My daughter and I are currently K-pop and K-drama enthusiasts. We had our family vacation in South Korea back in 2012 but that was the first and last time we traveled there. We weren’t into K stuff back then. There was a Cebu Pacific Seat Sale so we grabbed the chance to fly for cheap. Anyhow, my daughter and I have been wanting to go back though hubby and son both think once is enough lol. When I read about the BDO Credit Card Korean Visa Promo earlier this year, I made up my mind to apply for a Korean visa for us. Take note that the only difference between regular application and credit card promo application is you don’t need to submit ITR and bank certificate. Instead, you submit your last 3 months CC Statement of Account.
Here’s my application profile:
- I used a BDO Amex Platinum Credit Card which I have had since 1998. It was my first credit card though when it was first issued, it was not Platinum. It just kept getting upgraded through the course of over two decades. My dad suggested it when I was working because I traveled a lot for my job back then.
- I am sponsoring my adult daughter since she is still studying in university. Because she is no longer a minor, I had to prove she was a student (certificate of enrollment + photocopy of ID is required). I also had to submit proof of relationship so I had to affix her PSA birth certificate. I did not have my daughter’s ID (stress!) that day. Luckily I have a photo of it in my email so I emailed it to KVAC and they printed it out. They can photocopy and/or print out anything you can email to them for ₱10 per sheet.
- Though not needed, I submitted a bank certificate. This is because I only use my credit card for travel, Amazon purchases, and monthly blog server fees. I was told KVAC considers the monthly cc transactions in their review and I knew I didn’t have enough cc activity. Luckily my Singapore charges from our Eras Tour trip reflected in the April statement of account so they still saw hotel fees and such.
- Even if on cc promo, I still needed to submit Certificate of Employment with Compensation. The COE I brought did not have compensation and I was told I would need to resubmit. Luckily, my COE was from our family business so I was able to request the correct version immediately. I emailed to KVAC and they printed it out right then and there.
- I wrote a cover letter explaining that my CC is under my maiden name because I did not bother changing it. Since there is no option to choose to apply for Multiple Entry in the application form, I also indicated in the cover letter I wanted Multiple Entry visas. This is so I can just buy and fly whenever there’s a K-pop concert we want to watch. I also shared my 2012 South Korea trip blog post urls in the letter.
- They ask for your last 5 trips during the last 5 years. Ours were Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and the United States.
- When asked for an estimate of the cost of the trip, I factored in tickets, hotel accommodations, tours, and per diem. A lot of other applicants just write pocket money for x number of days (ex: US$ 700 for 4 days). I don’t know why. I got paranoid and thought maybe I have a reading comprehension problem. Most people were just indicating their pocket money. Anyway I stuck to my understanding of the question and here we are.
- When asked for details regarding my employment, I also ticked others and said I am a content creator on the side. I figured in the off chance they would request more documents, I can present my BIR Registration and ITR as a content creator.
You don’t need an appointment to apply for a Korean visa. We went there last July 17, 2024 at 11am and it was immediately our turn. They go through your documents and tell you if there’s anything missing. In my case, it was COE with compensation and daughter’s school ID. I was just really really lucky I had a photo of her ID in my phone. We were done in an hour. Had I not needed to get a new COE and frantically search for her ID on my phone, we would’ve been done in 30 minutes. You will need to leave your passport with them, so make sure you don’t have any international travel scheduled.
Application fee per person is ₱900. I opted to have our passports couriered back to us for ₱300 per person. Our visa results were released today, July 24, 2024 so that’s 5 working days. We got aproved for Multiple Entry, 5 years validity. I was surprised it was so fast! I don’t know when they will mail back our passport but they said July 30, 2024 when we applied. They won’t inform you of approval or denial, you need to check the status yourself at https://www.visa.go.kr/?LANG_TYPE=EN.
The KVAC is on the 9th floor of Brittany Hotel, right across SM Aura. It’s very efficient and comfortable. I parked at the mall. We had lunch at the mall after our KVAC session. They are open 9am to 5:30pm from Monday to Friday. You can check visa requirements and download the application form at https://www.visaforkorea-mn.com/.
If you don’t want to go to KVAC personally, you can course your application via the nearest W Express.
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