Goodbye Visa Stickers? South Korea Introduces ‘Visa Grant Notice’

With travel restrictions easing down in many parts of the world, governments have started rolling out new entry policies for foreign visitors. For one, Filipinos travelling to the Land of the Morning Calm will soon bid goodbye to visa stickers, formally known as visa labels. In their place? A South Korea Visa Grant Notice.

What is a South Korea Visa Grant Notice?

In an announcement dated 4 Jun 2020, the South Korea Embassy stated that visa stickers will no longer be issued to applications processed in the Philippines. Effective 1 Jul 2020, these will be replaced by a South Korea Visa Grant Notice.

“The ROK immigration system does not require visa labels to be affixed to a page in an applicant’s passport as the visa status will be checked and verified using the ROK visa information system with the recent technology,” the Embassy said.

Also read: 10 South Korea Travel Tips For Solo Filipino Travellers

Accessible via the Korea Visa Portal, the South Korea Visa Grant Notice will contain an applicant’s visa details and personal information. These include their “name, date of birth, and passport number, as well as visa details including visa issuance number, status of stay, period of stay, number of allowed entries, date of issue, validity of visa, and issuing authority.”

Before travelling, Filipinos must print the document by entering their passport number, date of birth, and “other relevant information.” They must then show it to Korean immigration authorities upon arrival in South Korea, along with a valid passport.

Take note that even with this new policy, applicants must also still submit their passports during their South Korea visa application. As of this writing, visa application requirements and procedures remain unchanged. But instead of having a visa sticker stamped on their travel document upon visa approval, successful applicants will get a South Korea Visa Grant Notice as detailed above.

You can view the official announcement here.

Other updates from the South Korea Embassy

On top of the new South Korea visa policy for Filipinos, the South Korea Embassy has also announced the resumption of processing for long-term visas. Holders of such visas may leave the country, according to the Philippine government.

Long-term visas for South Korea are visas that offer periods of stay longer than 91 days. These are A, D, E, F, and H types of visa. The processing period will be 10 working days. The Embassy also reminds applicants to submit a medical certificate from an Embassy-designated hospital, a Consent to Quarantine, and a Health Condition Report Form.

The Embassy further stated that they will review the possibility of resuming tourist visa applications upon the lifting of Philippine travel restrictions. Only then will leisure flights resume, subject to modified safety measures.

Featured image credit: Stephanie Nakagawa | Unsplash