How long can you stay in South Korea without a visa? That will depend on your nationality as some foreign nationals can stay without a visa for 90 days while others can only stay for 30 days. Canadians are an exception; they can stay up to 180 days before needing a visa. The government of South Korea has a list of more than 100 countries whose nationals are on their visa-exempt list. If you are from any of these countries, you have a visa-free pass to the Republic of South Korea under some conditions.
The Visa Waiver Agreement: How Long Can You Stay In South Korea Without A Visa?
A visa waiver agreement is a condition that grants selected foreigners visa-free access to a country. This means they don’t have to present visas to enter South Korea.
The agreement is subject to conditions and how visitors should conduct themselves in the country. In the case of South Korea, there are more than 100 nations on this list but with different grants.
For instance, the most common visa waivers are the 30-day or 90-day South Korea visa waiver agreements. Citizens from countries under this category can stay for one or three months, as the case may be. And like we pointed out in a previous paragraph, Canadian passport holders can stay up to 180 days.
Angolans, Chinese, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Tunisian ls can stay for 30 days without visas. Then there is the small set of countries on the 60 days visa exemptions lost: Cambodia, Portugal, Lesotho, Russia, and Uzbekistan.
So as you can see from the above, citizens from these visa countries can stay without visas for 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. However, if they plan to stay for much longer than their status allows, they must visit the embassies in their countries to apply for South Korean visas.
South Korea ETA
All eligible visa-free visitors must apply for South Korean ETA before they arrive at the airport in Seoul or any other international airport in the country. The ETA is not a visa but a visa waiver document that validates their presence in the country. It also helps the government keep track of visitors coming to their country as well as their movement. If you want to apply for a South Korea ETA, visit VisaHQ and do the following
Log onto VisaHQ
Choose South Korea as your destination
Choose your country of citizenship
Select ETA
Complete the application form
Scan and upload the required ETA document
Pay the application fee with your card
Submit for approval
The ETA will be sent to your email address, and you may print it if you wish, but it will be automatically linked to your passport—endeavor to travel with the same passport you used for the registration.
South Korea ETA Processing Time
The waiting period after lodging your request is not defined depending on the number of applications submitted at the time, but it is best to submit yours at least two weeks before your trip but within three months before your trip. This will protect you from unplanned delays that could ruin your itinerary.
Extending Your Stay In South Korea
As a visa-free traveler, let’s assume that you have spent some time in the country, and you realize not long after that the grace period will be insufficient to conclude your mission in the country. What do you do? You should apply for an extension by submitting a request at the local immigration office closest to you. The immigration officer will ask you why you wish to stay for a while longer and will decide whether to grant the extension or not. The number of days granted will be at the discretion of the officer in charge. The office will request the following documents
A completed application form
Your passport
A 3.5 x 4.5cm passport-sized photograph
A KRW 30,000 processing fee
Proof of residence (leave the agreement, utility bill)
Any other document to back your argument
When You Need A Visa
You will need a visa if you know that the number of visa-free days will be grossly insufficient to cover your trip. In such a situation, you have no choice but to apply for a q visa in your home country. The visa you apply for will depend on the purpose of your trip to South Korea. There are Work Visa, Tourist Visa, Family Visit Visa, Working Holiday Visa, Business Visa, etc. After submitting the form, the embassy will ask you to appear for a visa interview; after the interview, you will be called back to collect your visa if your application is successful.
How long can you stay in Korea without a visa? That will depend on your nationality.