Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dogshed]

Today I made the 2.5 hour bus ride to Chuncheon to get my Visa and ARC renewed.

He didn't use my picture. He just wrote the new expiration date on the
back of the ARC I had.

When I told him I needed a new visa he pointed at ARC. It took about
five rounds of him pointing at the ARC and me pointing at the visa in
my passport before he figured it out.

It didn't say visa anywhere on the form. I was supposed to check one
of the entry permit boxes.

Instead of the big fancy label I got from the Chicago consulate he just
used a big stamp and then stamped on the date and "multiple".

As long as it works at the border.

It was 80,000 won total.

[aldershot]

fear not, you'll be fine. the back of my ARC looks like a football signed by the entire Town FC team.

[ttompatz]

Standard procedure.
You did NOT extend your visa, you extended your allowed period of sojourn. No mark in the passport for this. Just an update on your ARC.

They take your 30k won, update the computer and mark the back of your ARC.

The other "stamp" and 50k won were for a multi re-entry permit - looks like you got one whether you wanted it or not.

[mindmetoo]

Yeah they make no changes to your passport. It's all entered in their computers. If you leave and come back, they'll know. They'll stamp your passport accordingly.

The only weird part is the visa isn't very clear to North American airlines and customs. There seems to be nothing that really tells them its been extended. They're looking at some document that seems to have some weird expiry date (which is actually the date you have to be in country before the visa is null). They are the ones who may give you a hard time.

"You say you have a visa for Korea but this looks expired!"

[ttompatz]

[Ilsanman]

I had a problem with this very thing. The people at Incheon airport were shocked at my very clean passport. Despite showing them my ARC, they noted that I didn't have an entry stamp for Korea.

Good point, I guess.

It seems like an efficient way to deal with visa extensions, but it causes another problem. I don't think I should have to carry around my old and new passport at the same time.

[Hollywoodaction]

They don't ask. I don't even need to show my card because my passport number is in their system. I got an F-5.

The strange thing, though. I gotta get a visa for my kid and go to immigration for him every time we exit the country even though he was born here. The Korean government is so obviously trying to discourage parents from keeping their kids' dual citizenship.

[dogshed]

[ttompatz]