Korean Job Discussion Forums

RachaelRoo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Location: Anywhere but Ulsan!

A friend of mine, who completed her E2 contract in December, is currently in Canada and wants to come back to Korea.

The problem is that her passport expires in May of this year. Normally it takes two weeks to renew the passport, for which she must submit her old passport, but she was just told by the passport office that because Canadians will soon require a passport to visit the states, there is a huge backlog and it might take 30 business days to get her new passport. She was planning to return to Asia around Feb.9, go on a trip to Cambodia with a friend, and then come back to Korea and work for my current employer starting around March 1st.

Can she get a year long teaching visa with a passport that will soon expire and just renew her passport in Korea?

Any suggestions for what her best option is?

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

If she already has a signed contract or is re-signing with the same school, immigration will grant the visa for as long as the passport is valid. When she receives her new passport, she'll have to take it to immigration to get the remainder of the visa stamped in the passport and her ARC updated.

I'm not sure what the policy is if she doesn't have a signed contract.

Lizara · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Location: Seoul

She can... and I don't think she has to take it to Immigration. I renewed my passport in Korea last May and when I took it to Immigration they were totally confused and said I didn't have to do that. I was a bit worried as everyone had told me I DID have to do that, but I had no problems getting out of the country later.

RachaelRoo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Location: Anywhere but Ulsan!

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

When I first came over I only had three months left in my Canadian passport. I was surprised it was no problem to get a Korean visa. After I got to Korea I got my passport renewed at the Canadian embassy; it cost a small fortune but was fairly fast. After that I basically had two passports - my new one that I had to register at immigration, and my old one with my visa in it. Even though my old passport had expired I still had to hold on to it because my visa was inside it. After I quit my job immigration cancelled the visa in my old passport.

I don't know if I was the exception or the rule, but it turned out to be no problem coming over here on a passport with only three months left in it.

Novernae · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

She should make sure she checks the requirements to get into Cambodia. Most countries say your passport has to have 6 months validity left to let you into the country. I thought I had read that it had to be valid for 6 months for Korea as well, but Yu_Bum_suk's story somewhat refutes that (though we have all learned not to take what's true for some as true for all when it comes to Korean immigration).

If she can get in, renewing here is not a problem, just make sure she does it as early as she can as the lag might be even more here.

Lizara · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Location: Seoul

Pandora · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada

If you're wondering about timing, I applied for a new passport at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul before the new year. It was delivered to my school in under 3 weeks. I just went to the Immigration Office in Incheon where they updated the info on my ARC card, but didn't touch or move the actual visa.

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

There must be more than 6 months on your passport to renew a visa, any vias be it E or F.
Trust me on this one...I got burned bad cause of this.

tomwaits · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Location: PC Bong

Too bad she is back in Canada----I have been in both situations.

In Seoul it was quite easy to renew/extend my passport The troubles (for me ) began when I was back home. The Korea issue is not "machine-readable" for one thing......

Anyway I am in this sort of spot now and there is no such thing as a renewal in Canada. Basically you start ALL over ---meaning you need application, photos , full gov't issued i.d. and (the killer) a GUARANTOR to sign for you. A guarantor is someone who has known you for 2 years and falls into a list of elite occupations (doctor lawyer) etc.

So it's a drag but I think you can pay extra and speed it up----by the way line-ups are all day things for January. due to the needing a passport to fly to US...

HEADACHE in Canada is all I can say

tsumetai mizu · Joined: 17 Dec 2006

I was in a similar situation recently. In Thailand rather than Korea though.
I had been in Thailand just under two years and decided to visit Canada for a couple of months. There was just over 6 months remaining on my passport when I bought a roundtrip ticket (Bangkok-Vancouver-Bangkok). I planned to apply for a new passport while in Canada. Like your friend I became worried that I would not get the new passport in time to travel. I thought 'no problem'; I'll prepare all the paperwork in Canada and apply for the passport from Thailand. I finished my vacation and then the problems started (minor really but a bit stressful at the time). When I was departing Canada on Cathay Pacific the checkin clerk was concerned that I did not have 6 months remaining on my passport. She called her supervisor who confirmed I needed 6 months. Fortunately, I had my Thai workpermit and the necessary Thai visa. They accepted my explanation. Without a work permit or visa it might have been a bigger problem though. The next problem involved the passport application. The application package I had prepared in Canada could not be used if I was applying from Thailand. I needed to fill in different forms and to my big surprise find a guarantor in Thailand. The guarantor must be from the country where you are applying (at least in the case of Thailand). Since I had been in Thailand a few weeks less than 2 years I could not use a Thai guarantor and the 2 guarantors I had from Canada were no longer eligible. The solution involved more paperwork, an hour or so of my time, and another fee of around 50 Canadian dollars. After that the process went smoothly and now I'm good for another 5 years. I'm quite sure the passport I received in machine readable. Not positive though. Anyway, here's my advice after that long story.

1) Communicate with the Canadian embassy/consulate and passport office using email. Note your tight timeline and describe your situation. I have found the staff in Canada and Thailand very helpful, prompt and professional the few times I needed their services. Be sure to contact the Canadian embassy in Korea to find out if the application process is different.
2) Travel agents can also be very helpful. Again, I find email the best way to communicate. Ask specifically about passport requirements for all points on you itinerary. It was my travel agent who alerted me to the fact that I needed 6 months remaining on my passport to purchase the type of ticket I needed. Would have had to postpone my trip otherwise.

Good luck

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

It would be nice if cheapo, penny-pinching, money grubbing Canada issued a 10 year passport like America. They force us every 5 years to get the new passport and make it painful to do so. Canada Bites!

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

I like Yu Bum Suk's version (got a Koren working visa and arrived in Korea with only 3 months validity left in his Canuck passport). But Pak Yu Man's story is different (one needs six months validity). I've got five months left, am switching jobs within Korea.

Re; renewing a Canuck passport. I'm busy at work. Can it be done thru
the mail/courier/phone. Or does one have to take day off work during the week to visa the Canuck Consulate in Seoul? This question has been burning and sizzling for ages of procrastination on my part. Thanks!