Republic of Korea passport

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Republic of Korea passports are issued to citizens of South Korea to facilitate international travel. Like any other passports, they serve as proof for passport holders' personal information, such as nationality and date of birth. However, South Korean passports also indicate the holder's resident registration numbers. Republic of Korea passports are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Contents 1 Types 2 Physical appearance 2.1 Identity information page 2.2 Passport note 2.3 Languages 3 Inter-Korea travel 4 U.S. travel 5 Biometric Passport 6 Visa-free access for South Korean passport 6.1 Americas 6.2 Africa 6.3 Asia 6.4 Europe 6.4.1 European Union 6.4.2 Other European Contries 6.5 Oceania 7 Restricted nations 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Types

Ordinary passport : Issued to normal citizens. Ordinary passports are issued for one, five, and ten years of validity.
Official passport : Issued to members of the National Assembly and public servants.

[edit] Physical appearance

South Korean passports have the Korean Coat of Arms (bottom right) inscribed in the center of the front cover, with the Korean word Daehanminguk Yeokwon (대한민국 여권) inscribed above and its English translation REPUBLIC OF KOREA PASSPORT below the coat of arms. Ordinary passports valid for five or ten years are in dark green.

[edit] Identity information page

• Photo of passport holder
• Type (P)
• Issuing country code (KOR)
• Passport number
• Surname
• Given names
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Date of issue
• Date of expiry
• Sex
• Personal number (Resident registration number of South Korea)
• Issuing authority
• Korean(Hangeul) name

[edit] Passport note

The note inside of Republic of Korea passports is from the foreign minister of Korea:

In Korean:

대한민국 국민인 이 여권 소지인이 아무 지장 없이 통행할수 있도록 하여 주시고 필요한 모든 편의 및 보호를 베풀어 주실 것을 관계자 여러분께 요청합니다.

In English:

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea hereby requests all those whom it may concern to permit the bearer, to pass freely without delay or hindrance, in case of need, to afford him(her) every possible assistance and protection.

[edit] Languages

The textual portions of passports is printed in both English and Korean.

[edit] Inter-Korea travel

Exiting from the region under South Korea's administration directly to the North is not international travel from the South's point of view. The Republic of Korea's constitution considers the North as part of its territory, although under different administration. In other words, the South does not view going to and from the North as breaking the continuity of a person's stay, as long as the traveller does not land on a third territory.

However, because of the political friction between the South and the North, and also the isolated Communist government of North Korea, it is difficult to enter North Korea from the South Korean side. Tourists wishing to enter North Korea (for example, to tour Baekdu Mountain), almost always enter from the China side.

However, visa-free travel to Mountain Geumgang and Gaeseong city is now possible. Although, those who wish to travel across the border should bring special travel certificate issued by Ministry of Unification or the travel agency(Hyundai-Asan Corporation)for their trip.

[edit] U.S. travel

For South Korean passport holders, a U.S. visa is required to enter the United States of America. However, the U.S. Congress recently passed the Secure Travel and Counter-Terrorism Partnership Act, directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program to expand the visa waiver program for up to five new countries that are cooperating with the US on security and counter-terrorism matters. This new act changes the non immigrant visa refusal rate threshold - from 3% - to 10%, thus making South Korea along with 12 countries qualify for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.

South Korea's refusal rate was 3.6% in 2006 [1] and 4.4% in 2007 [2], both higher than the 3% requirement. The passport is required to change into a biometric one in order the participate in the VWP program.

South Korean citizens may join the US Visa Waiver Program in late 2008 and thus would be able to visit United States visa-free for 3 months. ^[1] However, an exact date for the implementation of the agreement has not yet been set. ^[2]

See also

Korea, South Reciprocity Schedule, USA

[edit] Biometric Passport

Korean government is currently not issuing biometric passport. Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has formed the 'Committee for promoting e-passports' in April of 2006, and it will be scheduled to issue biometric passports in the second half of 2008. On September 4, 2007, the media reported that the Korean government decided to revise its passport law to issue biometric passports which include fingerprint information, first to the diplomats in the first quarter of 2008, and the rest of the public in the second half of the year. For some civil liberties groups, there has some controversy over the fingerprinting requirement because the ICAO only requires a photograph be recorded on the chip.

On February 26, 2008, Korean National Assembly passed the revision of passport law. A new biometric passport will be issued to diplomats in March, and to the general public shortly after. Fingerprinting measures will not be implemented immediately; however, they are scheduled to begin in 2010.

[edit] Visa-free access for South Korean passport

According to a study done by Henley & Partners, South Korea has a Henley Visa Restrictions Index of 115, which means that South Korean citizens enjoy visa-free access to 115 countries and territories, including European countries, most of Latin American countries, some of Southeast Asian countries, Canada, and Japan.

[edit] Americas

Countries and Territories	Entry Rights
Anguilla	3 months [3]
Argentina	3 months [4]
Aruba	3 months [5]
Bahamas	3 months [6]
Barbados	90 days [7]
Bermuda	6 months [8]
Brazil	90 days [9]
Canada	6 months [10]
Chile	30 days [11]
Colombia	90 days [12]
Costa Rica	90 days [13]
Dominica	6 months [14]
Dominican Republic	90 days [15]
Ecuador	90 days [16]
El Salvador	3 months [17]
French Guiana	90 days [18]
Grenada	3 months [19]
Guadeloupe	90 days [20]
Guatemala	90 days [21]
Guyana	3 months [22]
Haiti	90 days [23]
Honduras	3 months [24]
Jamaica	90 days [25]
Martinique	90 days [26]
Mexico	90 days [27]
Netherlands Antilles	3 months [28]
Nicaragua	90 days, $5 Tourist card must be purchased on arrival [29]
Panama	30 days [30]
Paraguay	90 days (tourists), 30 days (others) [31]
Peru	90 days [32]
St. Barthélemy	90 days [33]
Saint Kitts and Nevis	3 months [34]
Saint Lucia	6 weeks [35]
St. Martin	90 days [36]
St. Pierre and Miquelon	90 days [37]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1 month [38]
Suriname	120 days [39]
Turks and Caicos Islands	30 days [40]
Trinidad and Tobago	3 months [41]
Uruguay	3 months [42]
Venezuela	90 days [43]
British Virgin Islands	30 days [44]

[edit] Africa

Countries and Territories	Entry Rights
Cape Verde	visa issued upon arrival [45]
Comoros	visa issued upon arrival [46]
Djibouti	30-day visa issued upon arrival for DJF5,000 [47]
Egypt	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$15 [48]
Ethiopia	3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$40 [49][50]
Kenya	3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [51][52]
Madagascar	90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA144,000 [53]
Mauritius	16 day visa issued on arrival [54]
Mayotte	90 days [55]
Morocco	3 months [56][57]
Mozambique	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25 [58]
Réunion	90 days [59]
Saint Helena	visa-free access
Seychelles	1 month [60]
South Africa	30 days [61]
Swaziland	60 days [62]
Tanzania	3 month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [63][64]
Togo	7 day visa upon arrival for XOF10,000 [65]
Tunisia	3 months [66]
Uganda	6-month visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [67][68]
Zambia	3 month visa issued upon arrival for US$25 (single), US$80 (multiple) [69][70]
Zimbabwe	3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$30 ~ 55 [71]

[edit] Asia

Countries and Territories	Conditions of access
Armenia	21 day visa issued on arrival [72]
Azerbaijan	30 day visa issued on arrival [73]
Bangladesh	90 day visa issued on arrival [74]
Brunei Darussalam	30 days [75]
Cambodia	30 day visa issued on arrival [76]
Georgia	Visa issued on arrival [77]
Hong Kong	3 months[78]
Indonesia	30 day visa issued on arrival [79]
Israel	3 months[80]
Japan	3 months [81]
Jordan	visa issued upon arrival for JOD10 [82][83]
Kuwait	3-month visa issued upon arrival for KWD5 [84][85]
Kyrgyzstan	1 month visa issued on arrival [86]
Laos	30 day visa issued on arrival [87]
Lebanon	1 month [88]
Macao	90 days[89]
Malaysia	3 months [90]
Maldives	30 days [91]
Nepal	60 day visa issued on arrival [92]
Oman	1 month visa issued on arrival [93]
Philippines	21 days [94]
Qatar	21-day visa issued upon arrival for QAR 55 [95][96]
Singapore	30 days [97]
Sri Lanka	30 days [98]
Syria	visa issued upon arrival [99]
Taiwan	30 days [100]
Tajikistan	45 day visa issued on arrival [101]
Thailand	90 days [102]
Timor-Leste	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [103]
Turkey	3 momnths [104]
UAE	60 days[105]
Vietnam	15 days[106]
Yemen	3-month visa issued upon arrival for YER10,500 [107]

[edit] Europe

Countries and Territories Entry Rights [edit] European Union  Austria 3 months in a half year [108][109]  Belgium 3 months in a half year [110][111]  Bulgaria 3 months in a half year [112][113]  Cyprus 3 months in a half year [114][115]  Czech Republic 3 months in a half year [116][117]  Denmark 3 months in a half year [118][119]  Estonia 3 months in a half year [120][121]  Finland 3 months in a half year [122][123]  France 3 months in a half year [124][125]  Germany 3 months in a half year [126][127]  Greece 3 months in a half year [128][129]  Hungary 3 months in a half year [130][131]  Republic of Ireland 3 months in a half year [132][133]  Italy 3 months in a half year [134][135]  Latvia 3 months in a half year [136][137]  Lithuania 3 months in a half year [138][139]  Luxembourg 3 months in a half year [140][141]  Malta 3 months in a half year [142][143]  Netherlands 3 months in a half year [144][145]  Poland 3 months in a half year [146][147]  Portugal 3 months in a half year [148][149]  Romania 3 months in a half year [150][151]  Slovakia 3 months in a half year [152][153]  Slovenia 3 months in a half year [154][155]  Spain 3 months in a half year [156][157]  Sweden 3 months in a half year [158][159]  United Kingdom 6 months [160] [edit] Other European Contries  Albania 1 months [161]  Andorra Andorra accepts any passport or passport replacing document valid for either France or Spain. [162]  Bosnia-Herzegovina 90 days [163]  Croatia 30 days [164]  Iceland 3 months [165]  Kosovo 90 days [166]  Liechtenstein The regulations for Switzerland also apply to Liechtenstein. See Switzerland [167]  Monaco 90 days [168]  Montenegro 90 days [169]  Norway 90 days [170]  San Marino 90 days [171]  Serbia 90 days [172]  Switzerland 3 months[173]  Vatican City 90 days[174]  Ukraine 90 days[175] [edit] Oceania Countries and Territories Entry Rights  Cook Islands 31 days [176]  Guam 15 days [177]  Fiji 6 months [178]  French Polynesia 90 days [179]  Kiribati 30 days [180]  Marshall Islands 30 day visa issued on arrival [181]  Micronesia 30 days [182]  Nauru 14 days [183]  New Caledonia 90 days [184]  New Zealand 3 months [185]  Niue 30 days [186]  Northern Mariana Islands 30 days [187]  Palau 30 days [188]  Papua New Guinea 60 day visa issued on arrival [189]  Samoa 60 days [190]  Solomon Islands 3 months [191]  Tonga 31 days [192]  Tuvalu 1 month [193]  Vanuatu 30 days [194]  Wallis and Futuna 90 days [195]  Australia pre-arrival Electronic Travel Authority required [196]  Norfolk Island same as Australia [197] [edit] Restricted nations Wikinews has related news: 19 South Koreans return home after release from Taliban captivity As a result from South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan in July, 2007, the South Korean government has banned Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia as travel destinations for safety. [edit] See also Biometric passports List of passports Visa waiver program South Korean nationality law [edit] References ^ Koreans Can Visit US Visa Free From Dec ^ Non-Immigrant Visas - U.S. Embassy Seoul, Korea [edit] External links Visa Waiver Program for Koreans v • d • e Passports By continent Africa Algeria · Cape Verde · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Egypt · Ethiopia · Ghana · Kenya · Libya · Mauritius · Morocco · Namibia · Nigeria · Seychelles · South Africa · Swaziland · Tunisia Asia Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bangladesh · Brunei · People's Republic of China · Republic of China · Georgia · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · North Korea · South Korea · Kyrgyzstan · Lebanon · Macau · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Pakistan · Philippines · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Syria · Thailand · Turkey · United Arab Emirates · Vietnam Oceania Australia · New Zealand · Papua New Guinea Europe Albania · Andorra · Austria · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kosovo · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Vatican City North America Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenadian · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States South America Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Guyana · Paraguay · Peru · Suriname · Uruguay · Venezuela International  organizations Andean Community of Nations · Caribbean Community · European Union · United Nations Laissez-Passer By type Biometric · Internal · Machine-readable Other Alien · Camouflage · Fake · Hajj · Laissez-passer · Pet · World Defunct East Germany · League of Nations refugee · Soviet Union