Long lay over in Seoul. Do I need a visa as a Filipino citizen?

Long lay over in Seoul. Do I need a visa as a Filipino citizen? - Blond Young Woman Laying on Lawn on Summer Sunny Day

I'm a Filipino immigrant from USA about to visit home in December. I have a 14-hour lay over in Seoul, South Korea.

Do I need a visa to leave the airport to do a little sightseeing?



Best Answer

I am sorry, but it appears that the answer above might not be correct anymore.

According to Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Boston, it seems that you should be able to visit Korea without visa:

Although citizens of the countries are not under Visa Exemption Agreement, visa-free entry for a limited time is allowed under certain conditions. They include:

  • Citizens whose final destination is the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia or New Zealand and have a valid visa (re-entry certificate) for those countries.

  • Citizens who departed from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia or New Zealand and transiting in Korea in order to go to their home country or a third country.

Entry Requirements

  • Must have a departure ticket from Korea within 30 days from entry
  • Citizens must not have any record of illegal stay or violations in the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia or New Zealand

So if you fly FROM USA to Philippines (or the other way), AND have a valid US visa or residence permit, AND arrive on a direct flight from USA (or departing on a direct flight to USA) you should be able to enter Korea for 30 days maximum.

This is further confirmed by Timatic (note that I put in Korea as a destination country, not a transit country):

Visa required.

The following are exempt from holding a visa:

Passengers with a residence permit issued by USA to nationals of Philippines if in transit through Korea (Rep.):

  • holding confirmed onward tickets on flights departing within 30 days; when
    • arriving on a direct flight from USA, departing to a third country (e.g. USA-ICN-PVG); or
    • arriving from a third country, departing to USA (e.g. PVG-ICN-USA). Not applicable if traveling from/to Northern Mariana Isl.

Thus the main requirement here seem to be to have a direct flight from/to USA (i.e. you cannot get visa-free entry if you fly USA-Japan-Korea-Philippines according to Timatic)




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Do I need a visa for a layover in Seoul?

Transit. In general, travelers in transit do not require a visa to transit through South Korea for less than 24 hours (for Incheon Airport) or when departing on the same calendar day (for all other airports) as long as they stay within the transit area.

Do Filipinos need visa to Seoul?

The visa-free entry allows Filipino tourists to travel only in Gangwon Province, where Yangyang Airport is located, and the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Tourists will be allowed to stay for 15 days. Gangwon Province is located in the northeast of South Korea, and is home to several national parks.

Is Korea visa free for Filipino 2021?

A South Korean Visa is FREE of charge as long as you are only going to stay 59 days or less; however, these travel agencies charge for the service that they offer of processing/sending your application and it can range from Php 500 to Php 2,000.



13 HOUR LAYOVER IN SEOUL (FREE TRANSIT TOUR VISA PHILIPPINE PASSPORT) Simply Pinay in USA




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ron Lach, Aleksandar Pasaric, Ethan Brooke, MART PRODUCTION