PSA: You Can Apply for a Korean Tourist Visa Again from June 1

Visa-free travel to Jeju resumes in June as well.
by Ina Louise Manto | May 20, 2022

The long-awaited travel to South Korea is finally here – are you ready to pack your bags and go on a K-pop, K-drama, and K-food pilgrimage? After closing its borders in 2020 due to the pandemic, Korea is opening to tourists again and eager travelers may begin applying for short-term travel visas and e-visas beginning June 1.

Korea is opening to tourists again

After suspending the issuance of short-term visas and e-visas from April 13, 2020, the justice ministry shared on Thursday its plans to resume the issuance of C-3 visas for foreigners on June 1. This type of visa will allow foreign visitors to stay in South Korea for 90 days or less for the purpose of tourism, recuperation, transit, visiting relatives, business, and more. Over the past two years, the C-3 visa has only been issued for government affairs, diplomacy, and other kinds of humanitarian reasons.

The issuance of e-visas for outstanding talents, foreign patients, and group tourists will also resume in June.

According to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, multiple entry visas issued before April 5, 2020, which have not expired, may be used without re-application.

Visa-free travel to Jeju and Gangwon

One more thing to look forward to as the issuance of Korean tourist visas resume: visa-free travel to Jeju and Gangwon Province will also begin on June 1. Travelers can experience and explore Jeju Island’s landscapes visa-free for up to 30 days. To enjoy the visa-free entry, you have to enter through a direct flight to Jeju International Airport.

Gangwon, which is 1-2 hours away from Seoul, will also begin accepting visa-free entry for tourists on June 1. This visa-free travel to the province is only exclusive to 4 Southeast Asian countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Vietnam. Group tourists (only groups of 5 or more) must travel through a travel agency and fly to Yangyang International Airport. Tourists can explore the province for up to 30 days.

For the latest updates regarding the issuance of Korean visas, visit the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines.