po, wla din pong visa pa, same po kami na wala pang experience sa pag iibang bansa. gsto lang po namin mamasyal ng buong family. Salamat po Miss Betchay.
hi,
i just want to ask what are the required requirements if im going to visit korea for just a week..im working here now in korean company, and my boss is giving me the oppurtunity to visit his country.. he will shoulder all the expenses.. what are the things we need to secure so that i can go with them by april? hope to hear from you
hi miss betchay,
i have a question, my boyfren is working in korea for 3yrs and he wanted me to go and visit him. im working here at abudhabi the question is how can i visit korea is there any visa do i have to apply here and what about the invitation? my boyfren told me that i need an invitation from korea, pls help me what are the requirements. i am a filipino thank you so much..
Hello!
Were planning to go to Korea This April 2010, however I’m scared na madenied passport ko. This is my first time to go abroad however, this would be a company outing/incentives for us, with letter coming from HR that this would be a tour lang. Is there any possibility na madedeny yung ako?
Thanks!!
My name is HINA i am living in Saudi arabia but my NATIONALTY is Pakistan …and i want to visit to korea so can u help me out that from Saudi arabia how i can visit as havin pakistan passport…need i visa or i just can visit with rentry stamp on my passport ????????…pls help me …
My name is HINA i am living in Saudi arabia but my NATIONALTY is Pakistan …and i want to visit to korea so can u help me out that from Saudi arabia how i can visit as havin pakistan passport…need i visa or i just can visit with rentry stamp on my passport ????????…pls help me …
hello mis betchay,gusto ko lang po itanong,free visa napo ako,coz i enter korea 4x with in 2 years,when im in my 1st free visa entry,1 month lng binigay nila sa incheon,then my sister who is korean cetizen ask immigration in gwangju city to extend my stay for another 2 months and they allow us,they stamp permission of extension of sojourn.I plan to go back to korea again as free visa pwede pa rin ba magamit un?i already inquire PAL and book a ticket and they allowed me kc nga un daw policy ng korea atleast 4x with in 2 years nakaenter in korea proven by stamps.Mayron po ako nun,ang sakin lang po for assurance.Baka mahold ako,d naman sana.please reply.hintay po ako.more power.Godbless us..hehehe
hi vilma! oo visa free ka na as long as hindi ka nag-overstay before… as far as i know ha… pag ayaw ka papasukin ng immigration sa korea, just ask them to call your sister or your brother-in-law
hi again miss betchay,its me again.salamat sa reply nyo.it really help to stand my confident kc nga natatakot ako,as far as i know kc d naman ako nag overstay last visit ko,kc nag ask permission naman kami sa immigration at uuwi ako sa takdang araw kung kelan lang nila allowed me to stay at may stamp po un.Natatakot lng kc ako baka matulad ako ng iba ung narinig na na A-A lang.Salamat ulit and please pray for me, i relly miss my pamangkins na rin.
hi ms betchay! my brother and i are planning to visit korea this sept. meron akong discounted ticket kasi i work in an airline. yon lang mpapakita ko sa embassy pag apply ng visa. ok n po kaya yon? pls help me with other requirements para mkpag prepare ako… thanks and best regards!
hello! i’m an airline employee too
during my past visits there i submitted lang my itr,coe,bank cert,fotocopies of my past visas,my company id and picture for the application form..ay and yung fotocopy nung info page ng pspt ko.hope this helps! baka we’re working pa with the same airline 
hi, i hace a very good friend named betchay too. she was married to a korean hahha im wondering if its you… Anyway maybe not.. Just want to ask coz im planning to go korea with package tour but still i need visa even for 3 days only.. How can go to korea and what type of visa will i process?… thanks
good evening miss betchay, ask ko lang po kung paano magkaroon ng visit visa. i have a korean friend and he’s been here 6 times, im his guide when he was here. Now im planning to go to korea, can u help me what r the requirements for visiting friend in korea? and he also asked me wat he will do to get me in korea easily. Thank u :]
Hello betchay,
im glad to see your blog. i am tutoring a korean now, and thier mother wants me to accompanied them to go to korea, kasi minor age pa yung studyante ko. they said they will shoulder everything. today, i just went to korean embassy in makati (philippines) and asked about the requirements for visa, since this is my first time to go out from the country… i saw that they were asking for my parent’s bank account and ITR (income tax return) kasi student pa ko. my problem is my parents doesn’t have any of these. do you think i have any other option? is there any possibility for me to still go there???
i hope you could send me email @
sweet_heavenlylady@yahoo.com
(i would be very greatful if someone from the readers would take time to send me some email about this concern of mine)
salamat po!
hello. good day. ^^
i’m an ESL instructor in cebu for koreans. just recently i received an invitation from my student to visit his place in seoul ~ maybe 4-7 days depending on the vacation my company will allow me.
i’m wondering.. do i have to apply for a korean tourist visa? because if i’ll apply i think it will take a long time.
what else can i do to visit my student without applying for a visa. it will be my first time to visit my student and korea as well.
i hope you can provide me a good solution to this. thank you very much.
you definitely have to! I’m also from cebu. I just had mine done by an agency. Dint go to the KE in manila.
hello!i’m very happy that i was dropped by this page for my first time.I’m anamarie living here in korea for 9 years now.My husband is a korean,we haved 2 kids 5 and 6 yrs old.But my problem is…how to invite my sisters in the Philippine to go here in korea?I mean ,maybe this year we will visit to Philippine and then my sisters they can go together with me?if we comeback here in korea?(ate BETCHAY)my sister is 23 yrs old and my youngest is 21 yrs old now ,for there ages matatanggap ba yon sila ate betch?Hope you can reply me as soon as possible.GOD BLESS YOU ….ate betchay
hi,gusto ko lng po sana itanong kung
ano po mga kelngan for tourist visa to korea,
i stat only 5days lng po.
please answer me it’s my first time po
kc pmunta sa ibang bnsa.
thankz!!
hello po!
tatanong ko lang po sana paano po kung na deny ka sa pag kuha ng visa d2 sa korean embassy sa pinas may iba pa po ba paraan para maka punta ng korea para mag tour sana po ay matulungan ninyo ako sa katanungan ko sana po ay mabigyan nyo ako ng kasagutan
how much po ang show money sa tourist visa and anu po ung mga grounds para ma-deny ang visa application? pls reply pls…
hi, im a filipino and i have a girlfriend who is a korean, we’ve been living together for 1 year already in the Philippines . My girlfriend right now is pregnant and we want to visit her parents in korea and tell them that we will be getting married after she gave birth. Do i need to apply for a tourist visa ? What are the requirements i need ? we already have a round trip ticket good for 2 persons for 5 days visit in korea. Please help me…….thanks
hi dante! Yes you’ll need to apply for a tourist visa. Ask your girlfriend to accompany you at the Korean embassy. The requirements are: ITR, Certificate of Employment, invitation (she could just write it), application form, bank statement, passport and a picture.
thank you for your advice, is this 100% approve already ? coz my girlfriend is worried about it………ill let u know the result next week. thnx
one more question , where should i pay for the application fee of $30 ? Is it directly in the Embassy or any associated banks in the Philippines ?
You’ll only need to pay the application fee if you’re staying for the more than 60 days (but less than 90 days). You’ll pay the fee upon application. Do you have plans of getting married in Korea?
thank you for your reply, we dont know yet or maybe when she gave birth already. is it difficult to get married in korea ? Do you know the requirements for civil wedding in korea ?
hi dante! it’s not difficult to get married in korea… but remember, as a filipino tourist you could only stay in korea for 3 months… then you’ll have to go home and apply for a tourist visa again… up to 4 times before you could enter the country visa free
i’ll write about the requirements in getting married in the philippines and in korea later…
ok, thank you very much for the informations you’ve given. ill wait for your reply and god bless us
do you have any infos about civil wedding in korea ? pls let me know what are the requirements for the civil wedding.tnx
hello poh,
i have USAF BOYFRIEND IN kOREA And he wants me to visit there.. madali lang po ba na mag apply ng korean visa? and how long it will takes? thanks po
posible po bang mag visit sa korea with my 3 year old child. my friend invited me der pero nandun din husband ko working. i have all the documents needed, becouse i have water station biz. my posiblity kaya na mdenay kmi bcos hubby is working der?…pls give me tips. tnx
Hi Levy, it was Nov 2004 I applied tourist visa with my 18months old son, no invitation, only the required docs I submitted and luckily we visited Korea for 90 days. My husband was also in Korea that time but I didn’t declare him.
Hayyy!!..kainis talaga embassy ng korea..npaka strikto!..I`m bing and a college student I submitted all my requirements nah kailagan ng embassy pro denied pa rin yung visa ko..kainis talaga!!
hi bing! ganyan talaga… try again na lang next time… ipon-ipon ka para mas masaya ang trip mo rito
elow ms. bechay..
ang daddy q ay nasa korea..kelangan q ng certificate of apperance na sa katunayan nasa korea xa..hindi daw sya makakakuha sa korean embassy..
pwede kaya na aq nalang ang kumuha d2 sa manila ng certificate of appearance sa korean embassy..need your reply pls…..
hi ate betchay , do you know what are the requirements for my 2nd visit in korea ? is it still the same ? please let me know if you have information. thank u
Hi bing, tanong ko lang po nag try me before ng visa kaya lang denied ang visa ko .anytime pwedeng me apply again ? mag3years kaming nagsama ng korean husband ko pero di pa kami kasal complicated pa kc.then last week umuwi sya ng korea para mag pagamot.then now i need to viset morethan a week in korea kc naka confine sya ngayon sa ospital.let me know about more imformation sana matulungan mo ako .tnx sonia
hi im irene,just wanna ask if ano kya posible reason kya na ddeny ang aplication..im scared about this!mag aaply sana me for tourist visa there,,ano kya posible na money m sa bank im employed..i have 150k in my bank account oks n kya to?hoping for ur reply…pwd kya next wik n mag pasok di kya sila strick ngyn?tnx and more power
hi ayen! wala naman talaga sa pera yan or status mo… yung isang nagpabili sa ‘kin ng ticket to attend a concert, student siya… yung mom niya nabigyan ng visa pero siya hindi kahit sabay sila nag-apply
do you know what are the requirements for 2nd visit in korea ? is it still the same ? please let me know if you have information. thank u
it’s still the same..
hi ms betchay…i love to go to Korea…i’m proud to say I’m a big fan of kim nam gil aka bidam of Queen Seon Deok…i’m planning to go there and work na rin…what i’ve seen in the net, factory ( dami rin apply sa poea) and teaching ( di po ako teacher)
…my background is call center, kahit anong jobs po meron i will accept…
i appreciate infos/ any help wherein i go to korea and work…many thanks po!
Hi. I would like to ask what are the requirements that i need to pass for having korean visa? Im really planning to go there as a tourist coz my boyfriend wants me to go there and visit his place.
Thank you
hi how are you my name sajjad iam leagel stay live in south my d-8 visa my passport stamp iam leagel stay live in south korea iam secend time work permint visa apply any halp me my nomber 0092 334 8385045
0092 303 5945739 good by
hello can i ask something on how much money i should prepare for visiting korea like planes fee and house fee? please reply me thanks
Hello,
I am going to be on a stopover in Korea on my way to China – I will be a teacher in China and will have that visa – however- If I get a visa stamp in my passport for Korea on the stopover – would that mean I will not have to do the consulate interview requirement for Korea teaching jobs – if I later want to teach in Korea? I would like to eventually teach in Korea – but not have to return to the USA just to do a consulate interview.
hi there! you know what? i spoke with a very rude employee of SK embassy last week ‘coz i was inquiring if i should still secure a visa ‘coz i’ve been there 4x already (in less than 2 yrs) i don’t know if she can really count or if she knows the order of months in a year..i’m an airline employee you see,and i verified with my other friends in other airlines and they said i don’t need to have a visa anymore..my question is, should i secure a stamp or a notation from the embassy that i’m visa-free? hope you can help me,thanks a lot!
hello po
i want to know how to get a korean visa because i want to go there as a tourist my bf is korean he want me to go there but many people told me very strick the korean embassy now…what kind of document i prepare and how much the money u need in ur bank plz answer me…..
hi Crizel! the Korean Embassy has been strict since 1994 in giving out tourist visas… anyway, you need to prepare:
- application form
- ITR
- Certificate of Employment
- bank statement (as much money as you can reasonably have)
- invitation from your boyfriend
how are you my name sajjad iam live in pakistan
iam fist time visa c2 stamp my passport iam statues change in south korea d-8 iam two intre live in south korea iam leagel stay sout korea but my need work permint any more halp me mu nomber 0092 334 8385045 0092 303 5945739
good by
I WAS IN SOUTH KOREAFOR 8YEURS AND NOW HOW CAN I TO GO THER
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