Annyeonghaseyo! South Korea – the land that brought us Kpop and Koreannovelas – is bridging us even closer to their culture and wonders with their new visa express service. Just recently, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea unveiled a brand-new service that makes the visa application process a little bit faster. Although it’s not exactly groundbreaking or revolutionary, this nevertheless is great news for those who are planning to venture into South Korea. And, who knows? It might be the beginning of a more relaxed and easier South Korea visa application process. Skyscanner reveals more info about this new visa update!
About the South Korea visa express
Planning on traveling to South Korea this year? Guess what? You no longer have to wait for a while to get your Korea visa or see the results of your application process. Officially launched on November 12, 2018, this new service processes your visa application in just 2 days. Awesome, isn’t it?
Pumped up to try this service? Keep in mind, though, the new South Korea visa express is only available for those who are traveling to South Korea for tourism and leisure purposes. It’s not applicable for working visa, spouse visa and study abroad visa.
Find cheap flights to South KoreaBefore this new service, the typical processing time was 3 days or more for visa applicants who’ve been to an OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) member country within 5 years of the application.
Speaking of OECD, here’s a list of the countries that belong to this organization.
| Australia | Greece | Netherlands | Turkey |
| Austria | Hungary | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
| Belgium | Iceland | Norway | United States |
| Canada | Ireland | Poland | |
| Chile | Israel | Portugal | |
| Czech Republic | Italy | Slovak Republic | |
| Denmark | Japan | Slovenia | |
| Estonia | Korea | Spain | |
| Finland | Luxembourg | Sweden | |
France | Mexico | Switzerland |
Applicants, who haven’t been to any OECD country, had to wait for over 4 days before seeing the results of their application. Thank God for the South Korea visa express service! By the way, the 48-hour period doesn’t include the time of submission of the application requirements.
How to apply for a South Korea visa via the express service
Surprisingly, it’s fairly easy to apply for a South Korea tourist visa with this new service. You just have to download the application form here, fill it up, and prepare the requirements. Once done, you have to submit your application form and requirements to any accredited travel agency. Of course, you’ll also have to pay for the South Korea visa express processing fee (PHP 1,000) as well as the agency’s service fee.
Find cheap flights to South KoreaAccredit travel agencies for visa application
| Adventure International | HIS (Philippines) Travel Corp. | North Star International Travel Inc. |
| Ark Travel Express Inc. | Hanatour Manila Inc. | Pan Pacific Travel Corporation |
| Blue Horizons Travel and Tours Inc. | HankookCeb Corp. | Party-On Travel and Tour Community Inc. |
| Budget Travel and Tours Inc. | Horizon Travel and Tours Inc. | Rajah Travel Corporation |
| Casto Travel Philippines Inc. | Island Resort Club Tour Services Inc. | Rakso Air Travel and Tours Inc. |
| City Travel and Tours Corporation | JTB Asia Pacific Philippine Corporation | Reli Tours and Travel Company |
| Come on Philippines Golf and Travel Agency Inc. | KP Joeun Consultancy Inc. | Sharp Travel Service (Philippines) Inc. |
| Constellation Travels Inc. | Las Palmas Tours and Travel Agency Inc. | Swire Travel Philippines, Inc |
| First United Travel Inc. | Marsman Drysdale Travel Inc. | The Baron Travel Corporation |
| Travel Pros | Travelservices, Inc. | Uni-Orient Travel Inc. |
Things to take note:
- The Korean embassy currently doesn’t accept walk-in applicants for tourist visa.
- Regardless of the result, the service fee for your application is non-refundable.
- All application requirements must be submitted on business days, between 08:30 to 11:00 AM.
- Releasing of your application results will be from 01:30 PM to 04:00 PM
Can’t wait to travel to South Korea? Make your South Korea trip fun and incredibly affordable by scoring accommodations and cheap flights to South Korea with Skyscanner – the world’s leading travel search engine!