Completing a Korean visa application is always nerve-racking even by just the thought of it especially if it's your first time. You might have come across stories about how they got denied and all that. Well, it's not extremely an uphill climb as long as you have the complete documents and the right intentions. What's great about this is, it does not cost anything for travel period that's less than 59 days.
Primarily, for a tourist visa, the most common reasons you encounter issues would be the proof of economic ties with your country. This is common among applicants who are unemployed, self-employed or a freelancer, and businessmen. I'm guessing, the consul might think that you are not going back to your country and would settle there to look for jobs. Chances are you would have to provide more documents to support your employment or financial status.
However, there are also applicants who are employed but encountered issues in the visa application due to incomplete data or documents. The following tips are based on my own experience and personal questions and dilemmas while preparing for my application. I just recently got my visa for Korea (just a week before my flight. Woah!) and I'm thrilled to finally have my share on this topic. My views are limited to the visa app for employed Filipino applicants.
Here are some important things you need to know about filing for a Korean visa application.
1. APPLICATION FORM
General Instructions
Fill out the Visa Application Form completely and without erasures. All items that do not apply should be filled in with N/A except for the part labeled with "For Official Use Only". This is very important as I had observed application forms being handed back to the applicant due to incomplete entries or data.
Date Format
Follow date formats if it's indicated. Otherwise, copy the date format from the original document. An example would be the date format for passport expiration and travel periods to other countries.
OECD Country
If you're not sure if you have already traveled to an OECD country, there's actually a website with the list.
Visa Issuance Confirmation
Write N/A since it is not applicable for tourist visa application. Refer to this website for more details
Countries visited (in the last 5 years)
This is one of the dilemmas I had since I had a tri-city vacation (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) where I went in and out of Singapore in a matter of days (even hours from Indonesia). I ended up realizing that I was just being anxious and overthinking. I simply copied the date stamps on my passport and wrote two sets of travel periods for Singapore and I didn't encounter issues with that.
2. PHOTO
Paste your passport-sized photo on the application form before you submit. Never use staples to attach your photo. They do not accept photos with stapler holes.
To smile or not? This is quite funny because it has been boggling my friend who submitted a photo with a very happy (smiling) face. We had an impression that a photo for a visa app should be all serious. Well, not really. You just make sure that your face and ears are shown. Wearing a white shirt that blends with the background and wearing a burqa or niqab that conceals the face will not be acceptable.
3. CERTIFICATE OF EMPLOYMENT (COE)
The Korean Embassy is very strict with the details of every required document. It is important to note what particular information they need. For a COE, it must be original and the following must be clearly stated:
- position/job description
- date hired
- compensation
- office address
- HR landline and email address *note: cellphone numbers are not allowed
4. BANK CERTIFICATE (original)
Crucial information that should be in your bank certificate are the following:
- opening date of account
- account type
-current balance
- average daily balance (ADB)
Never miss any of those information as they may ask you to produce another certificate with complete details. In my case, the my bank indicated N/A under ADB since it was my payroll account and it's a current account (not savings). Yes, payroll accounts are absolutely acceptable so long as you have sufficient funds and there are movements/transactions for the past 3 months. Also, it is ideal to have at least a 6-month old account.
How much do you really need?
While it's not really stated under the requirements, some blogs say, $130-190 per day would be a safe amount but I have known someone who only had around $570 in her account for a 4-day trip and she got approved. In my case, I had about $970 for a 6-day trip.
5. BANK STATEMENT
This document can either be original or certified true copy reflecting the transactions within the past three months.
6. ITR/BIR FORM 2316 with COMPANY ALPHALIST
Getting the BIR Form is pretty simple but never miss the Alphalist that contains your name and most importantly, a received stamp from BIR. If there's a lot of items in the alphalist, it is necessary to highlight your name. I've known a friend who had to go to BIR herself to have the documents stamped since (perhaps) those were not yet updated by her employer.
7. Don't forget to photocopy the Bio-page of your passport and your PRC license (if any)
8. SUBMISSION
The consulate or embassy accepts application in the morning (8:30-11:00 AM). The office is already open at around 8:30AM but they actually start at 9:00AM. Afternoon schedules are for releasing of Visa (1:30-4:00PM). Cebu Consulate has lesser applicants unlike in Manila where applicants had to queue as early as 2 AM just to get an appointment.
My friends and I got there at exactly 8:30 AM and we were surprised that there was no queue at all. The windows opened at 9AM and we had submitted all our documents in 30 minutes. That quick and hassle-free!
My friends and I got there at exactly 8:30 AM and we were surprised that there was no queue at all. The windows opened at 9AM and we had submitted all our documents in 30 minutes. That quick and hassle-free!
Always take note of the sequence of the requirements and ARRANGE YOUR DOCUMENTS ACCORDINGLY. I intentionally highlighted this part to avoid delays whatsoever. They might actually return the documents to you if these were not sequenced properly.
You would be provided a checklist once you're in the embassy/consulate or you may check out the official website here.
I am actually travelling with four other friends and I just realized maybe it was an advantage to travel with a group or perhaps it's the fact that we are government employees that gave us an upper hand in our application.
Our application went smoothly without having to resubmit anything. We only had one transaction number as we chose to submit as a group but you can always choose to submit individually. We were given one claim stub/transaction slip for releasing 7 days after the date of application. We all got our passport stamped! Yaay!
Your visa has a 3-month validity from the releasing date and you have 59 days to stay in Korea. Ideally, the application shall be done a month before the travel date but we were able to accomplish this in two weeks. By the way, we had booked our flight months ago even if we knew there would be a chance of getting denied in our application but we took the risk. Glad we did!
If you're in Cebu or Metro Manila, you're lucky because these are the only cities in the Philippines with a Korean Embassy or Consulate.
Cebu Address
12F, Chinabank Corporate Center,
Samar Loop, Hipodoromo,
Cebu Business Park,
Cebu City, 6000 Cebu
Metro Manila Address
McKinley Town Center,
122 Upper McKinley Rd,
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig,
1634 Metro Manila
SoKor here we come!
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