Applying for a Student Visa

Since we're going back to Korea we have to reapply for student visas so we thought we'd take the opportunity to make a post about it. When we first had to apply for student visas we were so lost and we pretty much freaked out about it everyday. We were confused about the requirements because we found different requirements every time. Finally we called the consulate, but they weren't much help instead I spent half an hour on the phone just so they could tell me to look at the website! Luckily our study abroad program ISA really helped us with the process. So now we will do the same too!  The second time around should be a breeze!  One thing we should mention though is that if you plan to extend your stay and you will remain in Korea then you can easily extend your visa in Seoul. There's no need to go back home to extend your visa. 

 You should apply for your visa 90 to 30 days prior to your departure date.  The first thing we learned was that requirements vary from state to state. We live in Texas and the nearest consulate is in Houston. We don't live in Houston so we had to do it by mail. The visas for exchange students or study abroad students are D-2 and D-26. The visa we applied for was the D-26 and we'll be applying for this one again, but we'll post the Texas Houston consulate requirements for both. 

Houston Texas Consulate also serves: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi 

These are the documents we needed 

(These first requirements are general requirements for every state.)

Visa Application 

Passport

One passport photo  (3.5㎝ x 4.5㎝) 

$45

Pre-paid and self-addressed envelope 

South Korea Houston Consulate Requirements: 

D2 VISA For students

• The Certificate of admission with original signature
• One Photocopy of Business registration from Korean university
• Official Sealed Transcript or Diploma  

D26 VISA For exchange students

• The Certificate of admission with original signature
• One Photocopy of Business registration from Korean university
• Official Sealed Transcript or Diploma
• One Photocopy of Agreement Letter

We got all the documents together and mailed it along with our passport and a self addressed envelope. The self addressed envelope needs to be express mail! 

This is what a D-2 visa looks like. 

The turn around time was about 5 business days.  You can find the visa application on your Korean consulate's website and sometimes you might need more documents than listed on their website which can be very irritating. To prevent any headaches I suggest you send them an email or call them to make sure. 

Below are links to the different Korean consulate websites and the states they serve. You'll be able to find the different requirements and visa application! 

Atlanta GA Consulate: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands

South Korea Consulate Boston: New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont

South Korea Consulate Chicago: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin

South Korea Consulate Los Angeles: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, South California

South Korea  Consulate New York: Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania

South Korea Consulate San Francisco: Colorado, Northern California, Utah, Wyoming

South Korea Consulate Seattle: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington