South Korea offers multiple-entry visa to Indonesians

From now on Indonesians can afford multiple entries to South Korea within five years, with each visit allowed to last up to 30 days. The new visa policy is expected to increase the number of Indonesian visitors to South Korea.

The applicant should be a civil servant, a government official or a staff member of an Indonesian State-Owned Enterprise, as evidenced by a certificate of employment and has visited South Korea at least once, as validated by a photocopy of the old visa in the passport. The applicant for the new visa should have a valid visa to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, as validated by a photocopy of the visa in a passport. OECD countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, US, Canada, Australia and Finland.

People with annual income above US$8,000 are eligible for the multiple-entry visa and shall present an individual annual income tax return form. Professional workers, such as doctors, lawyers, lecturers and many others may obtain the multiple visa by showing certifications in line with skills and knowledge. Graduates of universities in South Korea are also welcome to apply for the visa by showing their diploma or related certifications.

The multiple-entry visa can also be granted to the spouse of an eligible applicant, to his/her underage children and to his/her parents. Financial documents must be enclosed with the visa application. There are three options of financial documents that can be used, namely a bank statement from the past three months, an annual income tax return form, or pay slips.

The multiple-entry visa, which costs US$90 per person, can be obtained one day after the application, which compares to the single-entry visa ($40 per person) that takes six working days. For the payment, the South Korean Embassy now cooperates with KEB Hana Bank. There is also a less expensive option, namely the group visa, which only costs $15. Applicants need to arrange to obtain this type of visa with one of 33 travel agents that are partners of the South Korean Embassy.