Start with what you cannot get once you are in Korea
The part of pre-departure preparation that actually matters is not your luggage but the procedures only your home country can complete. Apostilles and consular confirmation, the tuberculosis certificate, and an international driving permit all fall into that group. If you arrive without them, the only remedy is a trip back home.
A visa must be used within 3 months of issue
A study visa (D-2) is usually issued as a single-entry visa. A single-entry visa is valid for 3 months from the date of issue (Article 12(1) of the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act). If you do not enter Korea within that window it lapses and you apply again from the start. You must also file a fresh application if you want the visa issued more than 3 months after your application date, or after the date the Minister of Justice notified approval (Article 12(3)).
A certificate for confirmation of visa issuance, which your university can apply for on your behalf, is likewise valid for 3 months and covers one visa issuance only (Article 18 of the same Rules). The documents you file at the Korean mission for a D-2 visa are the visa application form with a photo, your passport, the fee, and a copy of the standard admission letter issued by the university president or dean. The standard admission letter is not the same thing as your acceptance notice. You request it from the school separately, and without it the visa application does not begin.
An apostille is issued only by the country that issued the document
Documents issued abroad, such as diplomas, transcripts and family relationship records, are recognised in Korea only with an apostille from the competent authority of the issuing country or consular confirmation from the Korean mission in that country. Only the country that issued the document can issue the apostille, so asking a foreign embassy in Seoul to do it after you arrive will get you nowhere. If your country is party to the convention, the Korean mission there does not provide consular confirmation at all and handles everything through the apostille instead.
The same confirmation is required not only for the visa application but also for foreign documents submitted at alien registration after you arrive (Annex 5-2 of the Enforcement Rules). Collect every document you are likely to need in one round before you leave.
The tuberculosis certificate comes only from a designated hospital
Nationals of the tuberculosis high-risk countries designated by the Ministry of Justice must submit a tuberculosis certificate when applying for a long-term visa of 91 days or more. Not just any clinic will do: the chest X-ray and other tests must be done at a hospital designated by the Korean mission, and the certificate is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. If you are diagnosed with tuberculosis, visa issuance is restricted until you are cured; you lift the restriction with documents proving recovery and then reapply. The list of countries and the designated hospitals change, so check the website of the mission where you will apply to see whether your nationality is covered.
What must not go in your bags
- Animal products — anything containing meat, including sausage, blood sausage, dumplings and smoked pork, must be declared. If you are caught bringing them in undeclared, pork and pork products from a country with African swine fever draw KRW 5 million for a first offence, KRW 7.5 million for a second and KRW 10 million for a third; other animal products draw KRW 1 million, KRW 3 million and KRW 5 million. Declaring them voluntarily at the airport declaration desk means no fine at all.
- Medicines — for personal use you may bring up to 6 bottles, or a 3-month supply at the prescribed dosage, and up to 6 bottles of health functional food. Medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic ingredients, such as zolpidem or diazepam, need approval from the Minister of Food and Drug Safety before entry (Narcotics Policy Division, 043-719-2813). If you take something regularly, bring an English prescription listing the ingredient names.
USD 10,000 is the dividing line for money
If the payment instruments you carry in total more than USD 10,000, you must declare them to customs on arrival. The total includes not only foreign banknotes but also Korean won cash, cashier's cheques in won, and traveller's cheques. Failing to declare draws an administrative fine where the amount involved is USD 30,000 or less, and imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to KRW 100 million above USD 30,000. The foreign exchange declaration certificate you receive is what lets you take the money back out later. The basic duty-free allowance for goods is a separate matter and stands at USD 800.
What goes in the cabin
Power banks cannot be checked in and must be carried on your person. Up to 100Wh is allowed, with approval at the check-in counter if you carry 6 or more; 100-160Wh is limited to 2 units with airline approval; above 160Wh is not allowed at all. Capacity is mAh x voltage (V) / 1,000. Keep them on you or in the seat pocket in front of you, not in the overhead bin.
Your passport, visa, standard admission letter, apostilled original documents and tuberculosis certificate belong in your cabin baggage, not the hold. These are the things you will have to produce at immigration and in the first days after arrival.
The day you arrive
If you have stayed in or transited through a priority quarantine management area where plague, zoonotic influenza or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has occurred, you must give the quarantine officer a Q-CODE or a health questionnaire on arrival. Failing to report, or reporting falsely, carries an administrative fine of up to KRW 10 million (Article 41(1)1 of the Quarantine Act). Q-CODE entry opens 7 days before arrival and the QR code must be issued before you board. The designations change from time to time and are posted on the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency website.
Foreign nationals fill in an arrival card at immigration. If you plan to drive, get an international driving permit at home first. A permit under the Geneva or Vienna Convention lets you drive for one year from the date you enter Korea, and only the vehicle categories written on the permit (Article 96 of the Road Traffic Act). You may not drive commercial vehicles such as taxis or freight trucks, but you may drive a rental car.
Documents, fees and thresholds change when laws and public notices are amended. This article reflects the position as of September 2026. Always confirm the requirements that apply to you with the Korean mission where you will apply, HiKorea, the Immigration Contact Center on 1345, and the international office of your university.
Sources
- 국가법령정보센터 「출입국관리법 시행규칙」 (법령ID 008494, 시행 2026-09-15)
- 국가법령정보센터 「도로교통법」 (법령ID 001638, 시행 2026-07-01)
- 제12조·제12조의2·제41조, 「검역법 시행규칙」
- 외교부 주로스앤젤레스 대한민국 총영사관 「유학(D-2) 및 연수(D-4)비자」
- 외교부 주우한 대한민국 총영사관 「결핵건강진단서 제출 관련 안내」
- 외교부 주벨라루스 대한민국 대사관 「장기사증 신청 시 결핵진단서 제출 의무화 시행 안내」
- 외교부 주미국 대한민국 대사관 「아포스티유(Apostille) 발급 안내」
- 외교부 주노르웨이 대한민국 대사관 「[한국 입국] 의약품 반입 절차 안내」
- 관세청 「여행자 휴대품 통관」
- 관세청 「출·입국 외환신고」
- 질병관리청 Q-CODE 「검역정보 사전입력 시스템 안내」
- 농림축산식품부 「휴대 축산물 불법 반입 시 엄격한 과태료 부과 예정」 (대한민국 정책브리핑)
- 국토교통부 「보조배터리 기내 반입 용량 및 개수」 (대한민국 정책브리핑, 2025. 3. 1. 시행)
Information on this page is current as of September 2026.