Foreigners wishing to enter Korea are required to have a visa, which can be applied for at a Korean
Embassy or Consulate-General.
However, a person meeting any one of the following qualifications may enter Korea without a visa.
* Nationals of countries that have signed a visa waiver agreement with the Republic of Korea. (To
see nationals of countries allowed for visa-free entry, visit the 'Visa' menu, which is located at
the top menu bar of our Ministry website)
* Those granted permission or immunity for reentry.
* Those entering for the interest of international goodwill, travel, or purpose which are beneficial
to Korea and have been granted permission upon presidential decree.
* Those who have departed with a refugee travel certification and are entering prior to the
expiration date.
■ Requirements for Visa Application
1. A valid passport
2. A completed visa application (download)
3. Passport size photo
4. Fee (Refer to the 'Visa' menu, which is located at the top menu bar of our Ministry website)
■ Visa Types
▷ Diplomacy/Official Business Status
Diplomacy (A-1), Official Mission (A-2), Conventions/Agreements (A-3)
▷ Employment Visa
Short-term Employment (C-4), Professorship (E-1), Foreign Language Instructor (E-2), Research (E-3),
Technology Transfer (E-4), Professional Employment (E-5), Arts and Performances (E-6),
Special Occupation (E-7), Non-professional Employment (E-9), Vessel Crew (E-10), Working Holiday (H-1)
▷ Non-profit and Short-term Stay Visa
Temporary Journalism (C-1), Short-term Business (C-2), Temporary Visit (C-3)
▷ Long-term Stay Visa
Cultural Arts (D-1), Study Abroad (D-2), Industrial Training (D-3), General Training (D-4), Training (D-4),
Journalism (D-5), Religious Affairs (D-6), Supervisory Intra-Company Transfer (D-7),
Corporate Investment (D-8), Trade Management (D-9), Job-seeking (D-10), Family Visitation (F-1),
Residential (F-2), Dependent Family (F-3), Permanent Residence (F-5), Miscellaneous (G-1)
For required documents for each specific visa, visit the 'Visa' menu located at the bottom of the Korea
Immigration Service website at http://immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do
A) The Korean Culture and Information Service operates a homepage which offers a wide
variety of information on Korea. You can visit their homepage at http://www.korea.net.
Useful sites on Korean economy are KITA(Korea International Trade Association)'s homepage
at http://www.kita.org and KOTRA(Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency)'s homepage
at http://english.kotra.or.kr. One can get up to date information on travel by visiting Korea
Tourism Organization's homepage at http://english.visitkorea.or.kr. Other helpful sites can be
found at the 'Links' menu located under the 'Related Sites' menu in the lower right corner of
our Ministry's homepage.