Warmest greetings from the Office of International Affairs, SNU!
To study at SNU, all international students must have a valid D-2 Visa. Returning students must have a valid D-2 visa and enter Korea before the start of the semester(March 4th, 2025). To acquire a D-2 Visa, you need to apply for a Certificate of Admission (CoA).
If you are
a) an international student currently enrolled at SNU with a non D-2 visa who needs a D-2 visa; or
b) a returning international student; or
c) a research student(who completed all classes and will be enrolled to complete thesis/research and graduate)
please apply for the COA at the mySNU portal.
LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WHATSOEVER. Even if you will need a D-2 visa mid-semester, please apply now.
Application Location: mySNU portal Student Service > Int’l Exchange > Visa/Immigration > Certificate of Admission
Application Period: 2024.12.03.(Tue) ~ 2025.2.27.(Thu) 23:59PM
How to Apply: check the attached file(CoA Application Manual) for details
1. Process
*if you are a research student, start from 1).
*if you are not a research student, start from 3).
1) (Research Students Only) prepare:
- an application form(free form, written letter by you on why you plan to return to Korea, why you were not able to finish your studies before, why you need a D-2 visa, and what you plan to do with your D-2 visa once you enter Korea)
- a confirmation form signed/stamped by your advising professor(must support your claim and confirm your status as a returning research student)
2) (Research Students Only) Contact the Student Affairs Office of your department. Ask them to write an official letter(공문) to OIA with the documents you prepared and request for your COA. Please note we will only issue your COA after we get the official letter(공문) from your document.
3) Apply for the Issuance of Certificate of Admission via mySNU portal
⇒OIA will go over your documents and issue your CoA
⇒Receive the Certificate of Admission & SNU Business Registration Certificate at the mySNU portal
⇒Apply for the D-2 visa with the CoA and Business Registration Certificate (Korean Embassy if you are OUTSIDE Korea, Immigration Office if you are IN Korea)
*It takes time(about 2~3 weeks) to issue your COA. The time to issue your Certificate of Admission may be subject to change, depending on whether or not the documents are sufficient.
2. Required Documents
Color copy of your passport (page with your photo & personal information)
Certificate of Graduation ⇒ please check item 1) for details
Proof of Finance ⇒ please check item 2) for details
Family Relationship Certificate (if the account holder of the bank statement you submitted for the Proof of Finance is your parent)
Scholarship Certificate (for scholarship recipients)
Color copy of Residence Card (if you already registered with the Immigration Office and your RC did not expire)
1) Certificate of Graduation
Submit the same graduate certificate you submitted when you applied to SNU.
(A) If the school you graduated is not from Korea or China, the certificate must be apostilled or confirmed(영사확인) by a) the Korean consular of the school’s nationality or b) the consular of your school’s nationality located in Korea.
For example, if you are from country A and you graduated from a school of B nationality before enrolling at SNU, the graduate certificate must be a) apostilled from authorities of country B; or b) confirmed by a Korean consular in country B; or c) confirmed by a consular of country B located in Korea.
(B) If the school you graduated is from China, you must submit a English CHSI certificate that is valid.
(C) If the school you graduated is from Korea, please submit your graduate certificate. If the graduate certificate has been issued under your request(and is not a diploma-학위기) it must be issued within 6 months.
2) Proof of Finance
The Proof of Finance must prove you have at least KRW 20,000,000(annual) and must be issued within 2 weeks of the COA application submission date. Please submit a bank statement (issued by the bank) from a bank account owned by you or your parent(s).
However, if you belong to a department whose tuition for one year is higher than KRW 7,000,000, you need to prove you have at least the total balance equivalent to the sum of one year’s tuition and KRW 13,000,000.
For example, if your tuition for one year is KRW 25,000,000, you need to prove you have KRW 38,000,000 (KRW 25,000,000 + KRW 13,000,000.)
If you are a research student OR have less than 12 months(2 semesters) to graduate, please prove you have at least the total balance equivalent to the sum of one semester's tuition and KRW 6,420,000 per month.
(A) If you are submitting a bank statement from a bank account owned by your parent(s)
You must submit an additional Family Relation Certificate that proves your relationship with the account owner. If your nationality is China, only the notarized Family Relation Certificate is allowed and birth certificates will be prohibited.
(B) If you are a scholarship recipient (not KGSP)
Please submit the scholarship certificate that proves the scholarship period and amount of money you will be receiving from the scholarship.
If the scholarship does not cover the whole KRW 20,000,000, you need to submit an additional bank statement that proves you have the remaining amount.
Ex) scholarship certificate (KRW 6,000,000) + bank statement (KRW 14,000,000)
(C) If you are a KGSP scholar
You only need to submit the KGSP scholarship certificate.
(D) If you are submitting a bank statement from a bank in China
Only 存款证明书 will be accepted. The bank statement must be written as 定期 and should be valid at least for 6 months.
(E) If you are a registered foreigner and are currently in Korea
Only a bank statement from a Korean bank under your name will be accepted.
(F) If you graduated from a Korean institution and the visa you received from that institution did not expire
Only a bank statement from a Korean bank under your name will be accepted.
3. Notice & Guidelines
If you are a returning student, please note that your CoA will be issued and given to you ONLY AFTER YOUR RETURN HAS BEEN APPROVED BY YOUR COLLEGE(복학승인완료).
If you are a returning student, please note your CoA will be issued and given to you ONLY AFTER WE RECEIVE THE OFFICIAL LETTER(공문) FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT. Please note your COA will be canceled if you fail to pay the research student tuition.
If you are currently enrolled at SNU, we will issue your COA, but please note your COA will be canceled if you do not enroll in the upcoming 2025 semester.
If your passport has less than 6 months remaining until the expiration date, you must renew it before applying for the CoA.
If you already have or will be pursuing a visa that is not D-2 but allows you to stay in Korea and study, do not need to apply for the CoA since you do not need a D-2 visa.
Please contact the Immigration Office (Call: +82-2-1345) to confirm if your visa or your pursuing visa is eligible to study in Korea.
If your visa(not D-2) is set to expire before or during the semester and you need to switch to the D-2 visa, please apply during this period as we will not be accepting any COA applications whatsoever once the semester starts.
Please note that the CoA issuance process will take about 2~3 weeks.
We will give you the SNU Business Registration Certificate with your CoA. Both will be available for download at the mySNU portal menu you used to apply for the CoA.
We do not reply with the expected date of issuance. No emergency or expedited service is available. Any urging, solicitation, or coercion will result in further delay for your application.
We cannot guarantee any exact date of your CoA issuance. The purchase of airplane tickets must be made AFTER the visa is granted from the embassy. SNU is not responsible for any purchases made before the visa approval.
All students must arrive in Korea before the start of the semester on March 4th, 2025. If you cannot arrive before then, please notify us ASAP with the fixed arrival date. The final arrival date for latecomers is March 17th, 2025. Failure to arrive by March 17th, 2024 may result in the cancellation of your Certificate of Admission and your D-2 visa.
We will open group applications soon, which is a way for you to apply for the RC as a group.
Announcements regarding group application will be posted on the OIA notice board.
We hope you have a wonderful time at SNU:D
Best wishes,
Office of International Affairs
i-office@snu.ac.kr