According to information from the Korean Visa Registration Center, the number of people registering for 5-year visa appointments is currently full until June 14. The Center currently has no specific schedule for reopening registration after June 14.
Starting from April 25, all types of visas will be accepted and results will be returned at the Korean Visa Application Center, located on Cau Giay Street, Hanoi. For 5-year visas, the Center will only accept applications registered online on the Korea Visa Application Center website. If the online appointment registration information is inconsistent with the personal information of the visa applicant, the application will not be accepted.
Compared to the time when the documents were submitted to the Korean Consulate office, located on Tran Duy Hung Street, the situation of touts and competition for places has changed significantly, the chaotic situation has improved. However, the number of people rushing to apply for Korean visas, especially 5-year visas, still shows no signs of cooling down. On the announcement section of the website of the Korean Visa Registration Center in Hanoi, individuals are advised to submit their documents in the afternoon to avoid overload in the morning. A representative of the Center said that they receive more than 1,000 documents every day. On May 7 alone, the number of documents received reached 1,300.
The reason why many Vietnamese people are rushing to apply for visas is because there are rumors that the 5-year visa policy for citizens of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will change in April, so they rush to apply for visas before the "change". However, a representative of the Visa Registration Center confirmed that this rumor is baseless.
At the Korean visa registration office in Ho Chi Minh City, those who want to apply for a 5-year visa can register for an appointment from the end of July. Accordingly, as of 12 noon on May 7, the Center only has available appointments on the 29th and 30th.
More information:
According to the new visa policy of Korea, Vietnamese citizens with registered residence in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are granted 5-year visas to this country without having to prove financial resources since December 3, 2018. However, some cases will still have to prove employment to avoid possible bad situations.
However, the Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam (KTO) also noted that although financial proof is not required, some applicants may be required to prove their occupation, so KTO recommends that individuals applying for a visa should prepare documents to prove their occupation.
According to this guide, for multiple-entry visas, valid for 5 years, in addition to basic documents, people in 3 major cities in Vietnam need to submit the original household registration and a photocopy. In case the visa applicant does not have a household registration in the 3 pilot cities but has a temporary residence book, they can still be considered.
Those granted a 5-year multiple-entry visa can stay in Korea for 30 days after entry.
