[KOREA VISA UPDATE] FAQs: Philippine Immigration & Korean Visa Related to COVID-19

Many questions have popped up in everyone’s head lately. Questions about travel, airline tickets, and visa. South Korea is one of the many countries that has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, by first making Jeju under lockdown, and not allowing any foreign national to enter the island by revoking its free visa entry. 

But what about entry to the mainland? Below are the few most asked questions regarding Korean visa:

Related to visa issuance for embassies 

When will visa issuance be normalized again? 

The Korea Embassy will normalize visa issuance, considering the timing and lifting of community quarantine measures across the Philippine island of Luzon and the normalization of operations at Philippine government agencies. 

Is it possible to apply for a visa (marriage visa, etc.) for Filipino families? 

Currently, the embassy only accepts visa applications for diplomatic, official, and humanitarian reasons, not for other purposes. Please understand that this is to prevent the spread of COVID-9 in the embassy, considering that the Philippine government currently officially stops all Filipinos from leaving the country except for overseas workers and expatriates. 

Is it possible to extend the validity of the already issued visa? 

It is not possible to extend the validity of the issued visa, and in principle, you have to reapply. However, If the person who has been issued the F6(Korean Spouse) visa and fails to enter the country due to COVID-19, the embassy is planning to simplify the required documents for re-application. Details will be notified until further notice, in time for visa normalization.    

NOTE: What can you do to avoid getting infected by the COVID-19?  

Related to the suspension of Korean visas 

Is it possible to enter Korea with a short-term visa that is still valid? 

All short-term (C-1 or C-3) visas issued by April 5 have been suspended, while other visas still remain valid. Therefore, a person with a currently valid short-term visa must apply for a new one according to the tightened visa screening criteria to enter Korea during the period when the visa suspension is enforced. However, please note that even if a new visa is issued, the Philippine government currently prohibits Filipinos from leaving the country for purposes such as short-term stay. 

What are the enhanced visa criteria? 

When applying for a visa, you must submit a medical certificate issued by a medical institution within 48 hours of the date of application, Quarantine agreement, and a health status certificate. If you do not submit them, visa issuance will be denied. Also, the visa issuance period will be extended to 14 days from the date of application. (However, it can be issued within 14 days if diplomatic, official or humanitarian reasons are recognized.)  

I have short-term multiple visas with a validity of 5 years. Do I need to get a visa again even if I want to enter the country after the visa suspension? 

Since the visa validity is suspended, it can be used again when the visa suspension is over. 

Reference: Korea Embassy Website 

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