Visa Registration

Visa Application for Foreign National Students Residing Outside Korea (Guidelines on Student Visa: D-2)

Students should have their student visa processed at their local Korean Embassy/Consulate before leaving for Korea. A visa can be obtained for a minimum of 90 days and can be extended in Korea. However, it is recommended that students get a visa that will remain valid for the duration of the intended stay.

In order to apply for a D-2 visa, you need a Certificate of Admission from Yonsei University. The UIC Office must receive the following documents before mailing the certificate to you:

  • Financial Affidavit
  • A Verification of Deposit (VOD) such as an official bank statement
  • A copy of your sponsor's tax return (including property tax)
  • A verification of your sponsor's employment or equivalent

The VOD must be current (produced within a month), liquid (a savings or a check account or a similar cash account), and verified by the bank where the account is housed (by a signature, a stamp or a seal) A minimum balance of US$10,000 must be maintained in the bank account for no less than one month. If the account is not under the student’s name, a letter from the account holder must be submitted. The letter should state the sponsor’s relationship to the student and clearly state that the sponsor will support the student financially. Please have the Financial Affidavit form completed, signed, and returned to the UIC office along with the VOD and other required documents.

* Note that full-tuition scholarship recipients are exempt from submitting the documents above.

When UIC receives all the required documents, we will issue the Certificate of Admission and submit it along with other required documents to the Immigration Office in Korea to apply for a Visa Issuance Approval Number. Once the immigration office issues a Visa Issuance Approval Number, UIC will notify you. Upon receiving your Visa Issuance Approval Number, you should apply for a student visa (D-2) at your local Korean Embassy/Consulate in China.

* Please note that UIC will not be held liable for incidents in which the Immigration Office rejects your Visa Issuance Approval because such matters are under the jurisdiction of the Korean government.

Change of Visa Status for Foreign National Students Residing in Korea

If you reside in Korea and need to switch your status of stay to D-2, you must apply for a change of status before you enroll at UIC. Please visit the immigration office with the following documents:

  • Application Form for change of status
  • Certificate of Admission
  • A receipt of tuition payment
  • A bank statement that shows you have maintained at least 3 million won in your account
  • Foreign registration card
  • Passport
  • Application fee

* If you have an F-2 (Residency), F-4 (Overseas Koreans) or F-5 (Permanent Residency), you do NOT have to change your visa status. If your current visa is about to expire, but you do not have all the necessary documents to change your visa status, you should request a visa extension. You will probably get a one or two-month extension. Alternatively, you can apply for change of visa status with the documents available to you at the time and submit additional documents when you obtain them.

Overseas Koreans: F-4 Visa

Overseas Koreans whose parent or grandparent have held Korean nationality can obtain an F-4 visa. Those with an F-4 visa are exempt from submitting the Verification of Deposit or receiving a permit to study.

For further information, visit the Korea Immigration Service

Alien Registration

All foreigners planning to stay in Korea for more than 90 days must report to the Seoul Immigration Office (02-2650-6212, ext. 7) and register for a Certificate of Alien Registration within 90 days from the arrival date. To apply for the Alien Registration Card, students should have already obtained a long-term visa. (Students based at the International Campus must report to the Incheon Immigration Office.)

Required Documents

It takes approximately 7-10 business days for the Immigration Office to process the application. Applicants must leave their passport with the Immigration Office during this period and the office will return it when the application process is completed. If the Alien Registration Card is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed; if the applicant needs to change any information on the certificate; or if the certificate runs out of spaces for additional information or changes, the applicant must return to the Immigration Office and apply for re-issuance or change the certificate within 14 days. Please visit the Immigration Bureau website for more information on re-entry permits, visa extensions, and changes to visa status.

How to get to the Seoul Immigration Office (Sinchon Campus Students)

Seoul Immigration Office Map

From Sinchon Station, take subway line no. 2. Transfer to line no. 5 (purple line) at Yeongdeungpogu-Office Station. Get off at Omokgyo Station and come out of exit no. 7. Walk straight for 10 minutes. Pass Mokdong Middle School, and you will see a seven-storey gray building.

How to get to the Incheon Immigration Office (International Campus Students)

Bus

Take bus #91; the bus departs from the international campus and stops at Sungji APT bus stop; then cross the street to the Hanjin APT bus stop; from there, transfer to bus #908 and get off at the Korean Immigration Office stop. It will take about one hour to get there.

Taxi

Yonsei International Campus → Incheon Immigration Office (about 10,000 Won)

Subway

Campus Town Station → East Incheon Station → Taxi (about 4,000 Won)

Re-entry Permit

Students may leave the country multiple times without paying a fee, as long as they return before the Alien Registration Card (ARC) expires. If the ARC expires before the student’s return, there will be a fee and the ARC/visa status will have to be updated.