It was last year when my friends and I decided that it’s time we visit “The Land of the Morning Calm, Korea… errr… South Korea to be exact.

So we did what normal people do, check the website of the Korean Embassy here in the Philippines. One of my friends have been to South Korea, so, it was a lot easier. But what good news we found while researching! Elite cardholders for BPI and BDO get the chance to be granted multiple-entry visa to South Korea valid for 3-5 years.

If you are an Elite BDO cardholder, refer to this page to know if your card type qualifies:

And this page, if you are a BPI credit card or debit card account holder.

You may also  visit BDO’s and BPI’s websites as well for more information.

In my case, I submitted a copy of my American Express credit card statement along with other requirements. Elite cardholders are exempted from submitting Bank Certificate and ITR (Income Tax Return) when applying. However, issuance of any Visa shall be at the sole discretion of the Korean Embassy (that’s according to BDO’s website). So, I still submitted these 2 documents just to be sure, and since I have these available, anyway. You may click here to know more about the requirements.

Upon completing the requirements, I walked in to the embassy and submitted my documents. Then, I went back to my scheduled date to claim my passport.

As the top picture above showed, I got a Multiple- Entry VISA. I was so happy to be granted this much by the embassy. Now, I can comfortably book flights to this country anytime I see a seat sale! I don’t have to worry about getting my VISA denied.

If you are not an elite card holder yet, you might want to check with your bank about getting one or getting an upgrade. You still have time to apply as this offer is valid until December 31,2019. So, hurry up!!!!

And before you go to the embassy, please take note of the following:

Address : 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city 1634, Philippines

Contact number : (63-2) 856-9210

Schedule of application: Monday-Friday 08:30 AM- 11:00 AM only

Schedule of release: Monday-Friday 01:30 PM- 4:00 PM only

Visa Fees:
59 days (or less) stay in Korea — GRATIS
60 to 90 days stay in Korea — PHP1,800.00

Processing time:
3 working days (for those who have been to OECD member countries within 5 years as tourist)
5 working days (for those who have not been to OECD member countries within 5 years)

Reminder: I am not an expert on the VISA application procedure. This is just to share  my personal experience on how I was able to get a Multiple-Entry Visa to South Korea.

For more information visit their website.