Many nationalities are exempt from visa requirements for short language courses in Korea lasting up to 90 days. Certain nationalities can extend this by an additional 90 days. If you wish to study in Korea for an extended duration, you must apply for a South Korea student visa. This approach begins with submitting an application, being accepted by a school in Korea, and paying the tuition price. The school will subsequently provide you the necessary documentation to obtain a visa from the Korean embassy in your native country.
The type of visa you are eligible for depends on your country and length of study in South Korea. For people who wish to study in South Korea, there are four distinct visa options available:
Citizens of the EU (with the exception of Cyprus and Portugal), the United States, Australia, and a number of other countries are permitted to visit Korea as tourists for up to 90 days without a visa. Canadians are permitted to stay for 180 days, whereas Portuguese and Russians are limited to 60 days. Some nations are limited to 30 days, while others are unable to enter Korea without a visa. Read further here.
You can complete a brief programme on visa exemption in South Korea within the period allotted. If you do not have time to apply for a student visa to Korea, you may be able to enter the country on a visa waiver and switch to a student visa after arrival, but before your visa waiver has expired. Please with your school before to using this option. We advise applying for a student visa prior to travelling to Korea.
You can travel to Korea without a visa beginning September 1, 2021, but you must register online at least 24 hours before to departure by applying for K-Eta and paying a charge of 10,000 KRW (about 7,5 Euro). Your K-Eta will be valid for two years for entry into Korea, unless you update your passport. When travelling on a visa-waiver, you receive an entry stamp in your passport upon arrival and are exempt from applying for a visa at your home country. Please remember that you must be able to demonstrate that you left Korea within the permitted timeframe. You do not need a return ticket; a ticket to another country will suffice as long as you can demonstrate that you will leave Korea on time. Without a valid departure ticket, you may be refused boarding on your aircraft to Korea, as this is typically a check-in requirement.
If you need to stay in South Korea for longer than 90 days and cannot apply for a student visa (for instance, if you take a lengthy language course at a school that does not sponsor student visas), you can briefly leave the country and return to extend your stay by another 90 days. For instance, you depart South Korea on day 88 of your visa exemption to spend the weekend in Tokyo. When you return to South Korea, another 90-day stamp will be placed in your passport. You can only perform this action once. This is a loophole and not something that South Korean officials would approve. Before attempting this, please check with your school to see what they recommend.
If you intend to study at a Korean university for longer than ninety days, you must submit an application for a South Korea student visa. A Certificate of Admission from a Korean university is required to apply. Generally, you must pay for at least two 10-week terms in order to receive such a document. Universities in Korea offer four 10-week terms per academic year.
A South Korea student visa is referred to as a D-visa, followed by a number that differs based on the field of study in Korea. After six months of study in Korea on a student visa, you are eligible to apply for permission to work part-time. Contact your university for additional information.
The Working Holiday visa is an alternative option for those who wish to remain in Korea for a longer duration (H-1 visa). It is valid for one year; one’s life can only be obtained between the ages of 18 and 30. On a Working Holiday visa, you may work and study at private institutions like language schools.
South Korea has Working Holiday Agreements with Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, according to our most recent information. Consult the Korean Embassy for more details on the Working Holiday Visa.
If you previously held Korean citizenship or have a parent or grandparent who previously held it, you are eligible to apply for the F-4 visa, which is exclusive to people of Korean origin. This visa allows you to work and study in Korea without restriction for two years. Then, you will be able to extend your visa.
Throughout the remaining steps, we will concentrate mostly on the student visa, as this is what the majority of students will apply for.
Studying in South Korea requires a D-2 student visa for international students. This can be arranged at your nearest Korean Embassy or Consulate once you have received your university’s admission letter. If you require assistance during the process, your university should be able to provide it.
Prior to the start of the semester at Korea University, all international degree-seeking students must obtain a student visa (D-2). Other visa kinds that allow international students to enroll in a degree-granting program at a Korean university (e.g. F-type, E-type, A-type, etc.) are also accepted. However, short-term visas like as B-type and C-type visas are not appropriate because they do not let foreigners to enroll in academic programs at a Korean university. Student visas (D-2) can be obtained at the applicant’s home country’s Korean embassy or consulate.
The application for a student visa (D-2) requires several documents, including the Certificate of Admission (CoA), which will be given by Korea University’s International Education Team. Proof of Final Academic Credentials and Financial Statement (bank account, scholarship, etc.) serving as evidence of the student’s budget for living expenditures in Korea are also required. Keep in mind that the issuance of these documents may take considerable time, and that you may be required to fulfil additional requirements during the procedure. Therefore, it is advised that students contact the Korean embassy or consulate in their place of residence well in advance to request the necessary documents for student visa (D-2) application and to prepare them in advance to obtain the visa on time.
The Korean embassy or consulate will issue a D-2-2 (for undergraduate students) visa under the name of Korea University once the application has been granted. If your visa was issued wrongly (D-2-1, D-2-3, etc.), please contact the embassy to have your visa type corrected.
Freshmen who may already be in Korea with a student visa (D-2) issued with the Certificate of Admission (CoA) from another university are required to leave the country and apply for a new student visa (D-2) at the Korean embassy or consulate in their home country.
All international students are strongly encouraged and directed to get a student visa (D-2) at their respective embassy or consulate of the Republic of Korea. However, if they are already in Korea without a student visa (D-2), they must immediately apply for one upon arrival. At the same time, they must submit an application for a student visa (D-2) and an Alien Registration Card (ARC) to the Sejongno Immigration Office. Students are required to visit the immigration website (HiKorea) and make an online reservation for the Sejongno Immigration Office visit. A late application after the start of the semester may result in a fee, and it is very difficult to attend the Sejongno Immigration Office once the semester has begun. Again, it is preferable not to enter Korea with a visa other than a student visa (D-2). The students are required to apply for a student visa (D-2) at a Korean consulate or embassy in their respective countries.
C-type visas, such as Group Tourism (C-3-2), Medical Tourism (C-3-3), and General Tourism (C-3-9), Industrial Training (D-3), Non-Professional Employment (E-9), and Miscellaneous (G-1) visas CANNOT be changed to a student visa (D-2) after entering Korea. If the student is in Korea on one of the listed visas, he or she must immediately leave the country and apply for a visa in his or her home country.
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