Another one of the countries here in Asia that would need an approved visa to get to is Korea. Although it may need some additional paperwork to get there, I am telling you that waiting for your visa to get approved for Korea is worth it when you see how beautiful and clean the country is. With that, here are some of the tips I can share to you with how you can expedite the process of getting your Korean visa approved in no time.

1. Keep your application clean!

This may be tough for some to be able to accomplish a clean and error-free written document fully, but you could always reprint the document again if you have made some errors. Erasures and crumpled papers are red flags for the consul. As a visa applicant, you wouldn’t want your application to be denied just because of a simple erasure. Write legibly in printed capital letters using a pen with black ink.

2. Submit all the necessary requirements.

You can check the requirements at the Korean embassy’s website. Make sure that the documents you’re submitting are complete and authentic. Don’t dare falsify any documents as this would warrant your application’s denial. Just submit all what’s required. There’s no need to submit any other documents that are not indicated in the list of requirements unless you use these papers as a back-up for your case.

3. Ensure that you have enough money in your bank account.

Now you might think that this not needed, but for embassies, it says a lot about a person! Since their goal is to screen out any travelers who are going to stay longer in Korea than what the duration of their visas would allow them to, consuls would need to see if you have enough financial resources to fund your stay in Korea and going back home. In that way, you won’t seem too fishy that you’re planning to look for a job in Korea and stay there.

4. Have copies of all your OECD visas

If you have an OECD visa, it’s a good idea, go bring them with you along with your other documents. This would absolutely help expedite your application process since you have enough proof that you are indeed a traveler and that going back home isn’t an issue for you. Some of the countries that are a part of the OECD are the following: Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, United States, etc. You can look it up online and check if the country you have previously visited is a part of the OECD.

5. A detailed itinerary isn’t required, but it’s advisable.

If you’re wondering if you need to have a flight booked before the application, the answer is no. It’s recommended that you book your flight after the approval of your visa. Some go for hotel accommodation. Although this would be a required field in your application, you don’t have to have a confirmed hotel or any lodging reservations finalized. It’s good that you know where you’re going to stay throughout your trip, but just in case the place you have originally listed won’t be available on the date of your travel, you can, by all means, change it.

There are regular visas which allow visits that could last up to 59 days in Korea. However, this would depend on what type of visa you’re going to apply to.

For the step by step guide in applying for Korea Tourist Visa, you may visit the embassy’s website: http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ph-en/brd/m_3277/list.do

Make sure to choose the most applicable category.