South Korea

Every South Korea visa route, explained

South Korea has a route for every purpose — short visits (K-ETA or a C-3 visit visa), plus the D-2 student, E-7 work, F-6 marriage, H-1 working holiday and F-2 long-term residence routes. Routes with verified step-by-step guides link straight to them; the rest link to the official Korean portals.

The routes

Visit & tourism

K-ETA / C-3 short-term visit

Short visits for tourism, business or family — visa-free with a K-ETA (or temporarily K-ETA-exempt), or a C-3 short-term visit visa.

Tourists, short-term business and family visitors

21 verified step-by-step guides →

Study

Student (D-2)

For full-time degree programmes — bachelor's, master's or PhD — at Korean universities.

Degree-seeking students at Korean universities

official page →

Work & business

Foreign National of Special Ability (E-7)

For specialist and professional positions in fields designated by the Korean government.

Skilled professionals sponsored by a Korean employer

official page →

Family & residence

Marriage Migrant (F-6)

For foreign spouses of Korean citizens settling in South Korea.

Spouses of Korean nationals

official page →

Other routes

Working Holiday (H-1)

Lets young people from partner countries work and travel in South Korea for up to a year.

Up to 12 months

official page →

Long-term residence (F-2)

Points-based long-term residence status for qualifying foreign nationals.

Long-term residents qualifying on points or status

official page →

Workation / Digital Nomad visa (F-1-D)

Status launched in 2024 for foreign remote workers and their families to reside in Korea while working for an overseas employer or business.

Remote workers / location-independent professionals employed or contracting outside South Korea

Up to 1 year, extendable by 1 year

1 verified step-by-step guide →

Verified step-by-step guides

Grounded on official sources — documents, fees, timeline, every fact dated and linked.

Visit — C-3 short-term visit visa (21)

🇧🇩 Bangladesh → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Bangladeshi citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Bangladeshi citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇨🇳 China → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Chinese citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over where you live.

🇨🇳 China (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Chinese citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇮🇳 India → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Indian citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇮🇳 India (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Indian citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇮🇩 Indonesia → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Indonesian citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇮🇩 Indonesia (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Indonesian citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Myanmar citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — Myanmar is not K-ETA eligible, so apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇳🇵 Nepal → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Nepali citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇳🇵 Nepal (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Nepali citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇵🇭 Philippines → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Filipino citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇵🇭 Philippines (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Filipino citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇷🇺 Russia → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Russian citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇷🇺 Russia (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Russian citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Sri Lankan citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Sri Lankan citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇹🇭 Thailand → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Thai citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center for where you live.

🇹🇭 Thailand (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Thai citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇻🇳 Vietnam (in United States) → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Vietnamese citizens living in the United States need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over your US address.

🇻🇳 Vietnam → South KoreaVisit — C-3 short-term visit visa

Vietnamese citizens need a C-3 short-term visit visa for South Korea — apply at the Korean embassy/consulate or Korea Visa Application Center with jurisdiction over where you live.

Workation (Digital Nomad) Visa (F-1-D) (1)

🇺🇸 United States → South KoreaWorkation (Digital Nomad) Visa (F-1-D)

US citizens can apply at a Korean consulate for the F-1-D Workation (digital nomad) visa — be 18+, have worked over a year at a foreign company you can work for remotely, earn more than twice Korea's per-capita GNI, and hold medical insurance covering EUR 70,000.