South Korea visa checklist for Filipinos

Minimum to get there₱15,620up to about ₱20,620 · one adult, visa + flight

Visa fee (stay under 60 days)FreeFree
Visa center (KVAC) service feeCash only₱1,000
Round-trip flight from Manila (low fare)Recent low fares; changes daily · See today's fares₱13,000–₱18,000
Philippine travel taxPaid when you leave the Philippines₱1,620

Not counted: hotel, food and spending money. Flight prices change daily; seat sales can be cheaper.

You might not need a visa

Jeju Island: you can visit Jeju visa-free for up to 30 days, but only if you fly directly into Jeju from abroad and stay on Jeju. To go on to the mainland, you need permission from the Jeju Immigration Office. This visa-free entry was restored on June 1, 2022. If you already have a valid Korean visa, it gets used (marked USED) even if you only fly to Jeju.
Transit with a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand visa: you can stay up to 30 days visa-free (B-2 status) if you hold a valid visa or permanent residency for one of these countries and you're passing through Korea on the way there, or coming from there to the Philippines or another country. You need a confirmed onward ticket leaving within 30 days. US, Canadian and NZ visas must be stickers in your passport. Australian visas are checked on VEVO. US visas include Guam and Saipan.
Transit with a visa for one of 32 European countries (Schengen countries plus the UK, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus and Croatia): the same 30-day transit rule applies when you travel to or from that country through Korea.
Transit rules: no illegal stay or criminal record in those countries, no refusal of entry to Korea in the past 3 years, no fine over KRW 5 million and no deportation or exit order, and no more than 3 days in a stopover country before Korea.
Incheon transit tour: other transit passengers can leave the airport for up to 3 days (72 hours) by joining a government-recognised Transit Tourism Program, booked at k-stopover.com, with an onward flight within 72 hours.
Having a US, Japan, Schengen or other visa does NOT let you visit Korea visa-free on its own. It only helps under the transit rule above. A Japan visa is not on the transit list.
K-ETA doesn't apply to you. The Philippines isn't on the K-ETA list of visa-free countries, so you can't use K-ETA instead of a visa.
Group visa-free entry through Yangyang and Muan airports was a temporary scheme that only accredited travel agencies could arrange. The last extensions ran to May 31, 2025 (Yangyang) and March 31, 2025 (Muan). No later extension has been found.

Step by step

Check that your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned stay and is signed. If you're 13 or older, sign page 3. Leave it blank for children 12 and under.
Download the C-3-9 checklist (updated August 6, 2026) and Visa Application Form No. 17 from the embassy's Visa Requirements page. Print the form single-sided: it's 5 pages, and KVAC won't accept back-to-back printing.
Gather the documents for your situation (employed, self-employed, student, sponsored, etc.). Bring originals where the checklist says original. COEs and bank certificates must be issued within the last 3 months.
Choose how to apply. (a) In person at KVAC, 9/F (zone 2) Brittany Hotel, 6 McKinley Parkway, BGC, Taguig, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday. You can reserve ahead at visaforkorea-mn.com. (b) Through one of the embassy's 55 designated travel agencies (list dated Sept 29, 2026). (c) By mail through W Express only, for Filipino C-3-9 tourist applications, from anywhere in the Philippines. Groups of 3 or more regular tourists can also get an e-Group visa through a designated agency.
Pay at KVAC: the ₱1,000 KVAC service fee (cash only), plus the ₱2,000 embassy visa fee if your stay is 60 to 90 days. Fees aren't refundable.
Wait for the text. KVAC sends free SMS updates when your application is received and when it's done. If the embassy asks for more documents, the processing time can start over.
Pick up your passport at KVAC (individuals 1:00 to 5:00 PM) the working day after the SMS, or pay for W Express delivery.
Get your visa: since January 26, 2026 it's a digital Visa Grant Notice. Go to visa.go.kr > Check Application Status > Check Application Status and Print, choose Diplomatic Office, and enter your passport number, English name (Last name, First name, Second name; no middle name) and date of birth. Print it and check every detail against your passport. If anything is wrong, email kvacph@visaforkorea-mn.com.
Before you fly, fill in the free Korean e-Arrival Card at e-arrivalcard.go.kr, up to 3 days before you arrive. Foreign visitors have needed it since February 24, 2025.

Your document checklist

Tick things off as you get them. Your ticks are saved on this phone or computer.

Everyone needs

Visa Application Form No. 17Embassy format, printed single-sided (5 pages). Download it from the embassy's C-3-9 page.
1 passport-size colour photo3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, plain white background, facing forward, taken in the last 6 months. No copies, selfies or edited photos.
Original passport plus a photocopy of the bio (photo) pageValid at least 6 months beyond your planned stay.
Original bank certificate in your own nameIssued in the last 3 months. Must show account name, account number, account type, date opened, current balance and 6-month average daily balance (ADB). The 3-month bank statement was dropped on Feb 20, 2026, but most categories still need the certificate. For students it's optional.
If you have them: copies of valid visas and arrival stamps for OECD countries from the past 5 yearsOptional for every category. Add them if you have them.
If you have one: copy of your PRC card or IBP cardOptional for every category. Add it if you have one.
If travelling with a family member who already has a valid Korean visaAdd a photocopy of their visa plus the original PSA birth or marriage certificate showing you're related. This is listed for retirees, homemakers and students.
Financial-document exemption (Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2026)You don't need the bank certificate or ITR (other documents still apply) if you are: an elected official (senator, congressman, governor, provincial board member, mayor); a government official ranked Assistant Secretary or higher, or Brigadier General or higher in the AFP/PNP; a PRC/IBP license holder who is a physician, dentist, lawyer (including judges and prosecutors), CPA, pharmacist or veterinarian; or a principal (not supplementary) Gold or Elite credit card holder of BDO, BPI, RCBC, Metrobank or PNB. Card holders give their original COE, a copy of the card front and the last 3 months of billing statements. Immediate family (parents, spouse, minor or student children, spouse's parents) also qualify with proof of relationship.

Plus, depending on you

Original Certificate of Employment (COE)On company letterhead, issued in the last 3 months. Must show your position, salary, date hired, company address, and HR phone and email. Since Feb 20, 2026, you don't need an explanation letter if the COE has no landline or is e-signed, as long as it gives an email or mobile number.
Copy of Income Tax ReturnBIR Form 2316 or BIR Form 1701.
Remote workers employed by a local companyOriginal COE, a copy of your contract (employment or consulting agreement) and your ITR (BIR 2316 or 1701).
OFWsA copy of your Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) from the DMW and a copy of your employment contract, plus the basic documents.

What it costs

Embassy visa fee: single-entry C-3-9, stay of 59 days or lessFree

As of the embassy's C-3-9 checklist dated Aug 6, 2026.

Embassy visa fee: single-entry C-3-9, stay of 60 to 90 days₱2,000

As of the embassy's C-3-9 checklist dated Aug 6, 2026.

KVAC service fee₱1,000 per application

Cash only and non-refundable. It went up from ₱900 on Aug 25, 2026.

Express processing (5 working days)₱1,000 + ₱500, on top of the normal fees

That's a ₱1,000 embassy express fee plus a ₱500 KVAC express fee. Only for C-3 applicants who can show a real reason to need it fast. Tourists usually can't use it. On Mar 27, 2026 the embassy listed the express fee as USD 20, while KVAC lists ₱1,000, so the exact fee is not yet confirmed — check the embassy page.

Mail filing via W Express (C-3-9 Filipinos only)₱1,900 per application

That's ₱1,000 for mailing + ₱900 KVAC fee, as of May 2024. The KVAC fee is now ₱1,000, so the total is probably higher. The new total is not yet confirmed — check the KVAC page.

Passport delivery by W Express₱430 within NCR; ₱530 outside NCR

Optional. Takes 1-2 working days within NCR and 3-5 working days outside NCR.

Photocopy/print at KVAC₱20 per page

Cash only.

Parking at Brittany Hotel₱70 for the first 3 hours, ₱20 per extra hour

Designated travel agency service feeVaries by agency

Each agency sets its own fee. The embassy doesn't set it.

Things you'll need to book

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Tips that help you get approved

Apply early. Processing is 14 working days (about 3 weeks) as of Nov 2026, and it has been as long as 20 working days in 2026. Tourists usually can't use express.
Bring your bank CERTIFICATE (with the 6-month ADB), not just a statement. You no longer need the 3-month statement, but you still need the certificate.
Your COE must be on letterhead, less than 3 months old, and show your position, salary, date hired, company address and HR phone and email.
Never submit fake or altered documents (COE, bank certificate, ITR, etc.). Under Korean immigration law this can mean up to 3 years in prison or a KRW 30 million fine, plus penalties under the Philippine Revised Penal Code.
Follow the photo rules exactly: 3.5 x 4.5 cm, white background, taken in the last 6 months, no selfies or edited photos.
Print the application form single-sided. KVAC rejects back-to-back forms.
Only the embassy decides. KVAC and agencies can't guarantee a visa, and fees aren't refunded if you're denied.
Your visa is now a digital Visa Grant Notice. Print it from visa.go.kr and check that your name, birth date and passport number match your passport exactly.
If you renew your passport while your visa is still valid (because it was damaged or expired), update your passport details on visa.go.kr (Change of Passport Information) instead of reapplying. You need a new visa if your passport was lost, or if your name or birth date changed.
If you have a Korean visa and fly only to Jeju, the visa still gets used.
Fill in the free e-Arrival Card at e-arrivalcard.go.kr within 3 days before you arrive. Use only the official site.
Applying as a family or group? Since Feb 20, 2026, give shared documents (invitation letter, family documents, company papers) in just one copy, attached to the main applicant's file.

Confirm these before you go

Official sources disagree or haven't said yet. Check the embassy page.

Multiple-entry tourist visas: the Aug 2026 C-3-9 checklist says single- and multiple-entry fees differ, but it only lists the single-entry visa and its fees. We found no official 2026 rules or fee for a multiple-entry visa for Filipinos. Blogs say the embassy decides case by case (for example, for frequent visitors). This is not yet confirmed — check the embassy page.
Express visa fee: on Mar 27, 2026 the embassy said USD 20, while KVAC says ₱1,000 embassy fee + ₱500 KVAC fee. An April 2026 KVAC notice also called ₱1,000 the 'existing' KVAC fee, which doesn't match KVAC's own August 2026 notice raising it from ₱900. This is not yet confirmed — check the embassy page.
Mail (W Express) filing: the ₱1,900 total and 14-working-day turnaround are from May 2024. The current total (probably higher since the KVAC fee went up) and turnaround are not yet confirmed — check the KVAC page.
Walk-in vs appointment: in 2023 the embassy said walk-ins were accepted without a reservation, and KVAC offers optional advance reservations. Whether walk-ins are still accepted in 2026 is not yet confirmed — check the KVAC page.
The Jeju visa-free rules are based on a 2022 embassy notice, and we found no 2026 notice confirming or changing them. News reports of a December 2024 embassy notice say it only applies to direct flights into Jeju. This is not yet confirmed — check the embassy page.
Unemployed adults who aren't homemakers, retirees or students don't have their own category on the checklist. The sponsor rules here (relatives only, PSA proof, sponsor's financial documents) are based on the notes in other categories.
The embassy doesn't publish common denial reasons, and it doesn't tell you why you were denied. The tips here come only from official notices and FAQs.
Whether the financial-document exemption will continue after Dec 31, 2026 hadn't been announced as of Nov 4, 2026.
The transit visa-free country list (US, Canada, Australia, NZ and 32 European countries) is from an April 2023 embassy notice. We found no later change, but there's no 2026 confirmation either, so check the embassy page.
There's no official minimum bank balance. The embassy only asks for the bank certificate with the ADB.

What changed recently

Nov 3, 2026: C-3 processing time went up from 12 to 14 working days.
Oct 1, 2026: processing time went up from 10 to 12 working days. A new list of 55 embassy-designated travel agencies took over. Agencies that weren't picked again lost their designation.
Aug 25, 2026: the KVAC service fee went up from ₱900 to ₱1,000 per application.
Aug 6, 2026: the embassy reissued the C-3-9 tourist checklist with separate lists for employed, sole proprietor, corporate owner, remote worker, freelancer, retiree, homemaker, student, religious worker and OFW applicants.
Jun 27, 2026: the e-Group visa (3 or more regular tourists, filed through designated agencies) moved from a trial to a regular service.
Mar 2, 2026: express processing now costs an extra ₱500 KVAC fee on top of the express application fee. Tourists still usually can't use express.
Feb 20, 2026: the 3-month bank statement was dropped for all categories. Students can give either a school certificate or a school ID. Groups give shared documents only once. No explanation letter is needed for a COE without a landline or with an e-signature.
Jan 26, 2026: the paper visa was replaced by a digital Visa Grant Notice, printed from visa.go.kr.
Jan 1, 2026: the financial-document exemption (politicians, senior officials, listed professionals, Gold/Elite credit card holders) was extended through Dec 31, 2026, and PNB cards were added.
2025-2026: processing times changed many times, from 10 to 20 working days.
Feb 24, 2025: the online e-Arrival Card started for foreign visitors.

🇰🇷 South Korea visa checklist

You might not need a visa

Step by step

Your document checklist

Everyone needs

Plus, depending on you

What it costs

Things you'll need to book

For your application

After your visa is approved

Before you fly

While you are there

Tips that help you get approved

Confirm these before you go

What changed recently

Official sources