Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lyn204]

Hi,
I am going to Hong Kong for a few days, and am just wondering if I will have problems exiting the country. Does Hong Kong immigration ask for a ticket out of Korea within 6 months?
I was asked in Indonesia, and if I hadn't had a ticket I wouldn't have been allowed to board the flight. This time, I do not have a ticket out of Korea, and am just trying to find out if it will cause a problem....
Thank you!

[J.B. Clamence]

Immigration won't care, but the airline might. In these cases, it's the airline that might not let you on the flight, not immigration. The reason for this is because it is their responsibility to make sure you have what you need, and to bring you back to Hong Kong if the Koreans won't let you in.

Having clarified that, I have been asked by the airline to show my ticket out of Korea at the airline counter checking into a Korean-bound flight every time I have returned to Korea from abroad (including in Hong Kong). However, all I have to do is show them my ARC (in other words, inform them that I am a legal temporary resident of Korea), and that is enough for them not to require an outbound ticket.

So if you have an ARC, you shouldn't need an onward ticket. If you don't have an ARC, it could be a problem, but it might not. Some people say they've rarely been asked to show an onward ticket. If you don't have an ARC, the best thing is to buy a refundable ticket out of Korea to have it to show, and then refund it when you get back.