Vietnamese citizens residing illegally in South Korea will have their visa regulations changed to a 5-year visa.

The reason for this decision is the sharp increase in the rate of forged temporary residence permits and the number of illegal immigrants in South Korea on 5-year visas. This latest decision from South Korea represents a major change for those planning to apply for a 5-year visa.

Currently, to apply for a 5-year visa, you must provide proof of financial means as usual and meet the requirement of having traveled to South Korea at least four times in the last two years. For those with household registration in the three major cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, the registration must have been issued for at least one year to be eligible for a preferential 5-year visa. Required documents include passport, visa application form, identity card, household registration (translated into English or Korean), and notarized copy.

For those whose household registration book was issued less than one year ago, they must apply for a visa with proof of financial means as usual. In cases where the purpose of entry is suspected, additional documents proving occupation or financial capacity may be requested.

Previously, since December 2018, South Korea had implemented a policy of granting multiple-entry visas valid for 5 years to Vietnamese citizens with permanent or temporary residence permits in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. However, this has led to many problems such as queuing disputes and the buying and selling of application forms. The Korean consular office only accepts about 300 applications per day. However, the estimated number of people in need is in the thousands.

To address this issue, the Korean Embassy changed its application process. Instead of accepting applications directly at the Consular Section, they switched to submitting applications through the Korean Visa Center.

PV