Re-Entry Visas
What is a re-entry visa, and why would I need one?
A re-entry visa is a visa that allows a person who is already in Korea legally, to leave Korea to visit another country and then return to Korea without having to obtain another visa. Without a re-entry visa, your visa would be canceled upon exiting the country.
Single vs. Multiple Entry Visas
You would need a re-entry visa if your original visa was a “Single entry” (designated by an “S”) visa. If you are a US citizen, generally you are automatically issued a “Multiple entry” visa with their first entry (designated by an “M”), and therefore would not need a re-entry visa. However, most other countries’ citizens are generally issued a single entry visa and if wishing to leave and return to Korea, then they must obtain a re-entry visa before departing from Korea.
Multiple Re-entry Visas and Visa Renewal:
If you are an American, you do not automatically receive a re-entry visa if you renew or extend your visa for an additional period. You will have to apply before exiting the country if you plan to travel after your first year. If you are from another country, you must obtain a re-entry visa for any departure from Korea with a planned return before the end of your visa period.
Getting a Re-entry Visa
This will require a trip to the immigration office in Mokdong, 50,000 won for fees and a Korean Immigration Integrated Application Form. There are two different types of re-entry visas, Single Re-entry and Multiple Re-entry. Single will allow you to leave and come back once for 30,000 won. Multiple re-entries allow unlimited exits and entries and cost 50,000 won. Take the money, form, your passport and Alien Registration Card to immigration. If you filled out the form in advance, grab a number and head over to the small desk where you can get stamps. Hand over your money and they’ll give you a string of stamps for that amount. Glue them to your application in the space provided. Sit and wait for your number to be called, and then process your application. From the time of sitting with an immigration officer to the end is less than fifteen minutes.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I also got a re-entry visa at Incheon airport on the day of my flight out. cost 30,000
If you go to the immigration office next to the toilets behind the check out counters they will make you fill a form out and stamp your visa. you need alien card and passport. You have to do this first before you check in.
( I did this a couple of years ago maybe things have changed)
I think it’s still available, but you can only get single re-entry visas at the airport at last check. If you’re going in and out more than once, get a multiple re-entry visa before heading to Incheon.
aim using E 6 visa and aim about to go back to my country even though i didn’t finish my contract. question? can i used the re entry visa so that i could back here? it is possible?
If you are breaking contract, your boss is supposed to report you to the immigration office so that they know you are no longer employed. If you are no longer employed, you no longer have a visa sponsor, so you don’t have a visa, either. Once your visa has been cancelled, you will not be able to use the attached re-entry permit.
To enter Korea again, you will have to come in as a tourist or apply for another visa, however, breaking contract with an employer may make it more difficult to obtain a new visa.
The Immigration Office is still there at Incheon and they do only have single re-entry stamps costing 30,000 won. The line can be incredibly long so if you actually plan on using the office get there early. I was there in December and the wait was 2 hours.
Sir/Madam:
I was an illegal worker before in your country and I surrender last Mar 2009 and go back to my country.
Can I still have a chance to go back to your country as tourist and with invitation from a korean family also in this year 2009?
Sir/Madam please let me know if I can still have a chance to visit again your country.
Thank you so much
Hi Marilou-
You should ask your question to immigration. This website is for people living in Daejeon and we cannot give you an answer to your question. You can ask a question to immigration here: http://www.epeople.go.kr/jsp/user/on/eng/HowPetition_USA.jsp
Good luck!
Hi,
I have a C-2 single-entry visa working for a company in South Korea. I plan to visit Hong Kong for 3-4 days. Can I still go for a re-entry visa? If yes, will I still have the work permit for the remaining days for which I was provided visa earlier?
Cheers!
Hi again,
What is this Alien Registration Number and how do I need to get it?
Thanks
Hi Spurthi-
Regarding a re-entry visa for the C-series visas, it is my understanding that you should be able to get a re-entry visa (which will allow you to continue working after your trip abroad), however, I strongly recommend you ask Immigration for an authoritative answer, as they set the rules. You will need to get this re-entry visa before you depart, so get to immigration earlier rather than later. The re-entry visa will allow you to work until the end of your original visa date, but not longer (that is, the 3-4 days you are out of the country will not be added to your visa end date).
Your Alien Registration Number is a string of numbers XXXXXX-XXXXXXX that identifies you with the Government of Korea. The first 6 digits are your birthday YYMMDD, the first number after the – indicates male or female (1 for Korean males, 2 for Korean females, 5 for foreign males and 6 for foreign females), followed by 6 more digits that I haven’t made sense of yet.
You get this number only after you have registered at Immigration. Any foreign citizen residing in Korea 90 days or longer must register at immigration. Once you have registered and paid your appropriate fees, you will be given a card when they return your passport. This card is your 외국인등록증, or Alien Registration Card. Your Alien Registration Number will be printed on this card. If you don’t register at Immigration, you will not receive a card nor an identification number.
Hello,
I just got back from Korea to my hometown in the U.S. I need to return because I have a 2-year contract with my school, though they only gave me a one-year visa. My visa expires Aug 14 and my return flight is Aug 24. I know I could have gotten a re-entry visa at the airport and they even offered it to me, but I was already running late to catch my plane. They told me it was possible to get one here. But now the Korean embassy in the U.S. says they can’t do that. What can I do?
You may find this doesn’t have an easy solution. I have never heard of anyone getting a reentry visa outside of the country. In fact, every encounter I’ve heard of involves the cancellation of your existing visa if you leave the country without a reentry permit. Be prepared to go through the visa process again.
What you can try, however, is to get some squeaky wheels in Korea. Call your boss and explain your situation. They MAY be able to persuade the Immigration office to fax a document to your local embassy/consular office to provide some provisional reentry visa. I have NO idea if this might work, but in my personal, unqualified opinion, it may be your best (and only) chance.
Koreans regularly give wrong answers over saying they don’t know to save face. One government office regularly has wrong opinions about what another will and will not do. It’s not clear if either of these is the case in your situation.
Good luck and let us know what happens either way.
Anyone have any other ideas on what this guy can do?
My 90 days dont expire until 11-30-09 i will be leaving Korea on the the 27th of Nov and returning on Dec 7, 09 , I have a m in entries space is there a waiting span before I can return to Korea.. my daughter is in military and I’m helping with childcare
Rochelle- Are you here on a tourist visa? If you are and you have 90 days you should be able to leave and come back on a new tourist visa at any time (provided you didn’t require a visa application on the way in this time).
As soon as you depart the country your visa is cancelled and you can basically turn around and come back in the same day if you wish. Many expats who are here on tourist visas have made day trips to Japan and come back in on a new tourist visa. You merely need to be processed in another country before returning (to the best of my knowledge).
I’ve never heard of an M for a tourist visa, however, because of the situation I just mentioned above. Are you on another type of visa?
hello
i am a student in china i have visit visa for one month my exam will finish in january 20/1/2010 and my final entry date is 15/1/2010.so what should i do i will be thankful to you.
Hello intekhab-
Let me check that I understand: You have a 1-month Visa to enter Korea, but you cannot come until after the final entry date. I would talk to your travel agent and see if you can get the dates changed. You might be able to do this at the Korean Embassy or Consulate closest to you. If they will not change the date, I expect you will have to apply for a new visa.
Good luck!
my alien card going to expired this year of november 19.and i was here for 11 months.and my visa is 1 years..its up to my promoter if he want me to extend it.but i heard that they change the rule now.i have e-6 visa and they saying that government of korean has able to choose worker or e-6 worker.do you think i could get another 1 year visa here.
thank you so much…
hi again….
if i will go tommorow to get a visa..how long does it takes to finish it.and how long it takes to get extension of visa?
goodluck
I don’t have any experience with E-6 visas, and so I can’t comment on them. You can’t extend your visa much beyond your contract period, but you should be able to have it extended until the end of your contract. When you go to immigration, make sure you have a copy of your contract with you, your passport and Alien Registration Card and some money for the visa extension processing fee. If it goes well, the officer will be able to process you in a few minutes. I’m not sure how long it takes when things don’t go well. Remember there is a fine of up to 100,000 won per day for overstaying your visa.
Can I get my F 3 visa extension from the korean embassy in my country or I have to go to korea for it.My husband’s visa is D 8 and he is in korea now.Please reply me soon.
I am a holder of a F-3 Visa. I have a plan to travel home for 3 weeks to visit family. My husband holds a E-2 Visa. I would like to know if I can get a reentry stamp? He will be getting a new visa for his new job in the end of February if I am attending to come back around the same time of his new visa will there be a problem?
Thanks
Ginny
hi how to became a korean citizen marrid how long should i stsy here if i marrid be cause i every 2 weeks i should travel
if i became korean citizen a spoues porgarme only docomentry system is ok i mean pay money and living with each other can find some one to do this pls tell me urgentlly thanks
@Ginny-
I’m guessing from your comment that F-3 means a spousal visa. I’m not familiar with how they work, but I would head over to immigration and ask them. I think you can even book appointments with them if you book online at the links above. If your husband is getting another E-2 visa and doesn’t have any gap between the end of the old contract and the start of the new one he should be able to get an extension + change of workplace at the same time. Any gap, even a day, however, means he has to through the process all over again. He’ll want to do any visa work necessary BEFORE the existing one expires and make sure that you’re taken care of at the same time if possible as your visa is tied to his.
Rather than take my word for it, though, I would head down to Immigration and get the information you need from them.
@ali: I’m not sure I understand your question. If you want to become a naturalized Korean citizen I’m quite sure there are tests involving Korean proficiency, cultural understanding and a minimum time in Korea. I’m not sure it’s something you can purchase or get through having a Korean spouse. At best I think you can hope for a permanent resident visa (F-5) which requires either a large financial investment in the country or long-term residency on another (usually F-2) visa. Much as I suggested for Ginny, you should talk to Korean Immigration who can probably refer you to the department which deals with naturalization. If your Korean isn’t good enough to find this information on the internet I’m not sure they’ll be too interested in giving you citizenship.
hi again i have invest here in korea at 15feb 2009 and i make a company here so after that i prepar every thing to immigartion my time was so short now i should do anther investment or that one is ok i came korea 5 times in one year and half for bussiness is there any way to make primt or citzintshipe or not some people tell me that u should invest again is it ok every that i came korea my visa is c2 type thanks
I’m an American citizen with a six month contract ending Jan. 31, 2010. However I was given a one-year E-2 visa which expires Aug. 2010. I would like to stay in Korea as long as possible to enroll in a language program and possibly find another job.
Are you familiar with a situation like this? What would I need to do to have my visa canceled after my contract ends? (I would much prefer to leave and re-enter on a tourist visa than to stay and be unsure about my status.)
Unless you have a re-entry permit, your visa will automatically be cancelled when you leave the country. Remember to turn in your ARC card on the way out and you’ll need to apply for a new one if you stay on more than 90 days. You may want to apply for a student visa prior to leaving so you can activate it on your way back into country.
good day!i had a friend in south korea who has a c-2 visa and he wanted to extend his visa. how much would he pay if incase he wanted to extend his visa?are there any requirements needed?
thanks!
I’m not familiar with C-2 visas. Try asking Immigration:
http://www.immigration.go.kr/indeximmeng.html