Korean Job Discussion Forums

[static2]

I'm heading to China for a week and have booked a way one plane ticket to Kumning and a one way ticket back from Chengdu. So all I now need to get is the tourist visa. Where in Seoul can this be obtained cheaply? Australian passport.
These days can you get to the airport an hour before the plane leaves Incheon and be aboard on time (I realise it might be tight but I coming straight from work)
What is the process to get a Korean re-entry visa?
Can it be obtained before I go to the airport to save time?
Thanks and cheers.

[cruisemonkey]

Uuuuuh... gee, I don't know... oh, wait... how about the Chinese embassy?

[static2]

The one thing I was sure about reading on forums was that these days you can't go to embassy anymore and must go through a travel agent. Am I wrong???

[farrepatt]

I'm going to get my Chinese visa through Soho travel. They seem to offer pretty reasonable rates. I'm not sure how much it is for Australians though.

You can get a re-entry (single) at Incheon Airport. It took me only about 15 minutes, but I've heard it can take longer if there's a crowd. It costs 30,000 won and they put a sticker in your passport. The office where you get it down are past the ticket desks (though you'll need to do it before getting the tickets). There should be signs pointing the way.

You can get the stamp beforehand at your local immigration office.

[joeyjoejoe]

chinese visa regulations have been in a state of flux for about a yer now starting from when the olympics were on. the documents required change frequently. almost any info you find online even from official sites will almost certainly be out of date and incorrect.
this year is a year of anniversaries in china;
90 years since protests in beijing that founded the changing of chinese political thinking,
50 years since the start of the famine caused by the great leap forward,
50 years since tibet uprising that saw the dalai lama flee,
30 years since the opening of diplomatic relations with the US,
20 years since tianamen square,
10 years since the banning of falun gong,
and most importantly the 60th anniversary of the founding of communist china, national day oct 1st.

with all these anniversaries visa restrictions have tightened.
rumour has it that around october there will be no visas issued at all. double or multiple entry visa may not be issued, possibly with the exception of expensive package tours. student and business visas are not being renewed if they would be valid during october (unconfirmed rumours)

at the time of the olympics you would have needed flight in and out, hotel bookings for the entirety of your stay and proof of sufficient funds. however, none of it was authenticated, so with a computer and a little know how all are easily producible (not that i condone this)
you may need your ARC as proof of residency


long story short:
call the embassy and find out what they currently require. online i found that from september 1, 2007 you have to go through an agency, but this isn't true as i got one from the consular office in late september 2007 no problems. call and check.
Consular Office
Address: 50-7, No.2 Street, Namsan-dong, Chung-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82-2-060-7045004
Office Hours:
Application for Visa: 09:00-11:30, Monday-Friday (except holidays)


or go to a travel agent on this list
http://kr.china-embassy.org/chn/lsqz/ls_qz/ls_qz_13/t229558.htm
The service fee of travel agencies authorized by Chinese embassy should be not more than 20, 000 won. If they charge you more, you can send a complaint to the embassy

[tzechuk]

Makes me feel so glad I have a Chinese passport and can go in and out of China without hassle.

Back to OP though - they changed the law, yes.. now you have to go through a travel agent to get your visa. You can no longer go to the embassy directly.

There are a few travel agents around the embassy that do this - they know exactly what to do and there are some Chinese workers there who speak English. I visited and was able to talk to them in a mixture of English, Chinese and Korean..lol.

[WendyRose]

Xanadu in Itaewon will do your Chinese traveler's visa which, for Australians, is 50,000 I think. You need your passport and a passport photo plus the money.

http://www.xanadu.co.kr/eng/info/visa_main.asp

Xanadu is easy to find. Take exit 1 at Itaewon station. Walk about 200 meters and it's on the right, just before the Burger King entrance. It's on the 5th floor and they are open on Saturday's as well. It takes 4 days for processing.

I just had ours done and it was so easy and the people who work there are fluent in English and so nice/helpful. ;D We also bought our Japan rail passes there with just as much ease! Good luck!