Apply for a Korean Visa for your Family

Last November 1, I was able to travel with my family in South Korea to see it's beauty during the autumn season. 🍁🇰🇷 For some of you who's planning to bring your family to South Korea, let me share the requirements we submitted.

So here's our case: I am the only one employed in the family, my mother is a housewife and my brother is Senior Highschool student.

Here are the documents I submitted: 

1. Application Form
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture which I attached in the application form
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
5. Original Certificate of Employment (with my position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number, HR e-mail address)
6. Original Personal Bank Certificate (with account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)
7. Bank Statement (original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
8. Copy of Form 2316

9. Copy of Birth Certificate

Documents I submitted for my mother:

1. Application Form
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture which I attached in the application form
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)

5. Copy of Birth Certificate

6. Copy of Marriage Certificate

Documents I submitted for my brother:

1. Application Form
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture which I attached in the application form
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)

5. Original School Certificate

6. Copy of School ID

7. Copy of Birth Certificate

Please note that these requirements are based on our family's scenario. Please do check the site for the detailed requirements applicable to you and your family.

✍🏻 Tips: 

1. No need to submit multiple copies of the financial documents if you are supporting your family's trip. Just attach them in your application form (assuming you are supporting their trip).

2. Be early. The embassy accepts application starting 8:30 AM and releases visa starting 1:30 PM but I suggest to be early to avoid long lines.

3. Write legibly and fill out the application form completely. If a field is not applicable, write  N/A.

4. Complete all the documents and sort it according to the list in their site.

5. You can check the status of your visa application here to alleviate the worry of your application status. 

❓FAQs:

How much do I need in the bank? There's no exact amount but it should be enough to support your trip. For us, I put 500 USD in the application (for 10 days). So I should have atleast 150 USD in my bank account, but I alloted 1000 USD for each of us (50k).

How soon should I process my application? Validity of visa is only 3 months from the issue date so I guess it's safe to apply a month before planned your trip to give you ample time to submit additional documents if the embassy request any.

Should I buy plane ticket and book a hotel before applying for the visa? Airline ticket is not part of the requirement so you can apply first then buy your ticket but usually for us who opt for cheaper airline tickets, we buy our tickets first (during seat sale) then gamble in the visa application. Hotel reservation are not part of the requirement as well but there is a section in the form wherein you can indicate your address in Korea (address of the hotel or guesthouse). Usually, I look for a guesthouse in Agoda with free cancellation and use it's address in the application.