General Information

A Schengen visa permits free travel within all member states of the Schengen agreement, if not stated otherwise on the visa.

The Schengen countries include:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The maximum duration of stay is 90 days within a period of 180 days. Schengen visas may be issued for the purpose of tourism, business trips or private visits. Visas for stays of more than 90 days or for the purpose of taking up an employment are not covered by the Schengen regulation.

A list of countries whose citizens need a visa for a short term stay in the Schengen area is available here.

Competent Embassy

The Embassy of the country of your main travel destination is the competent authority to deal with the application. If a main travel destination cannot be ascertained, the application should be submitted to the Embassy of the country of first entry to the Schengen area.

Required documents

• Valid passport (issued within the last 10 years; valid for at least 3 months longer than intended return date from the Schengen area; with at least 2 empty visa-pages)
   plus one copy of the identification pages
• One duly filled in and signed application form
• Two recent colour passport photographs; photographs have to meet the following requirements:

            a. size 35 mm x 45 mm
            b. light background
            c. taken without headgear
            d. head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not cover
                any portion of the applicant’s face
            e. picture has to be taken from the front
            f. any changes or modifications of the photograph are not allowed

• Korean Alien Registration Card (at least valid until 3 months after the travel dates) plus one copy.
• Flight reservation (round trip) and travel itinerary
• Proof of applicant’s return to home country after travel (certification of employment (not older than a month) / employment contract or other information proving employment / school or student certificate / proof of business registration and tax form / proof of immovable property)
• Vacation certificate from employer
• Proof of secured financial status (bank statements from the previous 6 months)
• Proof of accommodation (e.g. hotel reservation / proof of possession of own real estate / confirmation that a host will provide private accomodation)
• Original invitation letter of friends or family specifying the relationship between applicant and the inviting person, name and full address of the inviting person and/or formal obligation (Verpflichtungserklärung)
• Proof of medical insurance (from Korea) with minimum coverage 30.000 Euros per person, covering emergency treatment, ambulance transportation, transportation back to applicants home country; valid in all Schengen states for the entire validity of the visa

Please note that these are the standard required documents. The competent Embassy maintains the right to ask for further documents or information if necessary.

Additional remarks

- The necessary time to process the visa application is approximately five (5) working days. In some cases more time might be needed due to the necessary involvement of German
and/or Schengen authorities.

We, therefore, would appreciate it very much, if you could apply for your visa at least 4 weeks prior to your intended date of departure. Please also note that it is only possible to apply at a maximum of 3 months before your intended travel day.

- The visa fee is 90 Euros (as of June 11th, 2024) and is to be paid in cash in KRW on application according to the current exchange rate or with Visa/MasterCard in euro. If the visa is refused or the application withdrawn by the applicant, the visa fee cannot be reimbursed.

In some cases the visa fee is reduced or exempted. For further information on visa fees, click here.

- The visa applicant needs to apply at the Embassy in person. Children must be accompanied by their legal guardians (generally both parents).

Please note that there is no legal right to a visa. Submitting the above mentioned documents does not automatically guarantee the issuance of the visa.

Since October 12, 2015 all visa applicants above 12 years of age have to give fingerprints in order for their application to be processed.

Please note that the fingerprints are saved electronically for 59 months.