MANILA - The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines announced Tuesday that it will start the trial operation of visa application submission by mail for Palawan and Mindanao starting February 1.

In a Facebook post, the Korean embassy said it will start accepting visa application documents by mail through its courier service provider from Feb. 1 to April 30, 2024.

Interested applicants from Palawan and Mindanao can visit the Embassy’s courier service provider, W Express, to submit their applications.

Applications will be accepted in two Palawan branches and 20 Mindanao branches from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

An on-site payment of P1,900 will be collected from interested applicants. The whole process will take around 14 working days, from the submission at the courier to the receipt of the passport with the visa application result.

SIMPLIFIED VISA APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

The Korean Embassy also released a list of certain groups who may opt out from submitting financial and tax documents when applying for a Korean visa.

From Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, the following groups of people are exempted from submitting bank certificates, bank statements and income tax return documents.

Elected politicians

• Members of the Senate, Members of the Congress, Governors, Provincial Board Members, and Mayors (City or Municipality)
• (Immediate family members) : One's parents, spouse, minor children (applicable for adult children who can prove to be students through documents), spouse's parents

Required Visa Application Documents

• Identification documents (original) such as a certificate of employment or certificate of appointment
•  Submission of bank certificates, bank statements, and ITR are exempted for the politician and family members. Other documents, such as proof of relationship, are required.
   * Exempted documents may still be submitted if preferred
  
  

Government officials

• Persons with a rank higher or equal to Assistant Secretary of the Executive Branch of the Philippine Government, and Brigadier General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines/Philippine National Police
   * Excluding those in acting duties
• (Immediate family members) : One's parents, spouse, minor children (applicable for adult children who can prove to be students through documents), spouse's parents

Required Visa Application Documents

• Certificate of employment (original)
   * It is necessary to clearly specify the affiliated organization, working period, position, and salary. If the relevant information is omitted or cannot be verified due to a lack of contact with HR, disadvantages may be given to the applicant
• Submission of bank certificates, bank statements, and ITR are exempted for government officials and family members. Other documents, such as proof of relationship, are required.

Professional license holders

• Those holding a valid PRC license ID (IBP ID for lawyer) with a profession of physician, dentist, lawyer (including judge, prosecutor), certified public accountant, pharmacist, and veterinarian
• (Immediate family members) : One's parents, spouse, minor children (applicable for adult children who can prove to be students through documents), spouse's parents

Required Visa Application Document

• Certificate of employment (original) and copy of PRC license ID or IBP ID
• Submission of bank certificates, bank statements, and ITR are exempted for professional license holder and family members. Other documents, such as proof of relationship, are required.

Credit card holders

• BDO Gold or BDO Elite Credit Card Holders
   * Excluding Supplementary Credit Card Holders
• (Immediate family members) : One's parents, spouse, minor children (applicable for adult children who can prove to be students through documents), spouse's parents

Required Visa Application Document

• Certificate of employment (original), copy of credit card(front only with complete information), and latest 3 months credit card account Monthly Billing Statements(copy)
• Submission of bank certificates, bank statements, and ITR are exempted for credit card holders and family members. Other documents, such as proof of relationship, are required.

The Korean Embassy also said that applicants may still opt to submit the exempted documents if preferred.

• S. Korea hopes to be one of Filipinos’ top winter travel destinations
• South Koreans top foreign tourists in PH as 2023 target breached
• Culture, cuisine: What to check out at South Korea's Jeonju City

For more information, check the Korea Visa Application Center website.