South Korea eases visa process for Filipinos
South Korea has revised its visa application requirements to boost its tourism and make the process more convenient for Filipino travelers, the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) Philippines said.
In a Facebook post, KVAC Philippines said the changes were implemented starting Feb. 20.
The most notable update is the waiving of three months of bank statements for all visa types, removing a tedious requirement for many, especially first-time travelers.
Other embassies and visa processing centers commonly require applicants to submit original bank certificates, recent bank or credit card statements, and income tax returns to prove their financial capacity to travel.
The rest of the newly announced changes affect other visa types.
Student applicants now have the option to submit either the original school certificate or a copy of the student ID, instead of both.
Multiple applicants need to submit only one copy of common documents, such as invitation letter, family relationship documents and company-related papers that should be attached to the representative applicant’s file.
South Korea has also waived the submission of an explanation letter for employment-related visa applications in cases where there is no landline number indicated or when it is issued with an electronic signature. It will instead accept other contact information, like an email address or mobile phone number.
The Philippines is one of the biggest markets for Korean music and films. A 2021 Twitter (now X) survey ranked the Philippines third among countries with the most K-pop fans.
Data from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that 629,772 Filipinos visited the country last year.
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
