South Korea eases documentary requirements for visa applicants

The Korea Visa Application Center in the Philippines on Thursday announced a series of revisions to its documentary requirements for visa applicants aimed at enhancing convenience and encouraging more visits to South Korea.

The updated guidelines will take effect on February 20, 2026.

In an advisory, KVAC said the submission of “three months of bank statements”—previously required across all visa categories—will be waived.

The center also simplified requirements for student applicants. Instead of submitting both an original school certificate and a copy of their student ID, applicants may now provide either the original school certificate or a copy of their student ID.

The revised policy likewise streamlines submissions for group or family applications. In cases involving multiple applicants, common documents—such as invitation letters, family relationship documents, and company-related papers—need to be submitted in only one copy. These should be attached to the representative applicant’s file.

KVAC also relaxed certain employment-related documentation requirements. The submission of an explanation letter will no longer be required in cases where employment documents do not indicate a landline number or are issued with an electronic signature.

“As long as other reachable contact information (email address or mobile phone number) is provided, the document will be accepted,” the advisory said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News