It has been a childhood dream to visit places where I can enjoy SPRING, autumn, and winter for the reason that these beautiful seasons are not present in tropical regions such as the Philippines. For many years, I have eagerness to travel abroad however people would discourage me by saying, “Either for leisure or work, it would require a generous amount of money and excruciating visa-application process.” I finally decided to overcome it and I just want to share my experience to someone who might benefit from it.
When I checked the embassy’s website, the Visa Requirements for Filipinos (shown below) made me have second thoughts on whether I should go for it or not. But my motivation? VISA IS FREE!!! So why not try it anyway? You just have to provide some documents and off you go.
I was nervous at first due to the following reasons:
☑ No ITR Form 2316 or 1701. What I only have was a Form 2307 (Self-employed);
☑ 6-month old bank account with very small money in savings (<P30,000);
☑ Low credit card limit (P15,000);
☑ Expiring passport (Travel Month: April 2015; Passport Expiry: November 2015);
☑ COE from a no employer-employee relationship company;
☑ Traveled to other non-visa Asian countries (at least once)
After organizing my documents based on the embassy’s requirements (see below) , I uttered a prayer and courageously handed in my application.
Quick Tip: Provide only what is required. No more, no less.
To my surprise (and relief), the application process for a South Korea tourist visa was so organized that I must have spent no more than 20 minutes at the embassy in total. Seriously, it took me much longer just to travel to the embassy and back!
Single-entry tourists visa are good for 3 months from their date of issue, so I suggest applying 1-2 months before your trip. In my case, my travel was in April so I applied for visa in February.
Tourist Visa Requirements for Filipino Employees
1. Application Form
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
5. Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable, and Korean Visas will not be counted)
6. Original Certificate of Employment (new!)
(must include applicant’s position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number(cell-phone number is not allowed), HR e-mail address)
7. Original Personal Bank Certificate
(must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)
8. Bank Statement (new!)
(original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
10. Photocopy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316
* If personally invited by Korean
. Invitation Letter
. Photocopy of invitor’s Passport or Identification Card
(authentication not required)
* If invited by Company in Korea
. Invitation Letter
. Photocopy of Korean Company Business Permit
(authentication not required)
* Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourist to OECD member countries within 5 years are exempted from submitting ITR.
■ Processing Time
: 3 working days (for those who have been to OECD member countries within 5 years as tourist)
5 working days (for those who have not been to OECD member countries within 5 years)
■ Visa Fee: 59 days (or less) stay in Korea — GRATIS
60 to 90 days stay in Korea — PHP1,800.00
Republic of Korea Embassy in the Philippines
122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634
Tel: +632 856-9210
Fax: +632 856-9008
Website: embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr
Email: philippines@mofa.go.kr
Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30AM-5:30PM
Filing: Mon-Fri, 9-11AM
Releasing: Mon-Fri, 2-4PM
HOW TO GET THERE:
Going southbound on C5, veer right soon as you pass SM Aura. You’ll see a Petron/Jollibee shortly after. The exit to Upper Mckinley Rd will come immediately after this, with the embassy almost at the start of the exit.
My Experience: I never traveled to Manila alone in the past. I did not want to trust strangers completely so I kept my phone with me and got in touch with friends for directions. To ease confidence, I also downloaded Google Map 🙂 I rode a bus to Manila from the province; rode MRT from Quezon Ave. to Guadalupe Station. From Guadalupe, I walked to the Jeepney stop and hailed a jeepney going to C5. I asked the driver to drop me off at the embassy at Mc Kinley.
My VISA APPLICATION EXPENSES:
Bus Fare (Region III to Manila) P230.00
Bus Fare (Manila to Region III) P230.00
Jeepney to and from C5 P20.00
City Bus P20.00
Visa FREE
TOTAL P500.00
For the next series, Follow Me! 🙂
👣 HistoryMaker/The Official Traveler
Disclaimer: The example above is more accurate for Tourist Visa application. Like you, I’m just a traveler. I’ll try to help as much as I can but please understand that my knowledge is finite and limited to my personal experience and purely research only.