Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ironjohn]

I'm a US citizen on an E-2 visa with a six-month contract that is ending soon. I want to stay and study Korean, so I am planning to take the hydrofoil from Busan to Fukuoka and return on a 90-day tourist visa.

Have any Americans done a similar tourist visa run?
Will I need to visit the consulate in Fukuoka?
Do I need to buy some kind of ticket to prove I will be departing from Korea at the end of the 90 days?

Thanks for your help.

[waynehead]

If you're going to study then why don't you get one of the C visas?

[Drew345]

I haven't done exactly what you said, but there should be no reason to need to visit the embassy in Japan. With a US passport and no visa you get 90 days on arrival in Korea.
The question about the onward travel ticket is a good question. When coming in by air, some airlines (most) check for it before letting you on the plane. But Korean immigration doesn't ever seem to check (for me anyway). Good question about if the boat staff checks or not. Anyway, immigration won't be your problem, it will be the boat check-in staff who might give you a problem.
There used to be an actual 5 year (3 month per entry) Korean tourist visa that US citizens could get from the Korean Embassy. I had that before and it was a good way to make sure the onward ticket requirement never became an issue. I lost that visa when I renewed my passport; not sure if they even exist anymore since the visa waver for Americans started last year. You might see if you can get that 5 year tourist visa in Fukuoka if you plan to be coming and going often with no onward ticket.

[rocket_scientist]

I'm not commenting on visa types - Try the ferry to Tuschima leave in the morn, come back 3 hours later in the afternoon. Less than half price to Fukuoka