KOREA TOURIST VISA

There are many types of South Korean visas, below are the most commonly used types of South Korean visas:

Most Vietnamese citizens residing outside of South Korea need to apply for a visa suitable for their specific purpose, except for those who fall under the following exempt categories:

• Vietnamese citizens holding a diplomatic passport entering South Korea for official purposes.
• Vietnamese citizens with a diplomatic passport, a service passport, and an APEC Business Travel Card (accompanied by a regular passport) if traveling for less than 3 months.
• You are a passenger waiting for a flight at a South Korean airport to continue to other countries in Europe.
• You have a re-entry permit for South Korea.
• You are frequent travelers or business visitors to South Korea.
• You are transiting in South Korea in the transit area and changing flights without leaving this area.

In addition, if you are a Vietnamese citizen entering Jeju, you will be exempt from the South Korean visa. Specifically, Vietnamese citizens will be allowed to enter Jeju if they meet the following requirements:

• You need to register for a tour through a travel company licensed by the South Korean government.
• You need to have a round-trip flight ticket to and from Jeju Island but with a layover at Gimpo Airport or Incheon Airport.
• You need to complete your travel itinerary in Jeju before transiting to the mainland at Incheon or Seoul.

• You need to clearly demonstrate the purpose of your trip, which is appropriate for the type of visa you are applying for.
• You need to prove that you have sufficient financial means for your trip to South Korea and to return to your home country.
• You need to demonstrate that you will leave South Korea before the expiration of the allowed stay period.
• You must meet health and character requirements and have no criminal record.
• You have not violated South Korea’s immigration laws in the last 5 years.
• You are not among the individuals who may pose a risk to the interests of South Korea.

Visa type: Short-term tourist visa for Korea

• Symbol: C-3-9
• Number of entries: 1 time
• Validity: 3 months
• Maximum stay per entry in Korea: Up to 30 days

Visa type: Metropolitan visa

• Symbol: C-3-91
• Number of entries: Multiple entries
• Validity: 5 years
• Maximum stay per entry in Korea: Up to 30 days

In addition, to apply for a Metropolitan visa, foreigners need to meet the following conditions:

• You must have entered Korea at least 4 times in the past 2 years.
• Alternatively, you can have a total of 10 entries or more and have no criminal record or history of illegal residence during your stay in Korea.

Note: In fact, for the short-term tourist visa for Korea (C-3-9), you can only apply for 15 days (if you travel independently) and 10 days (if you travel on a tour). Additionally, there is a medical tourism visa (C-3-3) issued for patients, family members, and caregivers invited by companies or organizations to take foreign patients for treatment registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea. This visa has a maximum validity of 3 months and allows a maximum stay of 30 days in Korea.

Before applying for a South Korean visa, you need to be aware of the necessary documents to avoid any last-minute issues that could waste a lot of time. The mandatory documents to prepare include:

Personal documents

Personal papers

• Visa application form for South Korea according to the embassy’s template.
• 2 photos 4×6, white background, taken within the last 3 months, clearly showing the face, no glasses.
• A copy along with the original passport valid for at least 6 months and must have blank pages for the visa.
• Marriage status confirmation letter certified by local authorities.
• Notarized copy of household registration, resume/ID card/national ID card photocopy both sides.

Passport: The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure from South Korea and must have blank pages for the visa. If your passport is almost blank and you have never traveled abroad, the chances of being denied a South Korean tourist visa will be very high. Therefore, before planning a trip to South Korea, you should take the time to travel abroad. If conditions do not allow you to go to countries like China or Japan, then Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, etc., in Southeast Asia are also effective alternatives.

ID photos: You should go to a photo shop and ask them to take photos according to the visa or passport requirements, size 3.5×4.5 cm. It is advisable to print about 5 or 6 copies in case of loss, mistakes, or misapplication.

Visa application form for South Korea: You can download this form from the website of the South Korean consulate, either the embassy or consulate! The form will be divided into 2 templates with 2 different languages: English-Korean or Korean-Vietnamese. You can choose one of the two and then proceed to fill out the South Korean visa application. Note that the information you provide in the application form must be accurate, without any corrections or strikethroughs, and names must be written in capital letters.

Household registration, resume: You should go to a photocopy shop and ask them to photocopy all pages of your household registration, including blank pages, and do the same for your resume. After that, take all the photocopied documents to the notary office in your district/town for notarization. Remember to bring the original documents for comparison. Don’t be stingy and only notarize 1 or 2 pages; it is advisable to prepare about 4 or 5 notarized copies in case of damage or tearing so that you have replacements immediately.

Financial proof

Financial proof:

• A savings account of 5,000 USD (must be deposited for at least 3 months), salary statements for the last 3 months.
• Supplementary documents for real estate, stocks, vehicles, etc. (if any)

Having a strong financial source will prove that you can cover the entire trip. For the South Korean visa application in 2024, the embassy requires a minimum amount of 100,000,000 VND, and this amount must be deposited in the bank for 3 to 6 months to be considered valid.

However, you need to note that having a strong financial source will only be valuable if the source of funds is reasonable and matches your income situation. For example, if your monthly income is 10 million but your account balance is 500 million or even higher, the consulate may still have the right to question and require you to verify that amount unless you can prove other income sources or provide a property authorization from parents/relatives.

*Note: If you submit financial proof from your parents, you must include family documents such as household registration, birth certificate, etc. If spouses share a savings account and want to financially guarantee each other, they must submit a marriage certificate to prove their family relationship.

Employment proof

Along with proving financial sources and travel itinerary, having a stable job in Vietnam is also considered a plus that strengthens your South Korean visa application.

• Employment proof:
  For employees working at an agency/company: Bank transaction statements for the last 3 months, salary statements for the last 3 months, employment contract, and leave request to travel to South Korea confirmed by the agency/company.
• For business owners: Business registration certificate and tax payment report for the last 3 months.
• For students: Student ID along with a leave of absence or enrollment confirmation signed by the principal.
• Other cases will prepare documents as required by the diplomatic agency of the Republic of Korea.

If you are an office employee: You can contact your company’s HR department, write a leave request for your trip to South Korea from which date to which date, and ask HR to approve it (it needs the company’s official stamp). Then, photocopy the previously signed employment contract along with the salary statements for the last 3 months to include in your application.

If you are a business owner: When you want to travel to South Korea, you need to prepare a photocopy of your business registration certificate along with the monthly tax payment report.

Students: Photocopy and notarize your student ID and the leave of absence for traveling to South Korea with confirmation from the principal.

Travel itinerary

Travel itinerary: 

• A clear and detailed sightseeing schedule (where to go, what to do)
• Confirm round-trip flight tickets, book hotel accommodations in South Korea, or provide the address and information of relatives or friends who will sponsor your stay in Korea.

The more detailed your itinerary, the better, including the departure date, return date, and what you plan to do each day in Korea, where to visit, and which neighborhoods to explore. Having a clear plan in South Korea will demonstrate to the embassy that you are serious about your trip and that you will not stay in Korea for any other reason than to travel and explore their country and culture before returning to Vietnam.

In addition to the travel itinerary, flight tickets and hotel booking confirmations are also important documents when applying for a South Korean tourist visa.

Confirmation of round-trip flight tickets: The embassy does not require you to present a payment receipt for your flight tickets; therefore, you only need to select a few airlines, confirm your departure and return dates, book your flight, and then choose Pay Later at the payment request section. Note: The information on the flight tickets, itinerary, and leave application must match. (For example, if you request leave from May 20 to May 30, then the flight ticket should be booked for late on May 19 or early on May 20, and the return ticket should be for May 29 or 30 to be valid.)

Hotel booking: Websites like Booking, Agoda, or Vietnam Booking support hotel reservations in South Korea. You should choose hotels that have cancellation policies and allow date changes without additional fees for more flexibility. After booking, print the confirmation, attach it to your application, and bring it along.

*Note: Nowadays, you can travel to South Korea without a visa provided you go to Jeju Island and meet the following criteria:

• Register for a tour through a travel agency designated and licensed by the South Korean government.
• You must complete your travel itinerary in Jeju before transiting to other mainland areas such as Seoul or Incheon, etc.
• You must have a round-trip flight ticket to Jeju, transiting at Gimpo International Airport or Incheon International Airport. The maximum stay when traveling to Jeju is no more than 5 days.

• Visa application fee for South Korea: Contact Unique Travel for consultation.
• Submit in person or send complete application by post to Unique Travel Company (Untra Tower – No. 37, Street No. 2, An Khanh Ward, District 2, Thu Duc City, HCMC)
• Processing time and result return: Approximately 14 working days (excluding holidays, Tet, Saturday, and Sunday)