I thought you could take care of all of this through the mail instead of going to the Korean Emabassy?

I'm sure you can, but if you could take a day and get it done and have it in your hands, why not??

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

If you are close to an embassy or can take a trip to one, you might as well just go. You get it done in one day and don't have to worry about it getting lose in the mail. But, if you are like me and were an 8 hour drive from the embassy, it was way easier to just send it off.

I have gotten visas from the Korean Embassy two times before. Once I went to their consulate in Naha, the second time by mail in New York City. Both times it took one day.

As far as Visas go.. I have to say that I share the opinion of previous posters who would encourage an NCS spouse enroute to get their A-3 Visas *before* they arrive in country.

The procedure to get your VISA through the Korean consulate closest to you in the US is quick and painless..it's not as though you have to jump through hoops to get your VISA before you leave the States.. or it's easier to do it here. Getting your VISA here requires more paperwork (i.e. a letter from the commander) than you have to have to get it before you leave...and the advantages of getting your VISA before you leave are actually quite tangible.

A) Your first days in country are very busy days, you have enough on your plate dealing with cultural adjustments, getting your housing, filling out paperwork , getting ration cards,etc.. why add more work to an already hectic schedule? Having your VISA before you arrive saves you valuable time once you're here.


B) The housing office now requires you to have your VISA and SOFA stamp before you can get your OHA started. Having the VISA in hand already allows you to get the paperwork started earlier, and to get yourself established more easily.

C) Having your VISA in hand before you arrive insures that you are good to stay here in country past your initial 30 days, *without* having to depend on getting paperwork up and down through your chain of command. While it may sound easy to say "Get the letter from your commander", in reality, getting things routed up and down may take some time.. I think most of us spouses here NCS have experienced at least one occasion of having paperwork delayed, it's a common occurrence over here, with folks on midtour,etc... is your paperwork for your VISA something you really want to chance experiencing unwanted delays with?

D) It's entirely possible that if your arrival date on peninsula, stamped in your passport by immigrations when you first go through the line at the airport, is *prior* to the issuing date on your visa, you could encounter difficulty when *leaving* the country, at least in having to answer additional questions,etc.- and if your entry date and the date of issuance of your VISA is more than 30 days apart, you could be delayed in departure due to immigrations laws.

Just my 2 cents worth... I wouldn't want to chance it.

Winnie's experience is certainly not to be invalidated, I'm glad things have gone smoothly for her, and she's experienced no problems yet, -however-, given that it's actually easier and requires less paperwork to get the VISA at the Korean consulates in the US, and having it in hand could be beneficial to you...

I'd consider my A-3 Visa as valuable as my American Express card..Don't leave home without it! :)

Dee :)

(She's baaaaaaaaaaaaack :) )

Yes she is!! LOVE IT!!

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey