Visa Report: Seoul , South Korea - No Problems - Free Visa

[pjthefey]

Hi All!

 

Continuing my series of Visa reports around Asia, I just picked up my tourist Visa from the Thai Embassy in Seoul, South Korea.    It's located near Itaewon.

 

Everything was super easy.   Less than 5 minutes wait in the queue for both dropping off the application, and picking up the passport.

 

Office Hours:    9:00 AM  - 12:00 PM    (Drop Off and Pick Up)

 

Documents Required: 

- Airfare in and out of Thailand

- Photo

- Fee (currently free)

 

They took the application, didn't have any questions for both my American or my GF's Laos passport.  Told us to come back in 2 days.   We did, and our passports both had new visas. 

 

The Seoul Embassy is currently having a promotion where all single entry tourist visas are free between January 01, 2017 and Feb 28, 2017.   I'm not sure the reason, but I'm not complaining.     

 

If you are staying near Myeon Dong or Nam Dae Mun Market where our hotel is, the taxi fare should be about 6,000 won.

 

Here's the summary of all my visa experiences:

 

Seoul:  Recommended - Friendly Office - less than  5 minute queue  - 2nd Day Pickup

Taiwan:   Avoid - Unfriendly - 3 Hour Queue - Visa Denied

Hong Kong - Recommended -  Friendly - less than five minute queue - Next Day Pickup

Vientiane -  Acceptable - Long Queues - Next day Pickup

Los Angeles -  Recommended - 10 minute Queue - Next Day Pickup

 

[flyingdoc]

Very interesting !

[sometimewoodworker]

pjthefey

FWIW all single entry tourist visas in all county's are free at the moment Korea isn't doing anything special 

[pjthefey]

On 2/25/2017 at 0:02 AM, sometimewoodworker said:

pjthefey

FWIW all single entry tourist visas in all county's are free at the moment Korea isn't doing anything special 

 

I didn't realize that.  

 

One of the only other Visa reports from Seoul in the VIsa report thread from over a year ago also indicated that the guy got a free visa.    I thought it might have been a similar situation. 

 

I wonder about the motivation if it's happening everywhere.   On one hand I hear people talking about a crackdown and tightening immigration (I personally have seen no evidence of this as I've never been questioned at an airport, etc), on the other hand there's instances like this which seem to encourage people to get tourist visas.

Edited March 1, 2017 by pjthefey

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, pjthefey said:

 

I didn't realize that.  

 

One of the only other Visa reports from Seoul in the VIsa report thread from over a year ago also indicated that the guy got a free visa.    I thought it might have been a similar situation. 

 

I wonder about the motivation if it's happening everywhere.   On one hand I hear people talking about a crackdown and tightening immigration (I personally have seen no evidence of this as I've never been questioned at an airport, etc), on the other hand there's instances like this which seem to encourage people to get tourist visas.

In fact the extension of free visas has now been restricted to a very few countries.

 

and free SETV's have been available 2 or 3 times but never, AFIK, restricted to being issued in any one country.