South Korea visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Conditions to check

For a Mumbai tourist visa application, submit your original ordinary passport, valid for at least six months with at least two blank pages, plus copies of its first and last pages. Other missions and passport types need separate checks.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

For an ordinary sightseeing trip outside a qualifying transit or Jeju exception, apply for the C-3-9 tourist visa. Its checklist does not authorize business, work or study; check the category for your actual purpose.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Age Conditions to check

The Mumbai checklist asks applicants under 18 for the sponsor's ID, proof of relationship, a letter of financial support and a no-objection letter from any parent not traveling with them. Confirm the checklist of your own mission.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Residence Conditions to check

For applications in India, check the mission responsible for your residence before choosing an application center or agency. Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi have separate jurisdictions and procedures; this guide does not establish eligibility to apply outside India.

Official sources: Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India.

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

A valid qualifying visa or permanent residence may support B-2 transit entry for up to 30 days, subject to the exact route, document form and immigration-history conditions. A return holiday to Korea alone does not qualify. Read the transit section before relying on this exception.

Official sources: Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada.

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

The Jeju-only exception permits tourism or transit for up to 30 days when arriving directly from overseas by flight or ferry and staying entirely on Jeju. A connection in another country is possible; arrival through Seoul cannot use this exception.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Stay and visa validity Conditions to check

Print your Visa Grant Notice. Its validity tells you when you can use the visa to enter; the authorized period of stay is separate. Follow your own grant notice and admission conditions rather than assuming a 90-day stay.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Check the transit exception against your full route

The B-2 third-country transit program can cover Indian travelers with a valid qualifying visa or permanent residence for the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or one of the 32 European countries listed by Korean Immigration. This is conditional transit permission, not a general tourist waiver. For example, India to Korea to Canada can qualify with the required Canadian status; India to Korea to India alone cannot.

You need a confirmed flight leaving Korea within 30 days. An intermediate country visited before Korea is generally limited to 3 days under the published route rules. The official notice includes both accepted and rejected multi-country examples: check your complete itinerary, not just the flight immediately after Korea.

Supporting visas generally must be valid stickers in the passport; Australia has an exception when its immigration system can verify the visa electronically. Do not assume an electronic visa or digital residence record qualifies. The notice also restricts travelers with unlawful stays, a Korean entry refusal in the preceding 3 years, or a fine of at least KRW 5 million or deportation for unlawful stay or other criminal matters. Ask Korean Immigration at +82-2-2100-1345 to confirm uncertain documents or routes before booking.

A separate Incheon transit-tour program has a 72-hour limit, an approved guided tour and metropolitan-area restrictions. It is not the 30-day independent transit program.

Official sources: Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada.

Keep a Jeju-only visit separate from a mainland trip

The Mumbai consulate confirms a visa-free Jeju visit of up to 30 days for tourism or transit. Arrive on Jeju directly from overseas by flight or ferry and remain on the island throughout. You may connect through another country, but a domestic connection from Seoul does not qualify under this island-only exception. A trip that enters mainland Korea needs its own visa or a separately verified transit exemption.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai; Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada.

Apply through the right mission

The Embassy in New Delhi takes applications through VFS Global's Korean Visa Application Centres in New Delhi and Kolkata. Since October 1, 2026, the Consulate General in Mumbai accepts applications only through designated travel agencies, with no walk-ins at the consulate. Check the latest list of agencies on the consulate's site before you apply. Your original passport goes in with the application. Follow any request from the mission for further documents or attendance; online paperwork does not establish an interview exemption.

Official sources: Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India; Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai; Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Prepare the tourist visa documents

The Mumbai checklist for a C-3-9 tourist visa asks for your original passport and a copy of its first and last pages, one recent 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo on a white background, and the printed online application form, signed on the last page, with your Aadhaar number in the National Identity No. field. Add copies of your Aadhaar and PAN cards and a covering letter with your details, purpose and length of stay.

For the trip itself, include a day-by-day itinerary, a refundable hotel booking and a confirmed refundable flight ticket. For your finances and work, add 2 years of income tax returns, 6 months of bank statements with the bank's seal and signature, and an employment certificate on letterhead with an original company seal, or business registration if you are self-employed.

Print the checklist and submit it with your papers. The consul can ask for more, and a visa can be refused if documents are missing or the purpose does not match the visa type.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai; Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai; Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India.

Allow time for processing

In Mumbai, a regular visa takes 10 business days from the day the consulate receives it, which can be later than the day you hand it to the agency. The faster express service is not offered for tourist visas, so apply at least a month before departure. Track your application on the Korea Visa Portal with the consulate's reference number.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai; Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.

Print your Visa Grant Notice

Korea no longer puts visa labels in passports. Once approved, find your application under Check Application Status and Print on the Korea Visa Portal, then print the Visa Grant Notice and carry it with your passport. Enter Korea before the visa's expiry date, and count your permitted stay from the day you arrive.

Official sources: Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai.