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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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MeanyMichi
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: SNOW!!!
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 Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| schwa wrote: |
I did it last year. I dont recall it taking as long as 2 weeks, but maybe. Certainly no longer than that.
I skipped the guarantor part too. I had folks I could have asked but it seemed easier to skip that hoop. Cost 30k extra to chat for a couple minutes with some ranking consulate official instead.
Their hours for renewals are very skimpy, check ahead. I had to come cross-country & wanted to minimize time off work. They were really accommodating -- I made an appointment beforehand & they dealt with me outside normal hours on a friday afternoon. Relaxed, no waiting.
They're really fussy about photos. Be especially careful if doing the guarantor thing because he/she has to sign a special stamp on the back of one. I had a set done up locally that seemed to meet the specs but something or other was a millimeter off so they were rejected (& remember, no smiling!). Theres a little photo shop tucked in the basement of the same bldg that has the routine down -- quick & cheap.
They'll mail you the new passport (along with the old one with a corner snipped off) if you want to save a trip back. |
Got mine renewed a little while ago. Took 8 days, and it is machine readable.
I don't think there is a photo shop acutally in the same building. If you go on their website there are directions to a small Kodak photo shop nearby though. There is another Kodak photo shop a little further away, near the subway exit (line 1), next to a Burger King. DON'T get your pictures done there. I had all the instructions from the website (in Korean) with me, but they still wanted to sell me the wrong size. Then they only used one lamp when taking the picture, leaving a dark shadow over half my face. I insisted they take new pictures. Finally they took new pictures. After explaining to them I needed a stamp on the back of the pictures, they put it smack in the middle, leaving no space for the guarantor to sign. Then they put them front to back (not front to front), and one picture got smeared from the ink of the stamp. I complained and demanded my money back (I had paid BEFORE they took the pictures - stupid!), just to me met with "No English!", where previously they spoke enough English.
Unfortunately I was in a hurry to get to the embassy before they closed, so I gave up, found the other Kodak shop recommended by the embassy and got my pictures without a problem. They even put them on a floppy disk for me, and charged less than the first place. |
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teachmeenglish
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:01 am Post subject: |
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Sarcasm,
It may not have been true years ago, but my understanding is that the US is slowly demanding higher levels of passport security. Just last year there was some issue with Europeans not being able to fly to the US without a new passport, but I think they got a waiver for a few more years. Not sure of the details on that. As for machine readable ones, MY UNDERSTANDING is that sometime in 2004 that became a requirment. Maybe you got lucky, maybe I'm wrong, but I did some reserch a year ago and that is what I figured out.
Anyway, a moot point for those now as they are machine readable.
On a funny note, when I was in India last year the hotel clerk could not understand how a Canadain passort was issued in Korea, as Korea is not part of Canada, and I am not Korean! Despite an explanation, he seemed completly unable to comprehend the situation! |
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SarcasmKills
Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:09 am Post subject: |
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| teachmeenglish wrote: |
Sarcasm,
It may not have been true years ago, but my understanding is that the US is slowly demanding higher levels of passport security. Just last year there was some issue with Europeans not being able to fly to the US without a new passport, but I think they got a waiver for a few more years. Not sure of the details on that. As for machine readable ones, MY UNDERSTANDING is that sometime in 2004 that became a requirment. Maybe you got lucky, maybe I'm wrong, but I did some reserch a year ago and that is what I figured out.
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I've flown into the U.S. 3 times in the past 2 1/2 years alone (just flew in before Christmas in fact) and I haven't had a problem with my non-machine readable passport.. They didn't hesitate at all allowing it.. it just means that they have to type the number into their system instead of scanning it... no biggie.. Canadians do get tons more lieniency on this issue than Europeans though..
I'm stuck with the non-readable bad-boy until 2009.
fun. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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I just got mine done and am picking it up on Friday.
2 weeks is what they told me, two weeks is what it took. Maybe they're extra busy right now or something though. 
My question for those who say I should not get it renewed here is... where should I then? I live here and rarely go back to Canada. If and when I do go back it is often for less than two weeks. Doing it here was my only opion.
CLG: I take it you mean we have to report it to the Korean Immi office our visa is issued in? |
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jazblanc77
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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| teachmeenglish wrote: |
| I would not recomend getting it renewed here if you can. I did mine 3 years ago and on the bottom of the info page the magnetic line reads NOT MACHINE READABLE. This minor thing results in your pasport not meeting US standards and means that you can not fly into the US, or even go chicago T.O. Maybe things have changed with the pp here but that was the case 3 years ago. Any one else got a recently renewed one that can confirm/deny this??? |
You can get in, but I read in the papers around the time that they were reforming their visa requirements a year ago, that Canadians with non-machine readable passports would be required to get a visa to enter the US, even for a simple plane transfer. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
My question for those who say I should not get it renewed here is... where should I then? I live here and rarely go back to Canada. If and when I do go back it is often for less than two weeks. Doing it here was my only opion.
CLG: I take it you mean we have to report it to the Korean Immi office our visa is issued in? |
I haven't been back to Canada in 20 years and I've never had any problems with an overseas-issued passport.
I took my passport into gwanghwamun as it was close to the embassy... but I think you are supposed to take it to the one you are registered at. But the good news is that the service is free, and they'll transfer over your re-entry permits too.  |
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