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How to Apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa in the Philippines

You must be plotting a KPop/KDrama scheme that’s why you come across this blog entry. Or maybe not. Well, there are lots of reasons why people would want to go to South Korea. I, myself, had a list of things I want to do when I get to SK. In this post, I will share my personal experience on how to apply for South Korea Tourist Visa in the Philippines.

After I had my visa approved, I received a lot of questions from friends and office mates if the application is easy or not. Well, for first timers like me, it was nerve-wracking. Completing the requirements is a piece of cake; it is the chance of getting approved that was a pain in the ass. If you check forums online, you will read a lot of horrible stories about denied visa application.

PS. If you are a citizen of a country that doesn’t require a visa to enter the South Korea, you can skip this post and check out my other travel content instead.

How early did you apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa?

When I applied, the earliest you could submit a South Korea tourist visa application was two months before your intended travel date. Be sure not to wait until the last minute or submit your application too close to your travel dates to avoid any disappointment. The embassy regularly updates its website with announcements about current processing times, so keep an eye on that.

What documents did you submit?

Here are the list of requirements I submitted, which also applies to employed individuals. If your situation differs, be sure to check the embassy’s list of requirements.

  1. Application Form (you may download the form using this link)
  2. 1 Passport-size colored picture
  3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
  4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
  5. Original and Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (if applicable)
  6. Original Certificate of Employment (must include applicant’s position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number, HR e-mail address)
  7. Original Personal Bank Certificate (must include account name, account number, account type, current balance, account opening date, 6 months average daily balance)
  8. Bank Statement (original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
  9. Photocopy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316
  10. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (if applicable)

If personally invited by Korean – authentication not required

  • Invitation Letter written in Korean
  • Photocopy of inviter’s Passport or Identification Card

If invited by company in Korea – authentication not required

  • Invitation Letter written in Korean
  • Photocopy of Korean Company Business Permit

Optional: Cover Letter – This is basically a letter addressed to the consul that explains why you’re visiting South Korea. It’s also a handy tool if you’re missing a particular document, like your Income Tax Return (ITR) or Certificate of Employment. Just make sure you put your best foot forward and write a convincing letter that shows you’re a responsible and trustworthy traveler.

How to Apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa in the Philippines?

Step 1 – Know your visa type

The type of visa you need depends on the purpose of your visit. For a short vacation as a tourist, the Single Entry Visa is the most suitable option. The C-3-9 (Short Term Tourism Visa) is valid for 90 days from the date of approval, with no application fee—meaning you won’t have to pay for processing. However, the maximum length of stay allowed is 59 days.

Step 2 – Gather the South Korea Tourist Visa Requirements

Now that you know which type of visa you need, it’s time to gather the necessary documents. Take a look at the list of requirements I submitted for my own application.

Step 3 – Submit your Application to Korea Visa Application Center in Manila

Walk-in applications are accepted without the need for an online reservation from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, except during Philippine and Korean holidays. Visa application submissions begin at 9:00 AM and continue until the 4:00 PM cut-off time. To ensure a smooth process, make sure you have all the required documents ready before visiting the visa application center.

While walk-in applicants are welcome at the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC), I highly recommend making an advance reservation through KVAC’s online system. This is to reduce queuing time at KVAC, especially for those traveling from distant areas. You can reserve a slot at least one day before their desired application date. Online reservation time slots are available Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, except during holidays.

For advance reservation, make sure to bring the following:

  1. A screenshot or printed copy of your confirmed reservation from the Korea Visa Application Center reservation homepage, along with the acknowledgment email for those submitting more than three applications; and
  2. A valid ID for identification purposes.

Step 4 – Wait for the visa application result

Though visa processing time is typically 10-15 business days, processing time may vary due to individual circumstances and other special requirements. You can check the status of your visa application online if you submitted via KVAC or through your chosen travel agency.

Step 5 – Collect your passport at KVAC

Once a decision is made, you will receive a notification from KVAC or your chosen travel agency. You may collect your passport personally or wait for your passport to arrive if you availed the courier service.

South Korea Tourist Visa: Other Useful FAQs

Can I apply for a visa to South Korea online?

At the moment, the South Korean embassy in the Philippines does not accept online visa applications. You need to submit your visa application in person at the embassy or consulate.

How much money should I have on my bank account?

There’s no exact amount of bank balance required for a South Korean visa, but you’ll need to show that you have sufficient funds to cover your travel expenses. Based on my experience (and other people), the stability of source of income bears more weight than the the actual balance. So start saving up, or you’ll be crying “Aigoo!” all the way to the airport.

Is Korean visa easy to get?

Getting a Korean visa is like playing a game of chance. You never know what’s going to happen, but if you meet the requirements and provide all the necessary documents, you’ll have a good chance of getting approved.

Can I apply for South Korean visa now?

Absolutely! As long as you have all the necessary documents and meet the requirements, you can apply for a South Korean visa now.

How long is Korean visa processing in Philippines?

The current processing time for a visa application in the Philippines is up to 15 working days, but it may take longer during peak seasons. So don’t wait until the last minute to apply, or you’ll be stressing out and refreshing your email every two seconds.

I am a first time traveler, do I have a lesser chance of getting approved?

No. Don’t be afraid to apply if you don’t have any previous travels abroad. Honestly, I don’t have any stamps on my passport as well and I was approved. There are numerous people who were denied even though they had several out of country trips.  

How long is the validity of South Korea Tourist Visa?

Single-entry visa allows you to enter South Korea once and stay for up to 59 days within three months from the date of visa issuance. Multiple-entry visa, on the other hand, allows you to enter South Korea for an unlimited number of times and stay for up to 30 days per visit. This visa is valid for up to 5 or 10 years.

How much does it cost to apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa?

Although the visa itself is free, processing through the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) or a designated travel agency comes with a fee. The visa processing fee at KVAC is 900 pesos per person, while travel agencies charge between 1,000 and 1,500 pesos, depending on the agency.

Is the visa processing fee refundable if it gets denied?

Unfortunately, no.

How do I know if my Korean visa is approved?

Just keep refreshing your email and checking your phone every two seconds like the rest of us. Lol! But seriously, you can check the status of your application online.

What if my South Korea Tourist Visa application is denied? Can I appeal?

The Korean Embassy does not accept appeals for denied visa applications. You may re-apply after 6 months. 

Do I need to have a travel insurance?

Travel insurance is not necessary for visa application.  I would suggest a travel insurance if you are staying for over a week in South Korea. If you’re traveling for only about 3-4 days and your estimated travel cost is pretty low, I won’t bother getting a travel insurance. 

Korea Visa Application Center in Manila (KVAC)

Address: 9/F (zone2) Brittany Hotel 6 McKinley Parkway, Aura Complex, BGC, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: 02-8248-5440
Email: kvacph@visaforkorea-mn.com

I hope this blog entry will help you. Good luck on your application. Remember, there is NO sure fire way of getting a South Korea Tourist Visa. You have to take a risk. You won’t lose anything if you apply. FIGHTING!

By Project Gora

Hey there! My name is Milet Miranda, and I'm a full-time corporate employee during weekdays and a traveler during weekends (and holidays...you get the picture). I'm a foodie at heart and I love joining food tours. When I'm not traveling, you'll find me walking my dogs or biking around my neighborhood.

56 replies on “How to Apply for a South Korea Tourist Visa in the Philippines”

Helo mam milet, mag tatanung lang akong ok lng po ba if 60k up yung nasa bank?? may cause po va na maaapproved? im a secretary of manggo marketing ,and gusto namin magapply for visa..

Hello Soo Shin! No one really knows how much you have to have in your bank account to get approved. Yung stability kasi ng source of income ang mas mahalaga. Nung nag apply nga ako 40K lang yung sakin pero na approved pa din. Good luck sainyo! 🙂

By Post Author

I love your blog. I keep on reading and reading all your blog posts.^_^ i am a budget traveller too. Ate, just want to ask cause i’m planning to have a vacation next year to korea, actually i LOVE KOREA even if i’ve never been there and honestly, it’ll be my first time to travel abroad. I have this dilemma of not passing the visa application. I’m just an ordinary employee of a manufacturing appliances company and have a salary ranging 13k-15k a month. In my itr it’s declared that i’m below minimum wage earner, is there any a chance that i could pass the visa application? Though i have more than 50k savings in my bank account. And which is preferable, I’ll first book a flight before applying a tourist visa ? (cause i’m planning to book a promo fare (1 fare) or appplying first the visa before booking a ticket which will cost me more than 10k.. thank you. I’ll wait for your reply.

I don’t think it will matter if you are below minimum wage earner. You are not tax exempt ergo you can provide ITR. Ang mahalaga nagbabayad ng tamang buwis 🙂 Basta you are employed and have stable source of income, pasok sa banga yan! And don’t forget to check the contact number of your HR, sabi kasi ni unnie dun sa embassy minsan kapag hindi sila maka connect twice lang nila tatawagan. Pag wala pa rin, denied na. Regarding your plane tickets, if you are willing to take a risk, then book a promo fare before applying a visa. And lastly, when I first applied, I don’t have any previous travels abroad either. I was approved. Good luck on your application Mariz and thanks for visitng my blog! 🙂

By Post Author

hi. may i ask if u r a regular employee in ur company? i am planning to get visa kasi soon. ang worry ko lang, i am working in the department of health. pero under job contract lang, meaning contractual. pero i worked for at least a year na. pls. answer. thanks.

Hello Anne, Yes I am a regular (full time) employee in our company. What I know is, as long as you can present a COE, that would suffice. Of course, other requirements should be complete. Hope this helps 🙂

By Post Author

Hi! Im applying for visa next week, and Im worried I’ll get denied since it’s my first time to travel to SK. Sana ma-approve kasi Im going with lots of my friends this coming March. I have a few concerns regarding the ff. and I hope you can help me with this. Thank you!

ITR: I am a Physical Therapist and I work in a rehab center. We are not declared as employed, but as consultants so instead of salary, professional fee yung binibigay sa amin. I got my own ITR form 1701 on Sept 2014, but I started working there Sept 2013 (March 2013 graduate ako ng PT). Nagbayad ako late filing kasi Sept na ako nagreg sa BIR. Would that be a problem?

COE: nilagay sa COE ko is yung annual professional fee (wala kaming basic salary kasi per patient yung bayad sa amin). Nilagay na annual fee for 2014 was P200,000++. Okay lang ba?

Bank Cert: I was not confident with my money sa bank so I asked my dad to transfer a little of his money to my account just for purposes of the bank cert. So ngayon P100,000++ nasa bank cert ko.

for the additional docs that the consul might request, all photocopies lang or should i bring the original? kasi diba ung orig lang na ibibigay ay bank cert at COE 🙂 happy trip!

Sana naman. Mas okay ng magbayad kesa madeny :/ Kinakabahan kasi sa mga nababasa ko na blogs re denied sk visas. Btw, nice blog! 👍

Hi Milet! Nagapply na ako nung monday lang ng visa ulit. I also have unused visa. Nagapply ako nung july, hindi ko naman alam na 90 days lang allowed. So when i got my visa approved naman siya kaso yun nga hangang nov lang eh december sk ko for winter din 🙂 Sure kaya yun na maapprove? Hindi ko din sinabe na may unused visa ako. Kelan ka nagbayad sa penalty nung pagkakuha mo? Sana okay naman. Nakabili na ako ng ticket and book sa hotel namin. :/

Hello Tinners! Tingin ko wala naman magiging problema sa visa mo. Yung sakin din kasi nag re apply ako on the same year na first akong na approve. Pinag bayad nila ako on the day din na na release yung visa ko 🙂

By Post Author

Hmm, yung dalawang friends ko na deny last year pero nakapag appeal sila the same day na narelease yung passport nila. Wala kasing mabigay na clear explanation ang embassy bakit sila denied. So nangulit sila dun kay unnie sa window 3. Eventually nabigyan din sila ng visa.

By Post Author

Maam, na denied ako sa sk visa, binigay ko ung itr ko sa previous employer ko pati COE, but nagsubmit din ako ng bagong COE since employed ako sa business ng sister ko. Pano po kaya mag reaplly? Pwede po kayang mg pass ng affidavit of sposorship? Na sponsor ako ng sister ko for the travel expense?Meron naman po ako bank statement with sufficient funds.

Hi Dara! Sorry to hear you got denied. As far as I know, you can re apply after 6 months. You can prepare a notarized Affidavit of Support which states that your sister is responsible for your travel expenses. I am not sure though what other documents are required. Try mo din mag tanong sa forums in Reddit and Facebook, baka merong same case ng sayo. Madami pwede mag advise sayo dun 🙂

By Post Author

Hi, would you know if okay lang ba na april 27 appointment date.. pero ung mga Bank Cert, Bank Statement and COE was dated March 2023?

Hello Khamil! Wala naman po nakalagay na validity end date sa mga documents na yan. Some say 1 month from issue date lang sya pwede magamit, some say naman 3 months daw. If I were you, I will get new ones just to be safe.

By Post Author

Hello po!!! I just want to ask po if we need to submit a travel clearance? My sister and I are both students. I'm 19 and she's 16..Or we can secure a travel clearance after getting the result of our visa application? Thank you!!!

I will be going back to SK next month. Same req lang din yung i-susubmit, first timer man or hindi, right? Thanks!

i have a question..I got my visa today. When can I apply for my 2nd visa? Balak namen kasi bumalik ng march 2015. Thanks!

ask ko lang.. denied kasi ako.. and my work is US based.. so kumbaga free lance ako dito sa pinas. yon kaya ang dahilan kung bakit na deny ako?

I’m not really sure ash. Did you submit a BIR-issued COR? Ang alam ko kasi for freelancers and home-based service providers eto yung madalas na sinasubmit. Kung gusto mo talaga malaman ang reason, pwede ka naman magtanong sa embassy. Don kay unnie sa Window 3. Mabait yun 🙂

By Post Author

Hi, Milet. 🙂 I'm a fill time writer kasi so wala ko business permit or business registration. Ok lang ba na ITR lang i-present ko with Bank Cert? If you know a website regarding this, pa-share please. 🙂 Thank you. 🙂

Are you a freelancer? If that’s the case, then it does not clearly fall under any of the published categories in Korean Embassy website. But that does not mean you can’t apply. As you have mentioned, you can present an ITR and bank cert. I think that would suffice. May nabasa ako before sa pinoyexchange na freelancer and she was approved. Better to prepare other documents na lang just in case manghingi ang embassy. Good luck on your application Jessy 🙂

By Post Author

In Jeju Island, we stayed at Hotel Four Seasons. In Seoul, we stayed at Bukchon Maru Hanok guesthouse and Vestin Residence (Myeongdong). 🙂

By Post Author

Hi! I also have unused visa, ok lang b un? di b mkakaapekto kpg kukuha ako ulit.. at kelangan talaga magbayad 1,350 as penalty?

Hello Geanie! Wala naman ako naging problem nung nag apply ako ulit. Yes required na magbayad pag may unused visa. Though wala pa rin announcement sa website ng embassy kung lahat ba ng may unused visa ay dapat magbayad. Yung sakin kasi, unused visa sya on that same year na nag apply ako ulit. Hope this helps 🙂

By Post Author

Hi! My friend and I have already booked our flight to Seoul on Sept 2014. My friend is working in Singapore so she'll apply for her visa there. I'm worrying for my case because this is my first ever travel abroad, I got a very clean passport. I can comply with the requirements naman. Then i saw your blog and got a little confidence 🙂 May I know your profile? I've been working for 7 years and with my current job more than 2 years already. What do you think? =) Thank you in advance

I also don’t have any stamps in my passport when I first applied and I got approved! 🙂 I’ve been working for three years now (current company).
* 24 years old
* Bank Cert 40K

As I mentioned in my blog, there is no sure fire way of getting an SK visa. Just make sure to submit complete documents. And also, prepare other documents such as TOR, diploma, meralco bills or credit card statements. Sometimes, the cosul will request for additional docs. Normally, sa tentative release date nila nirerequest yun. So para hindi masayang oras mo pagbalik, i ready mo na yung ibang docs 🙂
* I actually applied for my 2nd visa last week and got approved. I will be in SK next year, January 12-19 2014 🙂 Good luck on your application 🙂

By Post Author

What if I don't have an ITR because I work as a partimer and I will about to finish my contract in the company. Guys please help how to do it. 🙁

You can use other documents, such as land title and deed of sale of property. I also read somewhere that you can get a certificate of exemption from the BIR. Not sure about the process though. You can contact BIR directly to inquire 🙂

By Post Author

i planned to go to SK on October 9-14, 2014.. what is the best date/month to apply for my visa? tnxs 🙂

August 2014. 90 days naman validity ng visa so dapat pasok dun ung date of departure nyo. 🙂

By Post Author

hi Milet, very interesting post. sana lang masagot ang aking question. problem kasi about bank certificate. I have read na pwede gamitin ang payroll account. kaso here in UAE, mas sikat ang pagbibigay nang bank statement. pwede kaya yung bank statement ng payroll account ko? thanks.

Hello! My friend used her payroll account when she applied last year, tinanggap naman. But the Embassy still requires submission of Bank Certificate, not bank statement. Try mo na lang siguro tanungin sa bank kung makakapag issue sila ng bank cert. It should indicate info such as the amount of money in your account, when it was opened and contact number of the bank. Check out the list of requirements from the embassy website.

By Post Author

thank you sa pagsagot sa tanong ko. one more question about sa length of stay. dba nakalagay dun sa application form yun. what if nilagay ko sa form 7 days lang pero mag stay ako dun 15 days. ayos lang ba nun?

you’re welcome. yup, okay lang yun. period of stay naman is not more than 59 days 🙂

By Post Author

Hello Milet, ask ko lang kung pwede na magapply ng maaga. For example, July magaaply pero February pa lang pupunta.

Hello Mel! 90 days lang ang validity ng single entry visa. So, kung Feb 2015 ang planned date of departure nyo, dapat pasok sya sa 90 days from the date of approval.

By Post Author

hi. your post was helpful 🙂 anyway, i have a question. in your Employment Certificate, did you indicate your salary details? thanks

tnx,ff.up question hw abwt bank cert..kailangan bah ndividual?or pwede na bank cert.ng parents…cla dn nman sponsor nmin pgpunta nmin sa SK plus kasama dn nmin..

If you are travelling with your parents, you have to submit your parent’s original bank cert and ITR. I am not sure though if there’s anything else required. It’s best to call the embassy 🙂

By Post Author

Good morning JL. If you are self employed you can either provide a copy of business registration from DTI/SEC or business permit. And don’t forget to submit ITR. Hope this helps! 🙂

By Post Author

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