Don't Tell My Mother I Went To: South Korea

Not too long ago I went to South Korea with friends. It was one of my wonderful trips. Hence, I am very much willing to return to this great destination given again the liberty to fly out.

Most of Filipinos are K-Pop lovers. Presumably, they would want of course, one day, to land on South Korea to realize what they're going gaga about. But a lot of them are restricted of the fallacy that getting a visa for this country is as hard as they imagine. Well in fact, it's not.

Here's sharing with you my experience towards obtaining a Korean passport "sticker".

The Requirements

As usual, before heading to the embassy you ought to prepare the following items:

1. Original passport. Must be 6 months valid from the date of your tour

2. Photocopy of your passport's first page

3. 1 colored passport size photo

4. Fully filled up visa application form. Don't leave any item blank/unanswered. Put "N/A" if not applicable. Form can be downloaded right here.

5. Photocopy of the latest ITR

6. Original Certificate of Employment if employed. If you are businessman, SEC or DTI and mayor's permits.

7. Bank Certificate

Notes:
You may have your printed etickets and/or hotel vouchers handy during submission BUT as per my experience they did not ask for any of those.

DO NOT go to embassy with any of the above requirements lacking to avoid re-queuing and for you to save time and effort.

The above documents were the only ones asked of me. I know of a friend who were asked to present his college diploma. I did not know the consul's reason. Neither did my friend. So, this depends on the embassy discretion.

Visa Application Process

Korean embassy is located at McKinley Town Center, 122 Upper McKinley Rd, Taguig 1634. How to go here? From MRT Guadalupe Station, you can ride a jeepney en route to Market Market/C5. Tell the good driver to get you off at Korean embassy. Or you can hail a cab.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Be at the embassy between 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Submission of applications strictly closes at 11:00 AM. I was there by 10:30 AM. Only few applicants were left. I think it's the best time to go as most of the applicants are already done with their transactions.

2. Upon entering the lobby, you will be given a queue number.

3. When it's your turn, walk towards your designated window and present your documents. I'll repeat, be sure all of the 7 basic documents are with you. I forgot to photocopy my passport's first page. Thankfully there's a standby xerox machine inside the embassy. Hence, was able to have my passport photocopied. However, I had to get another number and waited for my turn.

4. Once all your documents are scanned and the consul deemed they are sufficient, you will be given a claim stub indicating the date of your passport's release. Processing usually takes 5 working days.

Notes:
Wearing of slippers or sleeveless top is not allowed inside the embassy.

Visa fee is gratis or free if staying for up to 59 days only. Else, a fee applies. Refer to this link for details.

Visa Releasing Process

1. Be at the embassy between 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Releasing of visa strictly ends at 4:00 PM. I was not able to personally claim my passport due to work schedule conflict. I had it claimed by my good friend. If you'll do the same, please don't forget to give him the claim stub and an authorization letter.

2. Upon entering the lobby, you will be given a queue number.

3. Once your turn, go to the designated window. Voila! You have your passport with Korean visa sticker on it.

This procedure is for TOURIST VISA only. If your case if different, you may refer to Korean embassy official website here for further details.

I hope you find this post helpful. You may email me for any other inquiries at menesestravels@yahoo.com.

Annyeong haseyo! It's been quite a time since I blogged. I have not yet written about a few destinations I visited in the past but I'd like to go fast forward and talk about my not so recent trip to the land of boybands, girl groups, kimchi, BB creams and novelas - South Korea.

Back Story

My Korean visa was released 2 days prior to my booked flight schedule. Thank heavens there was no further verifications or proofs asked of me. Had it happened, I might have given up this trip.

Came along with me were my good friends who happen to be travel junkies. Everything was set. Sweaters, jackets, trench coats, boots, socks, body heater and stuff. We were so ready to combat the winter temperature of South Korea. We thought.

For travelistas out there, ready yourselves if you're planning to come on winter because cold season in SoKor is no joke. Protect your body from cold. And be sure to be on your top body conditiion when you wander around this great destination.

South Korea is the 10th country I got to visit. Let the pictures speak and literally describe how awesome this place is. With great views, rich culture, excellent dishes, friendly people who would try their very best to communicate with you to the extent that they'll go with you, shopping finds and the fact that I was sick during this tour, I will definitely visit South Korea again! This time, during autumn. Meanwhile, enjoy the following facts and/or observations about this place.

Little Facts/Observations About Korea

1. Sad thing is SoKor got its independence on 1945 from Japanese occupation.