South Korea sticker visa guide for Indians: documents, ₹6,805 all-in fee, timeline (10–17 working days), refusal patterns and official sources.
South Korea: Sticker visa for tourism, D-2 student and E-7 skilled work routes. Government fee, filing date and the expected decision window are shown before you pay.
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Nigerian and most African and Middle Eastern passport holders need a South Korea sticker visa before travelling for tourism, business meetings or study; for Indian passport holders the route is the Korea short-term visit visa (C-3) via the Korea Visa Application Center. Indian nationals apply for a Korean visa at the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) of the mission that covers their state. From 1 August 2026 the fee for a short-term single-entry visa (up to 90 days) is INR 3,600, a single entry over 90 days INR 5,400 and a multiple-entry visa INR 8,100, plus the KVAC service charge of about INR 1,100 per application. No biometrics are taken for tourist applications.
This guide follows one applicant from first check to departure, using the published South Korea rules and the fee, funds and processing figures shown on the vistolane South Korea page, which are re-checked against the official sources listed at the end.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visa type | Korea short-term visit visa (C-3) via the Korea Visa Application Center |
| South Korea government fee | ₹3,600 |
| KVAC service charge | ₹1,100 |
| Vistolane filing fee | ₹2,105 |
| All-in per traveller | ₹6,805 |
| Service levels (optional) | Economy, Premium or Business, shown before payment |
| Airport transfers (optional) | Estimated on the page, billed later |
Pay when you are ready: your account, details and document uploads are open before payment, and our specialists start verifying the file once the payment is in. If South Korea is filed after the guaranteed filing date for a reason on our side, the filing fee is refunded. Fees verified 2026-11-04 against visa.go.kr.
Based on the published window of 10–15 working days (Vistolane quotes 10–17 working days including its safety buffer) and the biometrics process. Your own dates appear on the price card once you pick a travel date.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Profile created, eligibility scored, guaranteed filing date quoted. |
| Day 1 | Documents uploaded; automatic checks flag two items (statement date, photo background); fixed the same evening. |
| Day 2 | Application lodged online; biometrics slot booked for the first free morning. |
| Day 4 | Biometrics given, passport handed in at the visa application centre. |
| Day 26 | Passport ready for collection or courier with the visa inside. |
| Day 33 | Earliest sensible departure with a week of buffer for courier or airline checks. |
Indicative minimums. Officers read three to six months of statements and compare the closing balance with your itinerary, tuition or salary; the number matters less than the story the statements tell.
| Category | Indicative funds |
|---|---|
| Tourist / visitor | ₹1.42 lakh |
| Student | ₹20.82 lakh |
| Work / sponsored | ₹99,351 |
| Family / partner | ₹1.85 lakh |
| Business / investor | ₹2.84 crore |
| Permanent residence | ₹3.12 lakh |
Student applicants add the offer letter, tuition receipt and, where required, an English test; sponsored workers add the employer's certificate or contract. Every upload is checked by vistolane against the South Korea checklist before filing.
A ₹1.42 lakh balance was shown, but ₹1.14 lakh had landed three days before the statement was printed. South Korea refused for unexplained funds.
The fix. Statements are checked for seasoning. Large recent deposits need a source (salary, sale, gift letter) attached before filing.
A self-employed applicant submitted no business registration, tax return or property proof. The officer could not see a reason to return.
The fix. The vistolane checklist for self-employed travellers adds GST/tax filings, business registration and property or family documents.
The application was filed with 15 working days to spare, but the first biometrics slot was nine days out, so the decision landed after the flight.
The fix. vistolane books the biometrics slot before the form is submitted and quotes the guaranteed date from that slot, not from the filing day.
Refusal patterns are anonymised from cases handled on the platform and the reasons South Korea publishes. A refusal is not a ban: fix the stated reason, add the missing evidence and reapply with a short cover note.
Student applicants show about ₹20.82 lakh covering first-year tuition and living costs, held for the seasoning period the institution or authority specifies, plus an unconditional offer from a licensed sponsor. vistolane files student routes directly with a guaranteed filing date; study-abroad consultants run whole intakes on the same board.
Routes such as Student D-2, Skilled Work E-7 are employer- or sponsor-led and are filed by a licence-checked immigration partner. Compare partners for South Korea by success rate, verified reviews, fee and reply time on the partner directory; the same guarantee and one login apply.
Fees and windows are re-checked when the authority publishes changes; the date of the last check appears on the destination page.
Bank statements that do not match the trip, weak evidence of ties or purpose, inconsistent bookings and form errors that contradict the passport. Each document is checked against the South Korea list before Vistolane files it, and a refusal letter is decoded within 24 hours if you were refused before.
Yes. The checklist on this page is the one Vistolane uses. Most applicants let Vistolane file the tourist and student routes because the guaranteed filing date and document checks remove the two main causes of refusal; other routes are matched with a licensed specialist.
Apply as soon as your dates are fixed and at least 31 days before departure; earlier for peak seasons. Validity is 3 months from issue (single) · as granted (multiple), so applying early does not shorten your trip.
You receive the reason in writing. Fix that reason, add the evidence and reapply; there is no waiting period. The portal keeps your earlier documents so a re-application starts from the approved set.
Vistolane quotes the filing date before you pay, from your document deadline and visa.go.kr's published window of 10–15 working days. If the file is lodged late for a reason on our side the filing fee is refunded; the decision stays the authority's.