Visa Free Travel to Korea Begins Again! Visa Waiver for Filipino Travelers to Jeju, Yangyang

K-friends, get ready as travel to Korea begins again starting June 1, 2022!

Korea will start accepting Filipino tourists from June 1, 2022. As announced by the Embassy, application and issuance of all types of visa, including tourist(C-3-9) will resume.  Meanwhile, multiple entry visas issued before April 5, 2020, which have not expired, may be used without re-application.

On June 1, South Korea will resume its visa waiver program, which had been stopped for more than two years owing to the pandemic, and will allow visa-free access through the international airports of Jeju and Yangyang.

There is a 30-day visa-free stay limit on the southern tourist island of Jeju that has been in effect since 2002 and applies to all international visitors except for those from 24 nations recognized by the justice minister.

After the pandemic broke out on Feb. 4, 2020, the measure was put on hold. In April 2020, international flights at Jeju International Airport were also halted.

Officials have announced that groups of five or more arriving at Yangyang International Airport on the east coast from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Mongolia can stay in the country for up to 15 days without a visa.

According to Jeon, "We intend to boost the number of international passengers and reinvigorate the tourism industry with a more streamlined admission policy."

Border restrictions have been eased, allowing tourists who have been completely vaccinated to enter the country without requiring quarantine.

Following a government-led campaign to restore pre-pandemic levels of safety, the number of new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000. 

Notice on Resumption of Korean Tourist Visa (From June 1, 2022)

DATE2022-05-19

The Korean Embassy is happy to announce that the processing service for all types of visa including tourist visa (C-3-9) will resume starting Wednesday 1 June 2022. 

1. Multiple entry visa issued before 5 April 2020 that has not expired can be used without re-application. 
2. All visa applicants are not required to submit the Consent for Isolation any longer. 
3. The detailed information on visa application procedure including documentary requirements will be announced at this website soon. 
4. Please be advised that all the passengers must comply with the following protocols for quarantine and COVID-19 testing. 

• Passengers must present either a negative PCR certificate(issued within 48 hours) or a negative RAT certificate(issued within 24 hours) prior to the departure date
• In principle, unvaccinated passengers will not be exempted from quarantine while vaccinated passengers will be exempted from quarantine.

The detailed information on the quarantine protocol can be found at the Embassy’s website (link: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ph-en/brd/m_3272/view.do?seq=760837&page=1)

• Online vaccination registration is required via Q-CODE before departure.  

We hope that this resumption of visa processing service will promote people-to-people exchanges between Korea and the Philippines via tourism. 

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines

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