South Korea Temporary Halt Visa Waiver for Malaysia
South Korea Temporary Halt Visa Waiver for Malaysia
A quick update on South Korea Temporary Halt Visa Waiver for Malaysia. South Korea will invalidate short-term visas for all foreign nationals and temporarily halt visa waiver programs for 90 countries that bar entry to Koreans, amid concerns over a growing number of coronavirus infections coming from overseas effective 13 April 2020.
We read some news report stating that South Korea will cancel visa waiver for Malaysia travellers but that is not completely true. South Korea will temporary halt visa waiver and not completely cancel the visa waiver for Malaysia traveller. Hence, we found the official announcement by Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia.
We wanted to offer facts than rumours and here is the ANNOUNCEMENT by Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia:
Short-term visa suspension, visa exemption agreement and visa-free entry suspension (effective April 13, 2020)
※ The following emergency measures will be implemented to counter the spreading COVID-19 outbreak
1. Temporary suspension of all short-term visas(C-1 and C-3)
All single and multiple short-term visas(C-1 and C-3) issued by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia on or before 5 April 2020 are temporarily suspended.
○ Those who obtained these visas previously from the Embassy must re-apply should they wish to enter Korea at this time(visa fee waived)
○ Those who have already entered Korea using these visas will be excluded(permitted to stay until visa expiry date)
○ Exception
– Temporary employment visa(C-4)
– Long-term(employment and investment) visas
2. Temporary suspension of visa exemption agreement between Republic of Korea and Malaysia
○ Until further notice, Malaysian nationals will be required to apply for visa at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea if they wish to enter Korea.
○ Exception
– Diplomatic and official passport holders
– Flight attendants
– ABTC(APEC Business Travel Card) holders
3. Stringent screening of all visa applications at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
○ All visa applicants must undergo a medical examination at a medical institution in Malaysia within 48 hours before submitting their visa applications to the Embassy. The examination result sheet must include screening of COVID-19 symptoms(fever, cough, chills, headache, muscle pain, pneumonia, etc). Applicants must submit a written health certificate.
○ The visa processing time will be at least two weeks (14 days). The processing time is for a screening, such as an interview to review health status. However, it is possible to issue visas promptly in case of ESSENTIAL activities, such as diplomacy, public affairs, investment, technology provision, family emergencies, and urgent humanitarian reasons.
※ Effective Date 12:00 AM April 13, 2020(Applied based on the local departure time)
We will make another blogpost once we know the temporary ban will be lifted in the future. It is tough times for the travel industry and for the moment, just stay at home during this Movement Control Order (MCO). For future travel plans, plan now and travel when you feel it is the right time to travel. Be safe everyone and be strong, let’s get through this tough period together!
You can read all our stories and experiences in Korea at https://www.placesandfoods.com/category/south-korea-2
