Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago

General Information

How to Apply

- In-person application: Reservation required → Make a reservation

- Eligible for mail-in application:
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota,
Illinois (excluding Chicago suburbs and downtown)
- Not eligible for mail-in application:
Chicago suburbs and downtown → In-person application only

How to Receive Your Documents

- Eligible for mail return: Same as the mail-in application areas above → Must provide a prepaid, trackable return envelope

- Not eligible for mail return: Chicago suburbs and downtown → Pick-up in person only

Visa Process

Submit application(in person or by mail) ☞ Review ☞ Approved/Denied ☞ Passport return with Visa Grant Notice

* Currently, average processing time is 7-10 business days

* Visa process might be delayed due to various reasons such as missing documents, holidays, and visiting consular service to other States

* We cannot expediate the process unless it is an urgent humanitarian needs such as death of family members

1.Visitors who plan to stay in Korea must obtain visas before entering Korea.

-Our jurisdiction is as follow:

IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI

For those who do not live the above states, documents might be returned without any notice.

-Non-U.S. citizens apply for visa at your home country.

If you have a valid long-term status of stay(i.e. permanent resident card, H1B, F1) in the U.S., you may apply for visa at diplomatic office.

-B1/B2 visa holders cannot apply for Korea visa at the diplomatic office. They must apply for Korea visa in their home country.

2.Visa type varies depending on the purpose of visit.

-Please check the types of visa on the following website: https://www.visa.go.kr/openPage/do?MENU_ID=10101

Please note that the Consulate cannot give you an individual consultation.

-If you are to work in Korea, you must get a visa issuance number(confirmation of visa issuance) from the Ministry of Justice in Korea except for C-4 visas.

3.For those who were given a visa issuance number from Korea Ministry of Justice/Immigration Office, we just need general required documents for your visa process.

-Application Form

Applicants must put their signature on the form

Please put applicant's signature on the form. Must resubmit the form if the signature is missing

-Actual passport and a copy of passport

Must be valid for more than 6 months

Notarized copy is not accepted as an alternative for the actual passport

-One passport-sized photo

2in X 2in or 35mm X 45mm, color, printed on the regular paper is not accepted

-(For non-U.S. citizens only)

Visa Holders: Visa copy

F visa holders must submit visa and I-20 copy, J visa holders must submit visa and DS-2019 copy, H visa holders must submit visa and I-797 copy

**Those who are currently on OPT must submit original EAD card and a copy

Permanent Resident Card Holders: 

(In-person submission) Bring both the physical green card and a copy (physical card is required; physical green card will be returned after verification) 

(By mail submission) Notarized copy

For mail submissions, please do not send the physical green card, only the notarized copy.

** For those whose U.S. stamp visa has been expired, you must submit a visa appointment confirmation at the U.S. Embassy

** For those whose U.S. Permanent Resident Card has been expired, you must submit an original I-797 and expired permanent resident card(In person: Bring physical green card and copy, or notarized copy by mail) to prove that your permanent resident card has been extended.

It might differ by cases so we highly recommend you to contact us if you currently do not have a valid U.S. Stamp Visa.

-Proof of residency

Copy of driver’s license or most recent utility bill/bank statement

Applicants must be a current resident of one of the following states to submit their application to the Korean Consulate General in Chicago:

Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota

-Visa Fee

Cash or money order only, personal check is not accepted

For money order, please pay to "Korean Consulate General"

Visa fee differs depending on applicant's nationality:

https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-chicago-en/brd/m_26753/view.do?seq=15&page=1

-Prepaid return envelop

Must be trackable and have a stamp on it

Please note that the Consulate is not responsible for any mailing issues

* If needed, additional documents may be requested during the review process

* Submitted documents will not be returned except for original passport and permanent resident card

4.You may submit your visa application in person by making an appointment or send everything by mail. Please make sure you include a prepaid return envelop unless you are going to pick up your passport in person after the visa is issued.

Mailing Address: NBC Tower Suite 2700, 455 North Cityfront Plaza Drive, Chicago, IL 60611

5.K-ETA is for those who are to enter Korea for the purpose of tourism, visiting relatives, participating in events or meetings, and business (other than profitable activities)

Please check your eligibility for K-ETA here: k-eta.go.kr/portal/guide/viewetaalification.do

If your country is not listed, you must apply for visa to enter Korea.

For U.S. citizens, K-ETA is waived until December 31st, 2025.

6. Previous Korean Citizen or Korean Descendants, please check whether you have a Korean nationality or not before you submit a visa application

-Parent(s) or grandparent(s) of foreign nationality who once held Korean nationality

-Person who had had Korean Nationality and then acquired foreign nationality

-Even if applicants were born outside Korea, they might have Korean citizenship if their parents/grandparents didn’t make everything clear regarding the nationality.

-If either one of parents was Korean national at the time of applicants’ birth, they are not eligible to apply for visa since they had Korean citizenship from birth.

-For those who have Dual citizenship are not eligible to apply for visa. Their birth must be registered to Korean government(출생신고)[Please click here] and have done a loss of nationality(국적이탈)[Please click here] in order to be eligible to apply for visa. 

-For those who were Korean national and acquired foreign nationality(i.e. U.S. citizenship) later, they must have applied for a renunciation of Korean nationality(국적상실) in order to apply for visa.[Please click here]

-Additional documents for previous Korean citizen/Korean-descendants can be found on FAQ #7.

VISA DEPARTMENT IS NOT IN CHARGE OF NATIONALITY. PLEASE CONTACT THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENT FOR THE DETAILS.

Nationality: chicagonat@mofa.go.kr

Birth Register: chicagoconfirm@mofa.go.kr

 Please email us at chicagovisa@mofa.go.kr if you have any questions.