- 1 -
Press Release
Embargoed until July 1, 2015 14:00 pm 2 pages
Date July 1, 2015 Division Visa & Residence Division Director Kim, Young-guen
02) 2110-4055
Deputy Director
Chang, Hee-jung 02) 2110-4067 Picture with pictures
without pictures
Office of
Spokesperson 02) 2110-3717
The Ministry of Justice's Measures to Provide Convenient Entry to Foreign Tourists
- Exemption of Visa Application Fees for Group Tourists - Extension of Visa Expiration Date
- Expansion of No-visa Entry
The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea has decided to implement proactive measures such as exemption of visa application fees in order to provide foreign tourists with easier and convenient access to Korea and thereby support the concerned tourism industry following the recent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.
The measures include:
1. First, exemption of visa application fees for group tourists from China and other countries for three months (from July 6 to September 30)
- Visa application fees for Chinese group tourists (currently about 15 US dollars per person) are exempt for three months to support attracting foreign tourists.
- The same exemption measure applies to four Southeast Asian countries
(Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia) to which group tourist visas
- 2 -
are issued.
2. Second, validity extension of single-entry visas that were issued before and after the MERS development (from March 1 to June 30, 2015) from the current three months to six months
- Persons subject to the extension are allowed to enter the Republic of Korea even after the visa expiration date, which would prevent them from going through inconvenient procedures such as visiting a diplomatic mission to have their visa extended.
Note: About 1.09 million foreigners were granted a single-entry visa from March to June 2015. The Ministry will promote relevant information through diplomatic missions in China and other countries so that foreigners can benefit from it.
3. Third, no-visa entry for Chinese group tourists holding a Japanese group tourist visa
- About 1.1 million chinese group tourists were granted a Japanese group tourist visa in 2014. The no-visa entry is expected to provide Chinese tourists travelling Japan with easier and convenient access to Korea so that they can enjoy tourism activities while staying in the country for a
maximum of 15 days.
- At the same time, the Ministry will prepare restrictive measures to eliminate concerns over illegal stays of tourists that may be caused by the
implementation of the measure in order to minimize possible side effects.
The above measures were designed to dispel public concerns over the tourism industry following the MERS outbreak and to support foreigners with easier and convenient access to Korea. The Ministry of Justice expects the measures to contribute to revitalizing the tourism industry and the Korean economy.
