South Korea student visa guide

Degree students (associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral) need the D-2 study visa, and students on Korean language programmes at a university language institute need the D-4 general training visa. You first get a standard admission letter from a Korean school, then apply through the Korea Visa Center (VFS) in Abuja or the Lagos office of the Korean Embassy, depending on your state. Nigerian D-2 applicants must include a TB test certificate from an embassy designated hospital and degree documents verified by Nigerian authorities and the Korean Embassy.

Use the guide below as a planning reference, then check the official source before you pay anything or submit an application.

Tips from experience

• Start the ministry and embassy verification of your degree documents as soon as you apply to schools, since it is often the slowest step.
• Check which office covers your state before you travel to submit, Abuja (VFS) or the Lagos Office of the Embassy.
• Ask your school's international office for the exact funds amount it needs, and keep your bank balance at or above it.
• Use only the embassy designated hospital for the TB test, and keep the original certificate.
• Never pay brokers who claim they can speed up the visa. The embassy says neither it nor VFS asks for such money.
• Do not start any part-time job in Korea until immigration has given you permission.

Documents most applicants need are marked required. Others depend on your case or on what the office asks for. Build a printable checklist.

• Valid passport Required

  Valid for more than six months when you submit, plus a copy of the data page.

• Completed visa application form Required

  Any blank or wrong field may lead to rejection.

• Passport photograph Required

  One colour photo, 2 x 2 inches, attached to the form.

• Standard admission letter (Certificate of Admission) Required

  Issued by the school's president or dean, stating your academic and financial ability.

• Copy of the school's business registration certificate Required

• TB test certificate Required

  For D-2 applicants from Nigeria, issued by an embassy designated hospital.

• Latest degree certificate and transcript Required

  Originals, notarized as the embassy requires (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korean Embassy for D-2).

• Official letter issued and stamped by the Dean Required

  Listed by the embassy for D-2 applicants.

• Official original bank statements Required

  Recent six months of transactions, issued within 14 days of submission.

• National ID card, driver's licence or voter's card Required

  A copy issued within the last five years, listed in the embassy's common requirements.

• Proof of tuition and living cost payment If asked

  Listed by the embassy for D-4 language students.

• Affidavit of family relationship If asked

  Needed if you use a parent's bank statement. Must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Training plan If asked

  Listed by Study in Korea for D-4 applicants.

Indicative government fees only. School fees, translations, tests, courier and service charges are extra.

Living funds

No fixed amount. See the basis below.

Basis

Korea expects you to prove you can pay tuition and living costs for your stay. Your school assesses your finances before it issues the standard admission letter, which must state your academic and financial ability, and the embassy also asks for official original bank statements.

Tuition included

Yes

We could not confirm a current fixed amount on an official page, and the figure your school asks for can differ by school, region and visa type (D-2 or D-4). Ask your school's international office for the exact amount and check the current Ministry of Justice guidance on HiKorea. The embassy in Nigeria asks for bank statements covering at least the recent six months, issued within 14 days of submission. If you use a parent's statement, add an affidavit attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proving the family relationship.

Typical decision time

The Korean Embassy in Nigeria says processing usually takes around 10 to 15 business days (2 to 3 weeks), and up to a month when application numbers are high.

How early you can apply

Apply once you hold the standard admission letter from your Korean school and have finished the TB test and the verification of your degree documents.

Latest sensible time to apply

Aim to submit at least six to eight weeks before your programme starts, because document verification and the TB test take time before you can even apply.

1. 1

   Get admitted by a Korean school

   Apply to a Korean university or its language institute and receive the standard admission letter (Certificate of Admission) issued by the president or dean, plus a copy of the school's business registration certificate.

2. 2

   Verify your academic documents

   The embassy asks that your latest degree certificate and transcript be notarized by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean Embassy before you apply for a D-2 visa. D-4 applicants need verification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Start early, as this takes time.

3. 3

   Take the TB test

   D-2 applicants from Nigeria must submit a TB test certificate issued by a hospital designated by the Korean Embassy. Ask the embassy or the Korea Visa Center for the current list of designated hospitals.

4. 4

   Prepare your financial documents

   Get official original bank statements that meet the embassy's rules, and an attested affidavit of relationship if a parent is funding you. Make sure the amount matches what your school assessed for the admission letter.

5. 5

   Complete the application form

   Fill in every field of the visa application form and attach one 2 x 2 inch colour passport photo. The embassy warns that incomplete forms may be rejected.

6. 6

   Submit at the right office

   Residents of most states submit at the Korea Visa Center (VFS) in the Central Business District, Abuja. Residents of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River submit directly to the Lagos Office of the Embassy. The embassy does not accept direct submissions in Abuja.

7. 7

   Wait for the decision

   Processing usually takes 10 to 15 business days, longer in busy periods. Do not pay anyone who offers to speed up your visa, as the embassy and VFS do not ask for such payments.

8. 8

   Register after arrival

   Within 90 days of entry, apply for your Alien Registration Card at the immigration office for your area, with your passport, photo, certificate of enrolment and fee. Get permission before starting any part-time job.

Work and post study rules change often. Confirm them on the official source before you plan around them.

• Forged documents or false statements, which the embassy says can restrict visa issuance for up to three years.
• Degree certificates or transcripts that were not verified by the required Nigerian ministries and the Korean Embassy.
• A missing TB certificate, or one not issued by an embassy designated hospital.
• Bank statements that were too old, did not show the required transaction history or did not match the funds the school assessed.
• An incomplete or wrongly filled application form.
• Doubts about the study purpose or the intention to return home at the end of the permitted stay.

Refused before? Read what to do after a visa refusal.