I-EUMLiving in Korea

Two ways to get a visa — apply at a Korean mission, or the inviter goes first

This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)

To stay in Korea for a long time, you get a visa before you come. There are two ways: applying at the Korean embassy or consulate (Korean mission abroad) in the country where you live, or having an inviter in Korea (a company, school, spouse, and so on) first get a 「사증발급인정서」(Certificate of Visa Issuance Confirmation).

📌 Key points

The inviter applies for the Certificate of Visa Issuance Confirmation at the immigration office (출입국·외국인관서) that covers their address, and when it comes out they receive a confirmation number. The certificate is valid for 3 months and can be used for only one visa issuance. People coming under an Employment Permit (E-9) get their visa with the certificate that the company sends.

🔢 Do these in order

  1. On the Visa Portal (visa.go.kr), in "Visa Navigator" (the "find the visa that fits me" page, 나에게 맞는 비자 찾아보기), choose your purpose of entry and how long you will stay.
  2. On the result screen, in the tabs (Apply at a Korean mission · Apply for an e-visa · Apply with a visa confirmation certificate), see the application requirements and documents for your case.
  3. If you are not sure which way, ask the Korean mission where you will apply, or 1345 (from abroad, +82-1345).

📍 Where to go

The Korean mission in the country where you live · the inviter goes to the immigration office (출입국·외국인관서) that covers their address

💻 Do it online

⚠️ Things to watch out for

K-ETA (electronic travel authorization) is a permit for short visits by people from countries that can enter without a visa. It is a different system from getting a visa and coming for a long stay.

See also

Basis

  • 출입국관리법 제7조 제1항 · 제8조 제2항 · 제9조 제1 · 2항 (법률 제21857호, 시행 2026-10-02) · 시행규칙 제17조(사증발급인정서 — 대상 D-1~F-6 · H-2 · G-1 · F-5 · 초청자 주소지 관할) (법무부령 제1125호, 시행 2026-09-15) (조사원 law.go.kr 원문 2026-10-12)
  • 찾기쉬운 생활법령 「비자발급인정서에 의한 발급」 2026-09-15 기준 https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?popMenu=ov&csmSeq=1703&ccfNo=1&cciNo=2&cnpClsNo=2 — 유효기간 3개월 · 한 번의 비자발급
  • 비자포털 「Visa Navigator 나에게 맞는 비자 찾아보기」 https://www.visa.go.kr/openPage.do?MENU_ID=10101 — 탭: 재외공관 · 전자비자 · 비자발급인정서 신청대상 (2026-10-12 확인)
  • 법무부 「전자여행허가제(K-ETA)」 https://www.immigration.go.kr/immigration/3339/subview.do — 대상 사증면제(B-1) · 관광통과(B-2) 국민 (2026-10-12 확인)
  • 법무부 외국인종합안내센터 https://www.moj.go.kr/moj/196/subview.do — 「해외에서 이용 시 +82-1345」 (2026-10-12 확인)

This content was checked on 2026-10-31.

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