Back to the visa guideE-visa availableMaster's / PhD onlyNot availableNot available
Korea e-Visa for students
An e-visa is a visa you apply for and pay for online at the Korea Visa Portal, without going to an embassy. For students it works only in some cases, so check yours first.
THE SHORT ANSWER
You can use an e-visa only if your university and programme qualify
Top-certified universities: every study programme (D-2). Certified universities: master's and doctoral students only. Korean language courses (D-4) can't use it, and nationals of Cuba, Syria, North Macedonia and Kosovo are excluded. Everyone else applies at an embassy or with a visa issuance certificate.
WHO CAN USE IT
It depends on your university and programme
Top-certified university (우수인증대학)
All study programmes: associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, research, exchange, work-study and short-term study (D-2-1 to D-2-8)
Certified university (인증대학)
Master's (D-2-3) and doctoral (D-2-4) students only
Any other university
Use the embassy route or a visa issuance certificate instead
Korean language course (D-4-1) at any university
Not eligible, even at a top-certified university
Nationals of Cuba, Syria, North Macedonia and Kosovo cannot use the e-visa at all; their visa is issued through a visa issuance certificate.
Your university's status shows as a government certification badge on the university list and on each university's page. StudyToKorea currently marks 38 top-certified and 127 certified universities. The certification list is reviewed every year (announced in February), so if your university has no badge, ask its international office.
Check the university listHOW TO APPLY
Six steps, all online
- 1Create a Korea Visa Portal accountSign up as an individual member at www.visa.go.kr. Sign-up is approved by the immigration office, so do it early.
- 2Fill in the application and upload documentsEnter your details and upload the documents the portal lists for your visa type. The list follows the normal D-2 rules (see our D-2 document checklist). You can apply yourself; under the Ministry's general e-visa rules the party inviting you may also apply for you, so ask your university's international office which it expects.
- 3Pay the feePay in US dollars with a credit card that works overseas.
- 4Wait for the Ministry of JusticeThe Ministry's head office screens the application, not an embassy. Follow the status on the portal; you get an SMS and an email when it is received and when it is issued.
- 5Print the e-visa confirmationOnce approved, print the e-visa issuance confirmation from the portal.
- 6Show it when you arriveShow the printout together with your passport at immigration in Korea.
COST AND TIME
Fee and processing time
about US$62
- The visa fee is set by law: US$60 for a stay of 91 days or more (a D-2 student visa), US$40 for 90 days or less.
- The portal adds a 3.3% online payment charge, so a D-2 e-visa comes to about US$62. Check the amount the portal shows before you pay.
- You can cancel and get a refund until the Ministry of Justice head office receives your application. After that there is no refund.
- No official processing time is published. Apply early and follow the status on the portal.
ON ARRIVAL AND AFTER
Three things to know
Bring the printed confirmation
The confirmation proves the visa was issued, but it is not the visa itself. Show it with your passport to the immigration officer when you arrive. Airlines can also look up your e-visa on the portal with your visa number, passport number and date of birth.
It can be printed only once
The confirmation can be printed one time, and not after you have entered Korea on the e-visa. If you lose the printout before you travel, the Ministry of Justice has to lift the limit on request; the Immigration Contact Center (1345) can tell you how to ask.
Register within 90 days
An e-visa does not replace alien registration. If you will stay longer than 90 days, register at the immigration office within 90 days of arrival (see the D-2 document checklist). If you are from one of Korea's 35 tuberculosis high-risk countries, you hand in the TB certificate at registration, not when you apply for the e-visa.
DON'T MIX THEM UP
The e-visa and the things that look like it
E-visa
You (or the party inviting you) apply online at the Korea Visa Portal and the Ministry of Justice issues it. Only for the cases above.
Visa issuance certificate
Your university's international-student officer applies for it, online or at the immigration office. You then apply for the visa at an embassy using the certificate number.
Embassy visa
You apply in person at the Korean embassy or consulate for your country. This is the usual route for most students.
K-ETA
An online travel authorisation for short visits by people who do not need a visa. It does not let you study: degree and language students need a study visa.
FAQ
E-visa questions
QCan every D-2 student use the e-visa?
ANo. All D-2 programmes at top-certified universities can, and master's and doctoral students at certified universities. Korean language course students (D-4) and students at other universities cannot, and nationals of Cuba, Syria, North Macedonia and Kosovo are excluded.
QHow do I know if my university is certified?
ALook for the government certification badge on our university list and on your university's page, or ask its international office. The list is reviewed every year.
QDo I still have to register as a foreigner after entering on an e-visa?
AYes. If you will stay more than 90 days, register within 90 days of arrival. A TB certificate, if you need one, is handed in at registration.
QIs the e-visa cheaper or faster than the embassy?
AThe fee is set by law (US$60 for 91 days or more) plus a 3.3% online charge. No official processing time is published, so we cannot promise it is faster. The main benefit is that you do not have to visit an embassy.
QWhat do I show at the airport?
AYour passport and the printed e-visa issuance confirmation. Airlines can also check your e-visa on the portal.
QI lost my printout. What can I do?
AThe confirmation can be printed only once. The Ministry of Justice has to lift the limit on request. Ask the Immigration Contact Center (1345) how to send the request, then print it again.
Where this comes from
Based on the Ministry of Justice Visa Issuance Manual (2026-09-01 edition: the D-2 e-visa section and the e-visa application procedure) and the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, article 71 (fees, in force 2026-09-15). Checked on 2026-10-09. We could not open the Korea Visa Portal's own screens, so its document list and final amount may differ: confirm at www.visa.go.kr before you pay. For your own case, call HiKorea on 1345.