How to Apply for a Korean Tourist Visa in the Philippines?

by · August 10, 2023

Entry to South Korea requires a travel visa, and gladly the process is easy. As long as the requirements are complete and the application form is filled up properly, then there wouldn’t be a problem for obtaining a Korean Tourist visa. Luckily, I was granted a Single Entry Tourist Visa the first time and a Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa the second time.

How to apply for a Korean tourist visa?

Visa updates and processes are available through the website of the Korean Embassy. Because everything is straightforward, I processed my Korean Tourist Visa application on my own. Submission is done anytime between 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM from Mondays to Fridays. In the embassy, I waited for two hours to submit mine. Afterwards, the consul advised me of the tentative date to get my passport back.

Korean Embassy in BGC Taguig Philippines

How to Apply for Korean Tourist Visa?

To apply for a Korean Tourist Visa, the first thing to do is to download the latest application form. The form is available directly from the website of the Korean Embassy under the consular or visa service. You may also get a copy from the embassy. There’s also a guideline indicated along in filling up the form.

Below is the said guideline for your reference.

  1. Fill out the form in English language and sign it with your signature. Attach a photo taken within the last 6 months.
  2. Submission of other documents may be requested, after the application is completed.
  3. The visa issuance may be denied after the screening of the application.
  4. Applicants shall notify the competent Korean embassy if there is a material change after the application is lodged or a visa has ben issued.
  5. If you obtain a new passport after a visa has ben issued, you should transfer the visa onto a new passport before departure.
  6. If you have a history of breaking the immigration law in foreign countries, you should submit the details of it with the application.
  7. Visa fee is not refundable even if visa is denied.

Here’s the guideline when filling up the form.

Korean Tourist Visa Application

Write down the number of the confirmation of Visa Issuance, if applicable.

1~2. Write down the name as printed in your passport. Surname is last name and Given Name is first name. 
3. If you have the Chinese character name, write down in Chinese character.  (Only for people from countries that use Chinese character.)
4. To mark your gender, check a bracket below.
5. Write down the date of birth in the order of day, month, and year.
6. Write down your nationality.
7. Write down the name of the country you were born in.
8.~12. Write down your address, phone number, mobile phone number and email in your home country.
13.~17. Write down the type of your passport (see your passport) and draw a circle around the appropriate one. (DP(Diplomatic Passport), OF(Official Passport), OR(Ordinary Passport))
18.∼20. Write down your occupation and the phone number, name and address of your company.
21.~25. Write down personal data of your spouse if you are married.
29. Write down how many times you have visited Korea.
30.~31. Write down the address and phone number of a place you are going to stay after arriving in Korea. If they are undecided, write down “undecided.”
32. Write down who will bear the cost of your stay in Korea. (Name, relation)
34. If you are a spouse or a child under the age of 20 of a person who holds the visa status of Culture and Art(D-1), Student(D-2), General Training(D-4) through Particular Occupation(E-7), fill these blanks.

35. Write down the name of person who sponsors your visa. (A sponsor may be a non-Korean.)

Requirements to Submit

After filling up the form, next thing to do is to complete the requirements. For employees like me, here are the requirements to submit:

  1. Completed application form
  2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture
  3. Original Passport that should be valid for more than 6 months
  4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
  5. Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable, and Korean Visas will not be counted)
  6. Original Certificate of Employment (with contact number/s; address of company and date of issue)
  7. Original Personal Bank Certificate
  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

Bank certificate and bank statement are different. Bank certificate shows the balance of the personal account as of a particular date, while bank statement is a list of financial transactions. Both can be requested from your branch but if you have access to your online banking, you can already print out the bank statement from there.

The purpose of these documents are to show that the applicant is financially capable of supporting his or her vacation in Korea. There is no definite amount of money that has to be available for these bank documents but when I submitted mine, my balance was below Php 50,000 (~$1000).

Korean Tourist Visa Queue Number

Releasing of Passport

Applying for a Korean Tourist visa is free if you’re just staying in the country for less than 59 days but if for more than 59 days, the fee is PHP 1,800 (~$35). Processing time is 3 working days for those who have visas of OECD member countries while 5 working days for those who do not have.

It took more than a week for me to get my passport back when I applied the first time since I submitted mine before the long holidays. I went back to the embassy on the date given to me, around 3:00 PM. Releasing of passport is available from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM only from Mondays to Fridays. I presented my confirmation receipt to the guard and he gave me a queue number. When my number was called, the consul returned my passport with my approved visa.

How to get a Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa?

*Update* As of August 2023, the Korean Embassy has no current partnership with any bank in the Philippines for granting of multiple-entry visa. You may need to submit a cover letter if you would like to request for a multiple-entry tourist visa.

How I got my multiple-entry tourist visa in 2016?

The Korean Embassy has partnered with BPI and BDO to make it easier to get a tourist visa without submitting ITR or bank documents. This promotion for Korean Tourist Visa application is available for select cardholders for free! So if you have any of the following cards, then take advantage of the promo. This visa promo is extended until December 31, 2019.

  • BPI – BPI Gold Master Card, BPI SkyMiles Platinum Master Card, BPI Amore Visa Platinum and BPI Gold Express Teller Debit Card
  • BDO – BDO Gold and BDO Elite

Multiple-Entry Korean Tourist Visa

I’m a BPI cardholder and I was happy to learn about this promo when I applied for my second Korean Tourist Visa. Cardholders are exempted from submitting financial documents. Applicants are only required to submit a photocopy of the card and statement of account along with the other requirements listed above (see list of requirements above from #1 to #6). Another exciting thing about this is applicants are also eligible for a multiple entry visa up to 5 years.

The process is still the same. It took me about two hours for my turn to give my requirements. The consul then provided me a receipt with a tentative date of releasing of the passport. Because I also already have a visa for OECD member country, processing only took 3 working days for me. When I went back to the embassy to get my passport, I was glad to see my approved visa and what’s even more exciting is my visa is good for multiple-entry up to 3 years. That’s it! Now, I guess it’s time to book for more promo tickets to Korea.

Update as of August 2023 – Opening of the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) and application of Korean tourist visa through KVAC.

KVAC will accept and release all visa applications.

  • Visa Application Schedule of KVAC
    • Pilot operation period : August 14 – 25, 2023 – Only applications with online reservation will be accepted. KVAC application fee is waived.
    • Start of official operation : August 29, 2023 – Application without online reservations will be accepted. KVAC application fee is required.
  • Visa Application Processing Period
    • Regular visa processing will take 5 working days. However, in case high volume of applications is received, processing period may be extended accordingly.
    • KVAC will provide a free SMS notification when visa application result is available
  • KVAC Fees and Services
    • From August 29, 2023, when submitting visa applications at KVAC, application fee of Php900 (tentative) for each application must be paid regardless of the visa type.
      • Exact fee will be announced in a separate notice once confirmed
    • Free SMS text message notification will be sent to the applicant when the visa application is received, and once the visa application screening is completed.

Please visit the Facebook page of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines for the updates on visa application or refer to this link.

Korea Visa Application Center in Manila
9F to 10F, Brittany Hotel BGC
6 Mckinley Parkway, BGC
Taguig, Metro Manila
Phone: 02-8248-5440
Website : https://www.visaforkorea-mn.com

Embassy of the Republic of Korea
122 Upper McKinley Road
McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig City, Philippines
Phone: (63-2) 856-9210
Email: philippines@mofa.go.kr
www.overseas.mofa.go.kr/ph-en/index.do

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33 Responses

  1. Jin says:
    October 27, 2017 at 8:09 am

    Hi! It would be also my second trip to Seoul and I’m planning to get a multiple visa (I have BPI Gold Mastercard) Is there any required amount for the credit limit?

  2. May Agranum says:
    October 7, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    Thanks for giving information about how to apply for visa in Philippines.

  3. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 23, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    Hi, Lotlot. I'm actually not sure about your case. Maybe it is best to contact the embassy regarding that. Thanks!

  4. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 23, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    Hi, Lotlot. I'm actually not sure about your case. Maybe it is best to contact the embassy regarding that. Thanks!

  5. Lotlot Villalobos says:
    March 21, 2016 at 2:18 am

    ask q lang kung pwede ung COR ksi ka2 register lng ng business q s bir kya wla p ITR

  6. Lotlot Villalobos says:
    March 21, 2016 at 2:18 am

    ask q lang kung pwede ung COR ksi ka2 register lng ng business q s bir kya wla p ITR

  7. Lotlot Villalobos says:
    March 21, 2016 at 2:18 am

    ask q lang kung pwede ung COR ksi ka2 register lng ng business q s bir kya wla p ITR

  8. Lotlot Villalobos says:
    March 21, 2016 at 2:18 am

    ask q lang kung pwede ung COR ksi ka2 register lng ng business q s bir kya wla p ITR

  9. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 9, 2016 at 6:58 am

    Thank you!

  10. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 9, 2016 at 6:58 am

    Thank you!

  11. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 9, 2016 at 6:58 am

    It's my pleasure to share my experience with travels and visas.

  12. John Marx Velasco says:
    March 9, 2016 at 6:58 am

    It's my pleasure to share my experience with travels and visas.

  13. Visa Application says:
    March 7, 2016 at 10:57 am

    Hi all, here every person is sharing these kinds of know-how, so it’s nice to read this website, and I used to go to see this blog daily.

  14. I am what you did not think I am says:
    August 6, 2015 at 7:09 pm

    Thank you very much for writing this blog! It helps a lot!

  15. I am what you did not think I am says:
    August 6, 2015 at 7:09 pm

    Thank you very much for writing this blog! It helps a lot!

  16. do I need a visa says:
    July 10, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Useful travel information shared. I am very happy to read this article. thanks for giving us nice info. Fantastic walk-through. I appreciate this post.

  17. John Marx Velasco says:
    February 8, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Hi, Aj. Only one picture is needed. There'll be no actually picture at the visa page itself that will be issued in the passport.

  18. John Marx Velasco says:
    February 8, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Hi, Aj. Only one picture is needed. There'll be no actually picture at the visa page itself that will be issued in the passport.

  19. AJ says:
    February 8, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    hi john! this is a very useful post. i just want to ask if the required 1pc passport size picture different from the picture pasted in the application form? does this mean I need 2pcs passport size picture? thanks. 🙂

  20. AJ says:
    February 8, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    hi john! this is a very useful post. i just want to ask if the required 1pc passport size picture different from the picture pasted in the application form? does this mean I need 2pcs passport size picture? thanks. 🙂

  21. Anonymous says:
    December 2, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    hi ask ko lang about what you said na "Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable, and Korean Visas will not be counted) – sure na po ba ito natatakot kasi ako na hnd mag submit nito tas needed pla, na experience mo na ba ito, salamat and super thanks for the help 🙂

  22. Anonymous says:
    December 2, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    hi ask ko lang about what you said na "Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable, and Korean Visas will not be counted) – sure na po ba ito natatakot kasi ako na hnd mag submit nito tas needed pla, na experience mo na ba ito, salamat and super thanks for the help 🙂

  23. Anonymous says:
    October 31, 2014 at 7:33 am

    Hi. When we would be the best time to apply for VISA. Most of what I read states that the validity is 3 months. But some also said that they can also give a one month validity? Will be travelling to SK on February but planning to apply as early as December. Having heard about the one month validity, I think I'll be moving the application to January.

    Thank you

  24. Anonymous says:
    October 31, 2014 at 7:33 am

    Hi. When we would be the best time to apply for VISA. Most of what I read states that the validity is 3 months. But some also said that they can also give a one month validity? Will be travelling to SK on February but planning to apply as early as December. Having heard about the one month validity, I think I'll be moving the application to January.

    Thank you

  25. Anonymous says:
    October 19, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Ok lang po ba na iba yung nag submit ng requirements at kumuha ng visa?

  26. Anonymous says:
    October 19, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Ok lang po ba na iba yung nag submit ng requirements at kumuha ng visa?

  27. marxtermind says:
    September 8, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    Hmmmm…. Try mo lang, after all the visa application is free naman. 🙂

  28. marxtermind says:
    September 8, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    I'm not really sure about that. I think it's best to ask the embassy.

  29. marxtermind says:
    September 8, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    I'm not really sure about that. I think it's best to ask the embassy.

  30. Anonymous says:
    September 4, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    pano kung walang magssponsor sa visa? ok lang din ba? palagay mo, gano kataas ang probability na ma-approve kung di pa nakakalabas ng bansa ever since?

  31. Anonymous says:
    August 31, 2014 at 10:59 am

    Regarding #35…non korean as long as working in korea? Pwede ba yung magiging kasama ko ang mag sponsor s akin kahit first time namin both?

  32. Anonymous says:
    August 31, 2014 at 10:59 am

    Regarding #35…non korean as long as working in korea? Pwede ba yung magiging kasama ko ang mag sponsor s akin kahit first time namin both?

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