Before you continue please consult with your designated consulate for the official rules and regulations assigned to their specific mission~
I submitted my E-2 Visa application to the Chicago consulate in July of 2016.
What you will need
- Notice of Appointment
- Passport Photo – Try and get the Korean standard size 35x45mm
- Passport
- Copy of Passport information page (The glossy one and the signature page above it)
- Money order
- Visa Application Form – Download from your designated consulate/embassy website
- Prepaid return envelope with tracking (if mailing)
Notice of Appointment
You will need to send the ACTUAL notice of appointment documents. Yes, you will have to part ways with this coveted certificate looking document so make photo copies if you would like a memento for posterity.
Passport Photo
△ Photo Requirements for Korean Visa Application Beginning September 9,2015, photographs must conform to the following requirements. 1. Photos must be color neutral, size 35×45 mm, with a length of full face 25×35 mm
1. Photos must be color neutral, size 35×45 mm, with a length of full face 25×35 mm
2. Photos must be taken against a plain, evenly lit and light background, without any mark or creases
3. Photos must be taken within the last 6 months
4. Applicant must be shown looking directly at the camera
5. No sunglasses or hats, except for medical/disability reasons
6. Photographs will be returned (and applications will be delayed) for the following reasons:
- – The same photograph has been submitted as the previous passport, alien registration card, refugee travel certificate, flight attendant ID, etc. those were issued before six months.
- – It is too difficult to judge that photograph is of the same person, (e.g. significant changes of face, hair color, lack of quality, without showing ears)
7. Photo Standards for Religious Apparel or Head coverings(such as Hijab, Veil, Turban, etc.) are permitted for religious purposes under the following conditions:
- – Facial features should not be covered from bottom of chin to top of forehead.
- – Full face should be visible without any shadows.
- – Full face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, or mouth must not be covered, yet covering ears are permitted.

Do NOT wear white in your passport photo

Regulations for Religious Apparel
Money order
I had never used money orders before this process, so this experience was all new to me. A money order is basically a check that does not have a personal bank account attached to it. Money orders can be purchased at any USPS location. There is a small fee associated with this service (~$1.20) and you can pay this with cash, debit card, or traveler’s checks. Wal-Mart locations will often also be able to provide this service.
Visa Application
When applying for your visa, you may be asked to include an address and phone number in Korea on a visa application form. If requested to do so, you must list your Office of Education’s address and phone number (you should receive this information in your NOA packet. Do not list the address of EPIK or your recruiter.
The Chicago consulate visa application directions are somewhat…contradictory when it comes to photo size because on one part of the directions is says applicants must submit a 2x2inch color photo and then in another part it says that applicants should submit the Korean standard passport photo size of 35mmx45mm. I emailed the consulate and they responded that either size would be fine. I went ahead and used the Korean standard size.
Check out an sample visa application provided by KorVia consulting here
Signed Contract
Sign the bottom of each page of your contract which arrived with your EPIK packet and fill out the passport information requested on the final page as well. You will sign two additional copies at orientation in Korea, so the one you received with your NOA packet is merely for the visa application process.
Paperclip all these documents together and send it off in your tracked envelope along with a prepaid self addressed envelope (also with tracking. I recommend prepaid forever envelopes from the USPS) for the consulate to send back your passport with visa attached inside!

Embassy/Consulate locations and their assigned districts
Consulate-General |
Address |
Phone/Fax |
District |
Washington D.C. |
2320 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 |
T:(202) 939-5653
F:(202) 342-1597 |
Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia |
New York |
Main Office : 335 E. 45th St.(4th Fl.), New York, NY 10017 |
T:(646)674-6000
T:(212)692-9120
F:(646)674-6023 |
Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania |
Public Office(Visa Section): 460 Park Ave. (57th St.) 6th Fl. New York, NY 10022 |
T:(646)674-6000
F:(646)674-6023 |
San Francisco |
3500 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118 |
T:(415) 921-2251
F:(415) 921-5946 |
Colorado, Northern California, Utah, Wyoming |
Los Angeles |
3243 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 |
T:(213) 385-9300
F:(213) 385-1849 |
Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, South California |
Boston |
One Gateway Center 2nd Fl. Newton, MA 02458 |
T:(617) 641-2830
F:(617) 641-2831 |
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont |
Chicago |
NBC Tower Suite 2700, 455 North City Front Plaza Dr. Chicago, IL 60611 |
T:(312) 822-9485
F:(312) 822-9849 |
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
Seattle |
2033 Sixth Ave., #1125 Seattle, WA 98121 |
T:(206) 441-1011
F:(206) 441-7912 |
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington |
Atlanta |
229 Peachtree St., Suite 500 International Tower Atlanta, GA 30303 |
T:(404) 522-1611
F:(404) 521-3169 |
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands |
Houston |
1990 Post Oak Blvd., #1250 Houston, TX 77056 |
T:(713) 961-0186
F:(713) 961-3340 |
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas |
Honolulu |
2756 Pali Highway Honolulu, HI 96817 |
T:(808) 595-6109
F:(808) 595-3046 |
American Samoa, Hawaii |
Hagatna |
125C Tun Jose Camacho St., Tamuning, Guam 96913 |
T:(671) 647-6488
F:(671) 649-1336 |
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands |
Anchorage |
800 E. Diamond Blvd. STE 3-695 Anchorage, AK 99515 |
T:(907) 339-7955
F:(671) 907-0411 |
Alaska (Since 2008) |
Dallas |
14001 Dallas Parkway Suite, 450 Dallas, TX 75240 |
T:(972) 701-0180
F:(972) 701-0183 |
Texas DFW(Dallas, Forth Worth) |
Ad astra per aspera,
Jeffrey
