Korean Job Discussion Forums

sqrlnutz123 · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Location: South Korea

My sister wants to come to Korea with me. She just graduated high school so she can't get a teaching job and we're American so she can't do a working holiday. I looked it up and she can stay for just three months on a tourist visa. Then if she went back home for Christmas could she get another three months? Also, if she stayed longer than that, would anyone care? When she goes back home, do they check the date at the airport?

ChinaBoy · Joined: 17 Feb 2007

Of course they check the date, that's why they have a date!

She would be fined, possibly imprisoned, and possibly blacklisted from Korea.

Why can't she just leave every 3 months? Fly to Japan or something. Easy peasy.

daniel-andersson · Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Location: Seoul (but from Sweden)

Hi, with a flight ticket home you can exteend the visa (one final time) with 30 days (I guess). Still maybe enough so she has to do a VISA run I assume

sqrlnutz123 · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Location: South Korea

The reason I asked about the date was because I went to Spain and stayed several months past my visa and nobody cared in the slightest. Nobody checked dates ever.

NorKnOAd · Joined: 20 Jul 2009

I'm not a world traveler by any means, but i see that as being a very bad idea... I agree with ChinaBoy, just fly to another country and get another visa. Call me conservative, but this isn't something i would play with.

redaxe · Joined: 01 Dec 2008

Yes, they do check the dates at the airport on your way out. If she overstays, they might not give her a visa next time. Fines or imprisonment are theoretically possible but pretty unlikely. But yes, if she leaves the country before the visa expires, she can get a new one on re-entry. Visa run.

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 8:58 pm Post subject:

sqrlnutz123 · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Location: South Korea

Ok, now I have another question. My sister is leaving in December and I want to buy her a one way ticket back to Korea. The problem is, at the airport they require an ongoing ticket.
What if I have a ferry ticket from Buson to Japan? Will they be satisfied or not let her on the plane?

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:35 am Post subject:

Old Gil · Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Location: Got out! olleh!

sqrlnutz123 · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Location: South Korea

On the way here, they checked for an ongoing ticket at the American airport we departed from, but nowhere else, not even at immigration at Incheon. Leave it to America to ruin it for everybody. That's a good idea about the refundable ticket.

arice05 · Joined: 29 Aug 2009 Location: Dongducheon

sqrlnutz123---the same thing happened to me when i tried to come to korea on a tourist visa and only a one way ticket. one older man at the desk was like, you have to have a return ticket. and gave me this huge lecture and was being really stubborn. but another lady said that i didn't have to have one, and then it was suddenly no issue. maybe they knew that once i got to korea, i would apply for an f4 visa, and that i wasn't really a tourist?

btw i noticed that you're from eugene, or. i actually live 45 minutes away from there!!! actually, now right now i live in korea, but you know what i mean Very Happy

Neil · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: Tokyo

PeteJB · Joined: 06 Jul 2007

The one way ticket thing won't always get you in. I was asked on both depature from Korea and Japan if I had an ongoing ticket, and so I had to go into detail that I was taking a semester off from University to travel (dates clearly indicated on my passport) - It took quite a bit of doing before they actually let me go. If your friend has no 'backup' method like this, she may not be able to enter.