Visa cost

South Korea student visa cost — D-2 student visa

$85 in fees nobody can skip, up to $129 if every situational extra applies. Checked August 2026.

How much does a South Korea student visa cost in 2026?

Applying for a student visa in South Korea — the D-2 student visa — costs $85 in fees you cannot skip: Single-entry D-2 visa for a stay of 91 days or more ($60) and Foreigner registration card, within 90 days of arrival ($25). Situational extras (multiple-entry visa instead of single-entry, permission for activities outside your status, before any part-time job and tuberculosis screening at a designated hospital) add up to $44 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

D-2 student visa cost breakdown

Every line the South Korea application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

Single-entry D-2 visa for a stay of 91 days or more$60
Set in law as an amount corresponding to USD 60; posts may collect the equivalent in local currency Ministry of Government Legislation — Foreign students: visa issuance and sojourn period
Foreigner registration card, within 90 days of arrival$25
KRW 35,000 at the regional immigration office; a replacement card costs the same Ministry of Government Legislation — Foreign students: foreigner registration
Mandatory total$85
What the D-2 student visa costs before any optional service.
Situational extras — only if they apply to you
Multiple-entry visa instead of single-entry$30
USD 90 for unlimited entries or USD 70 for up to two, so roughly this much again on top of the USD 60 Ministry of Government Legislation — Foreign students: visa issuance and sojourn period
Permission for activities outside your status, before any part-time job$14
KRW 20,000; without it a part-time job is unlawful and can end your stay Ministry of Government Legislation — Foreign students: part-time work
Tuberculosis screening at a designated hospital$0
Required by several missions, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka; the designated hospital sets the price and it varies by test Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Pakistan — Designated medical centres for long-term visa applicants
If every extra applied$129
Worst case — most applicants pay none or one of these.

Amounts are US dollars. South Korea bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate — the native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

Things to watch

  • The visa fee is fixed in US dollars by the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Control Act, so it does not move with the won.
  • No Korean government page sets a bank-balance figure for D-2 students. The number you will be quoted comes from your university's own financial assessment, which is written into the standard admission letter, and universities publish very different figures.
  • Master's and doctoral students at accredited universities can apply through the Korea Visa Portal instead of a mission, which removes the appointment but not the fee.
  • USD figures convert at USD 1 = KRW 1,385, the US Federal Reserve H.10 noon rate for 21 August 2026.

South Korea student visa requirements

  • Standard admission letter from the Korean institution

    Signed by the university president or dean, it has to record the school's own assessment of your academic and financial ability. It is the single document the whole D-2 application is built on.

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  • Proof of financial ability

    Ministry of Justice rules require the evidence but publish no fixed figure, so the bar is set by your university's assessment and by the mission you apply at. Missions typically ask for an original bank balance certificate covering the last three months.

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  • Copy of the institution's business registration certificate

    Or its certificate of registration number. Your university supplies it; it proves the school is the entity named in your admission letter.

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  • Passport copy and one photograph

    A passport-size photograph taken within the last six months, plus a copy of the biographic data page. Several missions also want your previous passports.

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  • Proof of your highest level of education

    Degree certificates and transcripts. Missions in South Asia require them to be legalised or certified by your own foreign ministry before they will look at them.

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  • Tuberculosis test result, where the mission requires onefor Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Nepali students

    A chest X-ray, sputum examination and skin test from a hospital the embassy has designated, on the embassy's own form. It is mandatory for some nationalities and not asked for at all at other posts.

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  • Documents proving family relationship, if a parent is funding you

    Only needed when the bank statements you submit are your parents' rather than your own. Missions usually want a signed letter from the parent and copies of their identity documents alongside.

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  • Evidence of the language your course is taught in

    Immigration rules set no national bar, so the requirement comes from the programme and the post. The embassy in Colombo, for instance, asks for TOPIK level 3 or higher on a Korean-taught track and a TOEFL, IELTS or TEPS certificate on an English-taught one.

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How to apply for a South Korea student visa

  1. Get admitted and collect the standard admission letter

    Nothing moves before this. The letter carries the school's judgement on your academic and financial standing, which is what the consul screens rather than re-deciding.

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  2. Check whether you can skip the mission entirely

    Students heading for a master's or doctorate at an accredited university (D-2-3 and D-2-4) can apply for an e-visa on the Korea Visa Portal without visiting an embassy. Undergraduates cannot.

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  3. File the D-2 application at the mission covering where you live

    The screening fee is USD 60 for a stay of 91 days or more, and posts may collect the equivalent in local currency. Missions add their own documents, so work from that post's published checklist rather than a general one.

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  4. Fly to Korea and clear immigration inspection

    A Korean visa is only the consul's recommendation. An immigration officer at the port of entry grants the actual permission and fixes the period of stay, which for study is up to two years at a time.

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  5. Register as a foreigner within 90 days of arrival

    Anyone staying more than 90 days must register at the regional immigration office covering their address and pay KRW 35,000 for the registration certificate, which then works as your identity card in Korea.

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  6. Get permission before you take any part-time job

    The D-2 status covers study only. Working without permission for activities outside your status of stay is grounds for deportation and a fine of up to KRW 20 million, on top of losing the job.

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South Korea student visa work rights, dependants and processing time

Work rights

Part-time work needs prior permission and the hour cap depends on your level and your Korean. Undergraduates who meet the language standard (TOPIK level 3, or level 4 in junior and senior year) may work 25 hours a week on weekdays and without limit at weekends and in vacations; those who do not meet it are held to 10 hours. Master's and doctoral students get 30 hours, or 15 without the language. Language trainees on D-4 must wait six months and are capped at 20 hours.

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Dependants

A D-2 student on a bachelor's degree or higher who has been at a Korean university for more than six months can invite a spouse and underage children on Dependent Family (F-3) status. Students who have held D-2 or D-4 for less than two years are restricted unless there are humanitarian grounds, and nationals of countries with high overstay rates have to apply at a mission abroad rather than switch status inside Korea.

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After graduation

Graduates move from Student (D-2) to Job Seeker (D-10). The general route asks for a bachelor's degree, including a Korean associate degree, plus enough points for one of the professional statuses from Professor (E-1) to Special Ability (E-7). The points test is waived if you hold TOPIK level 4 or higher, or passed the Social Integration Program's level 4 interim evaluation, within three years of finishing a Korean degree. A separate D-10 track exists for graduates preparing a technology start-up.

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Language requirement

Korean immigration rules set no single language bar for the D-2, so the level comes from your programme and from the mission you apply at. The embassy in Colombo, for example, requires TOPIK level 3 or higher for Korean-taught study and a TOEFL, IELTS or TEPS certificate for English-taught study.

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South Korea student visa requirements for Pakistani students

Tuberculosis certificate is compulsory for any stay over 91 days

The requirement has applied to Pakistani nationals since 2 March 2016 and covers every long-term visa, D-2 included. The certificate must be on the embassy's own form.

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Only the embassy's designated hospitals count

The embassy names seven providers, including Islamabad Diagnostic Centre, Excel Labs and the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre in Islamabad and Alnoor Diagnostic Centre in Lahore. Applicants in Karachi and Sindh check the designated list with the embassy's Karachi office instead.

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South Korea student visa requirements for Nepali students

A consular-legalised graduation certificate is the eligibility document

Under Ministry of Justice guidance the embassy treats a legalised copy of the official graduation certificate as the academic eligibility proof for study in Korea, not a transcript or a college letter.

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Provisional certificates are accepted only on conditions

From 11 May 2026 a provisional certificate is accepted only if it was issued within one year of graduation, and it has to come with a written explanation from the institution. If the real certificate arrives after verification, you have to book a fresh verification appointment.

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South Korea student visa requirements for Sri Lankan students

Police report covering your whole life

The embassy in Colombo asks for a police report from the date of birth to the present, from the Sri Lanka or Maldives police, on top of the usual D-2 file.

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Bank statement plus a manager's balance confirmation letter

The statement has to be an original covering the last three months and issued within 14 days of the application, and it must be accompanied by a balance confirmation letter from the bank manager.

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Academic documents certified by your own foreign ministry

Degree certificates and transcripts have to be certified by the foreign ministry of the country where you studied, and the certification is only valid for three months.

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United States
From $535 all-in
United Kingdom
From $1,760 all-in
Canada
From $175 all-in
Australia
From $2,250 all-in
Germany
From $190 all-in
France
From $183 all-in

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much is the South Korea student visa fee?
The D-2 student visa application charge is $60 (Single-entry D-2 visa for a stay of 91 days or more). Add the other mandatory items — Foreigner registration card, within 90 days of arrival $25 — and the all-in mandatory total is $85. Optional extras add up to $44 on top.
Can you work on a South Korea student visa?
Part-time work needs prior permission and the hour cap depends on your level and your Korean. Undergraduates who meet the language standard (TOPIK level 3, or level 4 in junior and senior year) may work 25 hours a week on weekdays and without limit at weekends and in vacations; those who do not meet it are held to 10 hours. Master's and doctoral students get 30 hours, or 15 without the language. Language trainees on D-4 must wait six months and are capped at 20 hours. Source: Ministry of Government Legislation — Foreign students: part-time work (August 2026).
Can you bring your family on a South Korea student visa?
A D-2 student on a bachelor's degree or higher who has been at a Korean university for more than six months can invite a spouse and underage children on Dependent Family (F-3) status. Students who have held D-2 or D-4 for less than two years are restricted unless there are humanitarian grounds, and nationals of countries with high overstay rates have to apply at a mission abroad rather than switch status inside Korea. Source: Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice — Visa Navigator (August 2026).
What's not included in the D-2 student visa fee?
Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
When are these fees due?
Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

Official sources

Last verified August 2026.