Best Practices for Obtaining South Korean Visa in 2023

Planning a trip to South Korea but worried about visa issues? No worries, the Mytour team will guide you through the South Korean visa application process in the most detailed way!

Best Practices for Obtaining South Korean Visa in 2023

Documentation for South Korean Visa Application

To make the South Korean visa application process smoother, you need to prepare the following documents:

Note: All documents must be notarized copies issued within the last 3 months on a single A4-sized paper, no cutting, no double-sided photocopies, no resizing, no photos, and no scans.

Original Passport + Previous Passport (if available): Passport must indicate place of birth (if born from Binh Dinh province onwards);

2 photos sized 3.5 x 4.5cm (white background, taken within the last 03 months);

ID card/ Citizenship card (CCCD);

Marriage certificate, birth certificate of children. Marriage certificate excerpt issued within the last 3 months.

Professional documents

Resume

Employee credentials:

- Original employee confirmation document (with seal). The confirmation document is valid for 14 days from the date of issuance;

- Appointment decision for state officials/employees;

- Bank account statement for the last 6 months;

- VSSID application: capture BHXH insurance participation information + capture BHYT card. If there is no BHXH, provide a written explanation stating the reason with confirmation seal. Alternatively, provide confirmation of salary for the last 6 months.

Business owner:

Retirement: retirement book or retirement decision with receiving salary + applying VSSID (taking pictures of social insurance information participating in the insurance process).

*For children under 18 not traveling with parents

- Original authorization letter from parents with local confirmation (template at the commune level);

- ID cards of both parents;

- Proof of parents' employment.

Furthermore, to facilitate applying for a South Korean visa, you need to possess personal asset documents (securities, savings passbook (original for verification), real estate, car, property documents…) copied to A3 size.

The Korean 5-year visa (or Metropolitan visa) marked C-3-91 is a type of visa that allows multiple entries within a 5-year period from the date of issuance, with a maximum stay of 30 days per entry. The requirements for obtaining a Korean 5-year visa are stricter than those for a regular visa:

Requirements for applying for a Korean 5-year visa:

• Vietnamese citizens residing outside of Korea;
• Permanent residency for over 1 year in one of the three major cities: Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City;
• No history of illegal residency in Korea;
• Must clearly demonstrate the purpose of the trip, suitable for each type of visa;
• Demonstrate the intention to leave Korea before the expiration of the stay;
• Meet all health requirements, with no criminal record;
• Not belong to groups posing risks to the security and interests of Korea.

Eligibility criteria for applying for a Korean 5-year visa:

Standard criteria:

• Individuals who have previously entered Korea (a minimum of 4 times within a 2-year period prior to submitting the application), excluding:
  • Those entering under visa exemption; or
  • Those previously denied entry.
• Government officials, state enterprise employees, employees of airlines/shipping companies with flights/ship routes to Korea.
• Individuals with an income exceeding $8,000 USD/year or holders of high-limit international credit/debit cards.
• Individuals invited by government agencies for business transactions, commercial consultations.
• Individuals invited by the government to attend international conferences.
• Corporate representatives, securities company management teams.
• Authors, journalists, directors, media personnel.
• Individuals with high professional qualifications and those engaged in artistic fields.
• Retired individuals receiving pensions.
• Those who have graduated from universities/colleges in Korea.
• Individuals with spouses, parents, children (under 18 years old) currently holding valid (C-3) visas.

• Individuals owning real estate/financial assets/businesses or companies valued over $200,000 USD.
• Employees who have worked for over 3 years in companies with investments in Korea exceeding $1,000,000 USD.
• Department heads or higher-ranking employees of the top 100 companies in Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia or the top 30 companies in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos.
• Individuals over 65 years old.

Exempted groups from financial and job proof requirements:

• Vietnamese citizens residing in provinces from Quang Tri northward for over 1 year.
• Those who have entered any OECD country within the past year (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Finland).

According to Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide