Visas
Welcome to the Visa Section!
The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul wants to help you have an enjoyable and productive trip to the United States. Whether you plan to visit the United States temporarily with a nonimmigrant visa, or you plan to relocate permanently with an immigrant visa, we are committed to making the visa application process as smooth and efficient as possible.
Most Koreans traveling on business or tourism for less than 90 days do not require a visa and may use the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) instead. For information regarding travel without a visa, please visit our Visa Waiver Program page for more details.
Nonimmigrant visas are available for those traveling to the U.S. to study, work, or participate in an exchange program for a specific period of time. Immigrant visas are for those who plan to live and work permanently in the United States. Anyone who wishes to enter the United States to reside there permanently must apply for an immigrant visa.
I encourage you to read these pages carefully, as they contain all the information you need to prepare your application for travel to the United States. Just as there are many good reasons to visit the United States, there are many different types of visa applications, and this website explains them all.
I hope the information on our website is the beginning of an enjoyable visit to the United States.
Paul Boyd
Consul General
Application Status Check
-
Starting December 20, 2012, applicants for immigrant visas (IVs) and nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) can view the status of their visa cases through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) by entering their CEAC Barcode and the interview location for nonimmigrant visa cases and the case number for immigrant visa cases.
Please note, all nonimmigrant cases created within the past year that have not been closed will be available in CEAC Visa Status Check. Nonimmigrant visa cases that have been closed will be available for three months from the date they are closed. All immigrant visa cases created after 1991 and all Diversity Visa (DV) cases from the current fiscal year that have not been issued are available in CEAC Visa Status Check. Immigrant visa cases that have been closed will be available for six months from the date they are closed.
Visas Blog
-
Please visit the official U.S. Embassy visas blog for news and insights on all visa-related topics.