Traveling to the US through Korea

[Horus 6]

So assuming my visa is printed on my passport when I pick it up from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I was planning on traveling to Brunei, Philippines, Korea and then finally the US. My question is, with the K1 visa approved and on my passport, does this mean I can travel to Korea without a Korean visa as long as my ticket to leave Korea goes straight to a POE in the US.

 

Filipino citizens are allowed visa free travel in Korea for up to 30 days (not 100% sure about this) if they have like US visas in their passport - I'm just not sure if the K1 visa is under that privilege. Anyone ever try to do that?

[Horus 6]

1 hour ago, Horus said:

So assuming my visa is printed on my passport when I pick it up from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I was planning on traveling to Brunei, Philippines, Korea and then finally the US. My question is, with the K1 visa approved and on my passport, does this mean I can travel to Korea without a Korean visa as long as my ticket to leave Korea goes straight to a POE in the US.

 

Filipino citizens are allowed visa free travel in Korea for up to 30 days (not 100% sure about this) if they have like US visas in their passport - I'm just not sure if the K1 visa is under that privilege. Anyone ever try to do that?

Sorry forgot to add days: Brunei would be 5 days, and since it's part of the ASEAN, I can enter Brunei without a problem. Philippines would probably be two weeks. Then I plan to stay in Korea for a week or two. I've tried looking for people that have done it and it was mostly for like a one night stay. I really want to be able to visit my friends in Busan so if it's just for like a night or 3 days, I'd rather apply for a tourist visa for Korea as well.

[Dashinka 24,579]

So are you traveling on on Filipino or Cambodian passport?  Just doing a quick search it appears that you may need a visa to visit South Korea with either a Cambodian or Filipino passport unless you are only transiting (leaving within 24hours and not leaving the airport), or. US GC holder.  Based on the fact that you want to visit friends in Busan, I would apply for a visa.

 

Good Luck and Safe Travels

[Horus 6]

7 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

So are you traveling on on Filipino or Cambodian passport?  Just doing a quick search it appears that you may need a visa to visit South Korea with either a Cambodian or Filipino passport unless you are only transiting (leaving within 24hours and not leaving the airport), or. US GC holder.  Based on the fact that you want to visit friends in Busan, I would apply for a visa.

 

Good Luck and Safe Travels

I just live and work in Cambodia haha, so yes it would be a Filipino passport.

 

I did the same search and it says that if somebody from countries with a non-waiver-visa-program thing, has a visa from the US, and as long as they have an outgoing ticket headed to the US, they can stay in Korea for up to 30 days. You don't have to be US GC holder. Did I just dream that I read that when I made the search a couple of weeks ago??? Haha.

I might have to apply for the visa... but I don't wannaaaaaaaaaa. I am so tired of paperwork this and paperwork that.

 

I am sad.

[Dashinka 24,579]

This seems to be relevant especially items 1) and (1).  To be safe, I would contact the South Korean Embassay in either Cambodia, or the Philippines to make sure this is still valid.

 

Good Luck!  Btw, I also love South Korea and hope to get there again in September.

 

Transit tourists bound for another country

Eligible countries

• Applicable to all countries (save forMacedonia, Cuba, Syria, Sudan and Iran) that are not granted visa-free entry into Korea. 

Applicable to…

• Persons holding a visa (re-entry permit, permanent residency, etc.) to enter the U.S. (including Guam and Saipan), Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (hereinafter referred to as "the four advanced countries") 
  1) who transit through Korea to go to one of the four advanced countries.
  2) who stay in one of the four advanced countries and take a direct flight from the country to Korea to go to a country of origin or a third country. 
  i) A person who has an entry visa for one of 30 European countries, and wishes to travel to 30 European countries through South Korea, or departs from one of 30 European countries, and wishes to travel one’s home country or the third country through South Korea. 
  Eligibility 
  (1)A person who has a departure ticket to the countries above within 30 days from South Korea, for who has not been an illegal alien and non endorsable offences. 
  (2) In the past 3 years, a person who has not been denied entry to Korea, who has not given deportation order from Korea and a person who has not been an illegal alien and a person who has not violated laws. 
  (3) A person who stayed in transit country or stopover country within 3 days. 
  (4) For e Visa holders, visa must be attached to traveler’s passport and who is traveling from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand through South Korea are allowed to enter Korea without a visa.
• If you are a Chinese group tourist holding a group-tourist visa to Japan and meet certain requirements (e.g. using a travel agency that only attracts Chinese group tourists), you are permitted to enter Korea without a visa.
• If you hold an e-visa to Australia and a visa label is attached to your passport, you are permitted to enter Korea without a visa. However, if the label is not on your passport, you are granted no-visa entry only when you depart from Australia and transit through Korea.

※ Japanese individual visa holders are excluded as of 1 May, 2016 

Requirements

• Must have a confirmed onward flight ticket for departure within 30 days after entering Korea, in addition to having no record of criminal offence in the five countries mentioned above.

http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt?categoryId=2&parentId=385&catSeq=401&showMenuId=375

[Horus 6]

I guess I'll have to bring my passport, as well as tickets from the Philippines to Korea, and Korea to the US, to show to the Korean Embassy and ask them about it.

 

I finished my Masters in Busan and I absolutely loved my 4 year stay there. It's such a beautiful city and everything is just so easy to do there. I'm planning to study Korean when I enter the states just so I don't forget what I did learn of the language back when I lived there.

[Hank_ 9,174]

12 hours ago, Horus said:

Sorry forgot to add days: Brunei would be 5 days, and since it's part of the ASEAN, I can enter Brunei without a problem. Philippines would probably be two weeks. Then I plan to stay in Korea for a week or two. I've tried looking for people that have done it and it was mostly for like a one night stay. I really want to be able to visit my friends in Busan so if it's just for like a night or 3 days, I'd rather apply for a tourist visa for Korea as well.

If you plan on leaving the airport to visit then .. if a visa is for entry, you will still need a visa to visit.   The U.S. visa has no affect on this.

Edited May 28, 2017 by Hank_

[Horus 6]

Update: I called the Korean Embassy and they told me that if I have a US Visa, as a filipino passport holder, I can spend 30 days in Korea as long as I can show them a ticket to the US from Korea. They told me to send them a picture of my US Visa and the tickets that I bought in an email just to make sure though.

 

So it looks like it's possible to visit Korea without a korean visa if I have a US Visa. Hopefully my K1 visa falls under the US visas they allow to do that with.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Do keep us informed.   Would enjoy knowing the details.

[JE57 239]

Based on the fact that your travel plans are taking you back to the Philippines after you have a K-1 visa (unused) in your passport you'll need to schedule a day to attend the CFO to be allowed back out of the Philippines.   It doesn't look like you've posted anything about this so I do hope you are aware of it.   My wife who has both a USED K-1 and an US tourist VIsa in her Philippine passport applied for and was granted a tourist visa for S. Korea after showing sufficient bank balance.  It was fast, easy and not expensive.  However, wished we'd know about her ability to enter on her Philippine passport and US visa.. Would have saved a page in her passport and a bit of hassle.   If anyone knows of similiar policy with Schengen countries that would be Awesome! 

[Horus 6]

1 hour ago, JE57 said:

Based on the fact that your travel plans are taking you back to the Philippines after you have a K-1 visa (unused) in your passport you'll need to schedule a day to attend the CFO to be allowed back out of the Philippines.   It doesn't look like you've posted anything about this so I do hope you are aware of it.   My wife who has both a USED K-1 and an US tourist VIsa in her Philippine passport applied for and was granted a tourist visa for S. Korea after showing sufficient bank balance.  It was fast, easy and not expensive.  However, wished we'd know about her ability to enter on her Philippine passport and US visa.. Would have saved a page in her passport and a bit of hassle.   If anyone knows of similiar policy with Schengen countries that would be Awesome! 

I heard similar things about Japan, though I haven't really researched it. I'm pretty sure I won't have a problem applying for a tourist visa to South Korea either, but again, I reaaaaaally don't want to. Hahahaha.

 

And I've scheduled my CFO seminar on the same week I arrive at the Philippines. I would have skipped the Philippines but I need to take my engagement pictures there and I wanted to see my friends in college before I leave Asia for an extended time.

[Horus 6]

Update: I just got my passport from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh (K1 Visa and all, yay!), and I booked my and my fiance's tickets to Korea and then to the US, then I went to the Korean Embassy here in Phnom Penh to inquire. I showed them the tickets and my passport with the visa to the US and they confirmed it: I can stay in Korea without a visa for 30 days since my outgoing ticket from Korea is directly to the US. They even printed out details on where you can see this information so I can show it to the Korean immigration, as well as a phone number to call when we arrive there, if we have any problems.

 

Yay~~~

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

7 hours ago, Horus said:

Update: I just got my passport from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh (K1 Visa and all, yay!), and I booked my and my fiance's tickets to Korea and then to the US, then I went to the Korean Embassy here in Phnom Penh to inquire. I showed them the tickets and my passport with the visa to the US and they confirmed it: I can stay in Korea without a visa for 30 days since my outgoing ticket from Korea is directly to the US. They even printed out details on where you can see this information so I can show it to the Korean immigration, as well as a phone number to call when we arrive there, if we have any problems.

 

Yay~~~

Good job and thanks for letting us know. I learned something new today.

[j N j 50]

On 5/27/2017 at 9:50 PM, Hank_ said:

If you plan on leaving the airport to visit then .. if a visa is for entry, you will still need a visa to visit.   The U.S. visa has no affect on this.

exactly..

[Horus 6]

21 hours ago, cyberfx1024 said:

Good job and thanks for letting us know. I learned something new today.

Yea they're super nitpicky about it though, any layovers on the US ticket stopping anywhere but Hawaii and they'll require you to get a visa.