South Korea Student Visa (2027): Requirements, Proof of Funds, Fee, Processing Time

What you need

A D-2 applicant submits a completed visa application form, a passport valid for at least six months, a passport-style photo taken within six months, a copy of the university's business registration certificate, the university's Certificate of Admission (Standard Admission Letter), a certificate of the applicant's highest level of education completed, and evidence of financial capability, commonly a bank balance certificate of at least KRW 20,000,000 in the applicant's own name, or a parent's certificate together with proof of the family relationship. Nationals of a list of specified countries additionally submit a tuberculosis test result. Academic documents from outside Korea generally need an apostille or Korean consular authentication, and documents not already in Korean or English need a notarised translation. Applicants converting from a D-4 (language study) visa to D-2 additionally submit their Alien Registration Card, proof of residence, and an extension fee of KRW 135,000. Only a legal spouse or unmarried minor child (18 or under) may apply for an accompanying F-3 Dependent visa, sponsored by the student; Korea tightened F-3 rules from April 2025 to require legalised family-relationship documents and to generally stop changing to F-3 status from within Korea.

How to apply

1. Secure admission and receive your university's Certificate of Admission (Standard Admission Letter); some universities or applicant profiles additionally require a Confirmation of Visa Issuance step through Korean immigration before applying abroad.
2. Gather supporting documents: passport, photo, academic and financial evidence, and, for nationals of specified countries, a tuberculosis test result.
3. Apply at a Korean embassy or consulate in your home country and pay the visa fee, USD 60 for a single-entry D visa at the missions this project checked directly (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka).
4. Wait for processing; this project found figures from individual consulates ranging from about 7 working days (Hong Kong, without a Confirmation of Visa Issuance) to 14 business days (Atlanta), with no single official average published centrally.
5. Enter Korea within your visa's validity window, then complete foreign registration at an immigration office or through the HiKorea portal within 90 days of arrival.
6. Apply for a part-time work permit at your local immigration office before taking any paid work, and renew your D-2 status each year, or as your university's own registration cycle requires, before it expires.

Why applications are refused

A D-2 application can be refused if the immigration authority is not satisfied the applicant can financially support their studies, if supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or not properly apostilled or authenticated, if the accepting university or programme does not meet the embassy's own conditions, or if the applicant cannot show a genuine intention to study and later leave Korea within the permitted stay. A separate refusal can occur at the embassy stage even after a university's own Certificate of Admission is issued, if the passport, photograph or form do not meet requirements.