South Korea is a country that attracts a lot of tourists who want to have a great time in a pleasant climate, visiting interesting sights. Indeed, at the moment, South Korea is a corner in which exotic hitherto unknown to Russian tourists reigns.
Do Russians who wish to visit the country on a tourist visit need a visa to South Korea? Further, we consider some of the features of this document, the terms and conditions of its provision.
What is a visa?
A visa is a document that allows tourists of foreign states to stay in the territory of another country for a certain period, which is indicated in it. This permission can be presented in several forms: electronic, print, as well as in the format of the sticker, which is placed on one of the blank pages of a valid passport.
A document authorizing residence in the country in question is issued by the South Korean Embassy located on the territory of Russia. A visa to this state is presented in the form of an insert, which is fixed on a blank page of the passport. It affixes the type of visa, which directly depends on the purpose of the trip, as well as the period of validity and personal data of the holder.
Do Russians need a visa to South Korea?
A considerable number of travelers are asking this question. Which answer will be given directly depends on what the purpose of the trip and its planned duration are. So, buying tours to South Korea, you can not worry about applying for a visa if the estimated length of stay in the country is no more than 60 days. Otherwise, clearance is required.
However, it should also be noted that the conditions for visa-free entry and stay in South Korea are possible only for Russian citizens. Those who have the citizenship of any other CIS country, this rule does not apply.
Further, we consider the conditions for visa-free entry to South Korea, as well as those cases when it is necessary to obtain an authorization document and some features of this process.
Visa-free entry
In the event that the traveler plans to visit South Korea on a tourist visit and the period of stay in the country does not exceed 60 calendar days, then on the basis of an agreement concluded between this state and Russia in 2014, he has the right to visit the country as part of a visa-free regime. In order for his stay in the country to be completely legal, upon arrival on the Moscow-Seoul flight, the tourist will need to contact the airport’s migration service and, having provided a full package of necessary documents, receive a stamp on their international passport, based on which South Korea is allowed to stay.
Documents required for visa-free entry
A certain regulation indicates a list of documents that will be required in order to obtain permission to cross the border and stay a tourist in the territory of South Korea. Among those, first of all, there is a passport, the validity of which should be at least 6 months from the moment when it is planned to enter the country.
In the general package of documents, border guards will also request a customs declaration and a migration card. These documents must be completed in the prescribed manner, and all information provided in them must be true. As for the migration card, the process of filling it, as a rule, is carried out directly on board the aircraft. Speaking about the customs declaration, it should be noted that its completion is a prerequisite, even if there is nothing to bring in it.
In order to freely enter the territory of South Korea, a tourist must necessarily confirm his intention to leave the country after the allotted time for him to stay. To do this, it is enough to demonstrate tickets for an airplane or for any other type of transport that are purchased for a period falling within the time limit.
For an unhindered stay within the state in question, it is imperative to confirm your solvency. This can be done by presenting a certificate of employment for the past six months, which should indicate the size of the monthly salary. In addition, a bank statement drawn up in the name of the tourist himself would also be a suitable document. This account should have a certain amount, which, according to the migration service, should be enough for the entire period of the traveler’s stay within South Korea. It should be noted that the sufficiency of the amount is determined after the conversion of available funds to the equivalent in South Korean currency.
Most tourists note that the border guards of South Korea relate to travelers who are citizens of Russia without any nit-picking, making the process of obtaining the coveted stamp a problem-free process. The whole procedure, as a rule, takes 5-10 minutes.
You can also get to South Korea without a visa if you plan to transit through this state. In this case, the border guard should be notified of the purpose of his visit. In a full package of documents he needs to present tickets for departure to a third country by any means of transport.
Short-term visa
A short-term visa can be issued to Russian citizens for up to 90 days. It is a one-time, that is, it is possible to cross the border of the state once, and then leave it in the prescribed period. After the trip to South Korea, the stay on which was carried out on the basis of a short-term visa, the traveler has the opportunity to apply for a long-term visa. Below are considered the features that a tourist may encounter in case of its design.
Most often, a short-term visa is issued not only for long tours to South Korea, but also for creative activities or the work of a journalist. In some cases, persons engaged in short-term labor activity in the state in question are interested in obtaining it.
Long term visa
Do I need a visa to South Korea in case a Russian citizen plans to enter the country for a long period, which is connected with his long-term activities? Yes, I need it. Representations of the state located in the territory of the Russian Federation (consulate, embassy, ​​etc.) are engaged in its issuance. These institutions should be contacted in order to become the owner of the coveted permit. In the process of their appeal, officials of the departments should present a certain package of documents, among which a confirmation of the true purpose of the visit will be required.
Long-term visas are single-entry or multiple-entry - depending on how many times a tourist will need to cross the state border. In the first case, the validity of the permit will be 90 calendar days, and in the second - a year.
Long-term visas can be issued if the tourist wants to make an investment contribution to the development of the economy of South Korea. They are also often issued if it is necessary for representatives of a large Russian company to stay in a company branch located in South Korea to conduct foreign trade or non-commercial work in the field of culture, to make religious trips or to work as a journalist.
Residence permit
In some cases, a long-term visa may be issued to accompany a relative to the country. In this case, its validity period cannot exceed the period for which a visa is issued for that same relative. Such a visa has the nature of a residence permit in the country.
A long-term residence permit on the territory of South Korea can also be issued if the person is a foreign citizen, but Korean in terms of ethnicity.
Holders of long-term visas can obtain a permit for permanent residence in the territory of South Korea. For this, it is necessary to provide certain documents that indicate the availability of a place to stay permanently in the state, as well as the material security of the person, which must necessarily be expressed in stable income, and expressed in South Korean currency.
In case of marriage with a Korean citizen, you can also become the holder of a residence permit for a period of up to one year.
Work Visa
Special attention should be paid to such a type of long-term visa as a work visa. How to make a work visa to South Korea?
First of all, it should be understood that the state always joyfully hosts high-class and educated Russian specialists on its territory, especially if they are experts in those areas that are in demand in the country. That is why its receipt is a rather problematic process for many who want to become owners of this type of permit. However, its presence allows citizens of Russia to get a well-paid and prestigious job.
It should be noted that the main feature of obtaining this type of visa is that it can be granted on the basis of an official invitation written on behalf of the head of a Korean company. The laws in force in this area do not prohibit submitting a request to the embassy for a work visa without an invitation, however, as practice shows, obtaining it is a rather problematic process.
Documents required to obtain a long-term visa
What documents will be required to travel to South Korea on a visa issued on a long-term basis? First of all, you need to understand that in the package of papers that will be required for registration, documents proving the identity of the citizen must be provided: passport and passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation with their color photocopies. As for the passport, it should have at least two blank pages that will be required for pasting the visa. In the event that a citizen has an old passport containing visas to the countries of Schengen, the USA, Australia, Japan or Canada, it is also necessary to provide a copy of it.
The embassy should also provide a questionnaire filled out in strict accordance with all the rules. It should be noted that it should be presented in two copies: one is filled in in Russian, and the second in Korean. In addition, you also need to pay attention to the correctness of the data entry - all of them must fully correspond to those presented on the pages of the passport.
A couple of color photographs of the applicant measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm should also be attached to the general package. They must fully comply with the established rules, which state that the image of the head on the frame should occupy about 80% of the total area, in addition, it must be arrangement on a light background. The requirements also indicate that the quality of the photo must be very high, so in order to make it, you should contact the shop.
In the event that a long-term visa is issued, the applicant must provide official documents that confirm the purpose of his visit.
To travel to South Korea on a long-term basis, you do not need to provide information on the availability of residence, as is required in many other countries.
It should be foreseen in advance that the entry to the state also requires the presence of a correctly completed customs declaration. In the event that the tourist has nothing to declare, the document should still be present, but only in this case, an “X” should be put in each column, which indicates the absence of things in the tourist’s luggage that are subject to mandatory declaration. The items that must be included in the declaration include animals, weapons, goods for which it is planned to sell in the future, large sums of money (more than $ 10,000), as well as plants.
Ride with children
In the event that a trip to South Korea involves a trip in the company of children, you should definitely pay attention to the small features of border crossing by minor tourists. It should be understood that the minors of the Russian Federation also apply to all the features associated with visa-free entry into the territory of South Korea and stay in the state. However, for unhindered crossing of the state border in the company of the child, parents must necessarily prepare a small list of additional documents, including a child’s birth certificate, as well as a written permission to take him outside the Russian Federation. It should be noted that a second document should be provided on the South Korean border only if the child crosses it with only one parent. In the event that the baby is in the company of third parties, then the permission must be written on behalf of both parents, and must also be certified by a notary.
How to get a visa to South Korea for a child on a long-term basis? It must be remembered that this type of permit is provided on exactly the same grounds as for adult tourists, in a general manner.
Cost
Depending on which visa to South Korea is issued, a different cost is set for it. It should immediately be noted that the provision of a stamp, which is affixed to the passports of tourists upon arrival at Seoul Airport, is free of charge.
In the event that the applicant applies for a single long-stay visa, then the cost of the application procedure will be 5500 rubles, and if you need a multiple visa, you will have to pay 7500 rubles.
It should be noted that all the indicated sizes of the consular fee are not levied for the provision of an authorization document, but for the consideration of the submitted application. That is why in case of refusal to issue permission to enter and stay on the territory of South Korea, the funds deposited are not refundable.
As for the time for consideration of the application for the provision of the document, this process can drag on from 10 days to 4 weeks. At an additional cost, it can be significantly accelerated. Tariffs for expedited consideration of the application are indicated on the official website of the Consulate of South Korea, located on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Tours to South Korea
Various travel agencies offer a huge selection of tours on which you can visit the state in question. Do I need a visa to South Korea? This question can be answered unambiguously by operators who are involved in ticket design. As a rule, its design is not required, as the tours do not provide for a long stay in the country.
As a rule, most of the most striking and fascinating tours involve a flight in the direction of Moscow - Seoul, transfer from the airport, as well as hotel accommodation for a certain period. It should be noted that most of the formed tours include sightseeing tours of local attractions.
If we talk about the cost of permits, it directly depends on what living conditions it provides, in which place and what list of additional features it includes. The average cost of a trip to South Korea with comfortable conditions is about 60-140 thousand rubles.
How to get a visa to South Korea? If it is necessary to arrange it for a long period, the traveler can always contact the travel agency at his place of residence and ask for assistance in resolving this issue. However, you must understand that in this case, the price of paperwork will increase sharply due to the fact that there will be a need for additional payment for intermediaries.