Korean Job Discussion Forums

[globalnomad]

Hi all,

So f you are coming to S. Korea on a Tourist Visa...or an E-2....or E-1...(what's the diff. by the way..E-1 and E-2).

Do you have to show a return or continuing ticket to be allowed in the country?

[kangnamdragon]

You need a return ticket if you have no visa. You don't need one if you have an E-2.

[Konundrum]

I really don't know what the official korean immigration policy is, but the friendly folks at Air Canada wouldn't let me on because I didn't have a return/exit ticket the last time I went to Korea.
I had an E-2, and argued with them for 15 minutes. I finally bought a ticket to Fukuoka and vowed to never fly AC again. This was a few years ago, though...

[crazylemongirl]

the reason airlines don't like to take people to countries that they are not a citizen on with only a one way ticket is that get some hefty charges and may have to repaitriate the person.

as for coming in a tourist visa on a one way I'm not sure..

[sheba]

I came to Korea on a tourist visa in march, I was told by the korean consulate that I would not be allowed to enter the country without a return ticket. I was planning on entering on a one way ticket, get a job, and do a visa run... didnt turn out that way! not sure about an E2 visa - I just let my boss pay for the ticket, one way or return I dont care as long as I get a ticket home at the end of the year!!

[Hans Blix]

regarding the tourist visa

from oz i booked a oneway to japan, via korea. this allowed me to enter korea no problem on a tourist visa. if you want to do this, you should find that the japan leg of the flight is flexible and you can change the date (maybe for you visa run) but just remember to originally set it for no later than when your tourist visa will expire (obviously).

[Zyzyfer]

This famous question.

It depends entirely on your main airline and the originating airport. Incheon immigration doesn't care. I've come to Korea several times on a tourist visa without an exiting ticket and no one's ever blinked on this end. I have been hassled about it once when I got stuck in Seattle. So if the airport is small or if you're starting your flight with a small airline that doesn't know international rules, it's possible.

If you don't want to buy a round trip ticket and get to the airport and find out that you need one, buy a ticket at the counter from Incheon to Japan (cheapest one available), set about a month after your arrival date. Make sure it's refundable and then cancel it once you get here.

The other possibility is to just have a round trip ticket.

[Bunnymonster]

I've come in from the UK twice with no onward travel plans and no-one has batted an eyelid. Not even a query from Incheon immigration, even gave them a made up address in Korea this time as I couldn't for the life of me remember my GFs address...............

[Free World]

I haven't made it there yet but I couldn't buy a return ticket if my return date was going to be more than a year after my departure. Since I am going to have a one week period to get adjusted before my one year contract starts I had to get a one way ticket. I have an E2 visa so I will let you know how it worked in a couple weeks. If I get hasseled I am going to try Zyzyfer's trick and get a refundable ticket to Japan then cancel it once I get to Korea.

[pollyplummer]

You can just make a reservation for a trip without actually purchasing the ticket and then print that itinerary. I came over on a tourist visa in such a way. Just show them the print out of your reserved continuing on flight and you should be fine.

[just because]

Yes, you are meant to have an out ticket on a tourist visa......

It is being more and more strictly enforced as the years go by, what I do is just have a cheap out ticket, such as the ferry from Busan to Fukuoka which costs about 90 000 won and that is usually good enough to get on the plane.....but sometimes they can even be a little funny about this.

Make sure you have an out ticket of some kind as they probably won't let you on the plane...

If you are coming on an E2 visa, then no problems.

[rapier]

[pollyplummer]

I don't know. My recruiter did it for me and just told me to print the itinerary. I thought it was an actual one for my visa trip to Japan. However, later when I contacted him he said that it was just a reservation and they never purchased that ticket. It was made for the sole purpose of getting me through immigration. Even if you make a reservation and they can only hold it for one day, just having a printed out itinerary should work wonders on the people at the check-in counter for your airline. Immigration never asked to see that itinerary. Even if they had, they probably wouldn't have checked up on it.

[rapier]

[jajdude]

I have entered SK several times without an E2. And never have been asked to show any airplane ticket.

Must be my good looks

Or does nationality perhaps make a difference?