Do I Need A Visa For South Korea

If you’re planning on spending some of your precious vacation time in South Korea, you need to make sure you have the appropriate documents to enter and stay in the country. There are a few visa types depending on where you are coming from and how long you plan on staying that may be required. Read more to find out what will be needed for your trip.

Visas are not required by most visitors to South Korea. Citizens of some countries do require a visa, although in some cases visas are granted on arrival. The passport must meet certain criteria and show at least 6 months remaining after the date of arrival into Korea. These requirements apply for those entering with regular passports only.

Do I Need A Visa For South Korea

South Korea visa-free countries

Citizens of several countries (as listed below) can visit South Korea without a visa for short-term visits. Foreigners entering under the visa-waiver program are not allowed to work or engage in any remunerated activities.

If you are from one of the countries exempted from South Korea visas, but you want to stay longer than the visa-exemption allows, then you have to apply for the corresponding South Korea visa before you travel.

South Korea visa exemption for up to 180 days

Citizens of Canada can enter South Korea without a visa for a stay of up to 180 days.

South Korea visa exemption for up to 90 days

Citizens of the following countries can enter South Korea without a visa for up to 90 days:

European Union countries (except Cyprus)	Antigua and Barbuda	Australia
Bahamas	Barbados	Brazil
Chile	Colombia	Costa Rica
Dominica	Dominican Republic	Ecuador
El Salvador	Grenada	Guatemala
Haiti	Hong Kong	Iceland
Israel	Jamaica	Japan
Kuwait	Liechtenstein	Macau
Malaysia	Mexico	Morocco
New Zealand	Nicaragua	Norway
Panama	Peru	Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Serbia
Singapore	Suriname	Switzerland
Taiwan	Thailand	Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey	United Arab Emirates	United States
Uruguay	Venezuela

South Korea visa exemption for up to 60 days

Citizens of Lesotho and Russia can enter South Korea without a visa for up to 60 days.

South Korea visa exemption for up to 30 days

Citizens of the following countries can visit South Korea without a visa for up to 30 days:

Albania	Andorra	Argentina
Bahrain	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Botswana
Brunei	Cyprus	Eswatini
Fiji	Guam	Guyana
Honduras	Kazakhstan	Kiribati
Marshall Islands	Mauritius	Micronesia
Monaco	Montenegro	Nauru
New Caledonia	Oman	Palau
Paraguay	Qatar	Samoa
San Marino	Saudi Arabia	Seychelles
Solomon Islands	South Africa	Tonga
Tunisia	Tuvalu	Vatican City

Other exemptions from South Korea visas

You are also exempt from South Korea visas if:

• You have a visa for the US., Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, and you are traveling directly from one of those countries or intend to travel there afterward.
• You are part of a Chinese group tourist and have a group-tourist visa to Japan
• You have an onward flight ticket out of the country, scheduled within the next 30 days

Types of South Korea visas

South Korean visas are divided based on the duration and how many entries in the country they allow:

• Single-entry visas, valid (as the name suggests) for a single entry and up to 90 days.
• Multiple-entries, allowing multiple entries in South Korea for the duration it has been issued.

Then, depending on why you want to visit South Korea, you can apply for one of the following visas:

• South Korea Tourist Visa
• South Korea Business Visa
• South Korea Family Visit Visa (for more than 90 days)
• South Korea Work Visa
• South Korea Student Visa
• South Korea Working Holiday Visa

South Korea Tourist Visa

South Korea tourist visas issued to foreigners who want to travel simply for tourism or recreational purposes. So, you can receive a tourist visa if you are travelling for one of the following reasons:

• Tourism
• Transit
• To receive medical treatment in a South Korean hospital
• To visit a family member/friend
• To attend a religious/cultural/sporting/musival event
• Another short-term reason

South Korea tourist visas allow the holder to stay in South Korea for up to 90 days. The holder of a tourist visa is not allowed to work or engage in any other renumerated activities.

South Korea Business Visa

You are eligible for a long-term Business Visa for South Korea if:

• You are a specialist who will work for a public or private organization in Korea to repair, install, or operate imported machinery
• You will work as a manager or specialist in a company in South Korea
• You are an Intra-Company Transferee
• You are a specialist in a foreign investment company in South Korea

South Korea Work Visa

If a foreigner wants to work in South Korea, they have to apply for a South Korea Work Visa. Foreigners eligible for a South Korea Work Visa include professors, foreign language teachers, researchers, and those working in another activity permitted by the Minister of Justice through a contract with a public or private organization or company in South Korea.

South Korea Student Visa

Foreigners who will enter South Korea to pursue their studies in a Korean educational institution have to apply for a South Korea Student Visa. They can be:

• Short-term Student Visas to attend a course of study that’s shorter than 90 days.
• Long-term Student Visas, to attend a course of study longer than 90 days, such as in a university or language school.

South Korea Working Holiday Visa

The South Korea Working Holiday Visa is available to citizens of countries that have a Working Holiday Agreement with South Korea (as listed below). The WHV allows the holder to remain in South Korea for up to one year, for the purpose of holidaying, working, or studying.

To receive the South Korea Working Holiday Visa, you must:

• Be from one of the eligible countries
• Be between 18 and 30 years of age (in some cases, the cut-off age is 25)
• Have sufficient funds to cover at least the beginning of your trip (at least KRW 3,000,000)
• You must not have received a South Korea Working Holiday Visa in the past
• Have a clean criminal record
• You must be travelling primarily for holidays (working or studying should be secondary purposes, otherwise you have to apply for a Student or Work Visa)