How much is a student visa for Korea? Fees from visa to ARC
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What the total cost includes
A Korean D-2 student visa involves more than one payment. The total cost bundles:
- Visa application fee — paid to the embassy or consulate in your home country at the time of application.
- Alien Registration Card (ARC) — paid once after you enter Korea.
- Extension fees — paid each time you extend your stay, usually once a year for D-2 students.
Some of these amounts are set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some by the Ministry of Justice (Immigration), so they appear on different official pages.
Visa application fee
The Korean visa fee is set by visa.go.kr (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). For a D-2 student visa, the base ranges are:
| Visa type | Standard single entry |
|---|---|
| Up to 90 days | 40 USD |
| Over 90 days (D-2) | 60 USD |
| Multiple entry | 70–90 USD |
The standard fee above does not tell the whole story — the amount varies by nationality. For example, US citizens pay around 45 USD, some European nationalities pay a reduced or waived amount, and long-term study visas are handled differently in some embassies. Confirm the amount on your national embassy’s fee page before you apply, since these tables change without notice.
Alien Registration Card (ARC) fee
Once you enter Korea with a D-2 visa, you must obtain an Alien Registration Certificate (ARC) from the immigration office within 90 days. This is separate from the visa fee.
- Fee: 35,000 KRW — this is the current standard ARC issuance fee.
- Since 2025, the ARC has been issued as an IC-based card, and the fee reflects the new card.
- The ARC acts as your de facto ID in Korea, so the fee covers both issuance and the physical card.
You pay this at the district immigration office (via HiKorea appointment) when you apply for the card. Lost-card or renewal cases have their own separate fee rules, so check the immigration fee schedule for your situation.
Extension fees
Most D-2 students extend their stay once a year. The extension fee is charged per application:
| Who | Fee per extension |
|---|---|
| General statuses including D-2 | 60,000 KRW |
| F-6 (marriage) holders | 30,000 KRW |
The reduced rate applies to F-6 only. F-2 residents pay the standard 60,000 KRW.
For reference, the immigration fee schedule (HiKorea) sets these related amounts:
| Application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Extension of stay | 60,000 KRW (F-6: 30,000) |
| Change of status of stay | 100,000 KRW (F-5: 200,000) |
| Granting of status of stay | 80,000 KRW (F-6: 40,000) |
| Activity outside status (part-time work permit) | 120,000 KRW |
| Change or addition of workplace | 120,000 KRW |
| ARC issuance or reissuance | 35,000 KRW (cash only) |
| Re-entry permit | 30,000 KRW single / 50,000 KRW multiple |
Two of these matter for students specifically. Changing status — for example from D-2 to a work visa after graduation — costs 100,000 KRW, not the 60,000 KRW extension fee. And the activity-outside-status permit, which is what you need before taking a part-time job, is 120,000 KRW.
Fee waivers exist under reciprocity for some nationalities, so check whether yours is listed.
Because the D-2 visa is issued for a set number of months, these extension fees are the recurring cost of studying in Korea. An extension application is filed through HiKorea and processed at the immigration office, and the fee is paid at that time. Fees can be revised, so verify the current schedule on the official immigration pages before filing.
Soft costs around the visa
A few related expenses often get confused with the visa fee itself:
- Visa-issuance notice (Certificate of Visa Issuance) — D-2 students studying at a Korean university usually have this processed by the school through the immigration office; it is not the same as the embassy fee above.
- Health insurance — once your ARC is issued you become subject to the National Health Insurance service and pay premiums. This is a separate monthly cost, not a visa fee.
- Admission documents — the university may charge its own application or document fees, which are unrelated to immigration fees.
Budgeting only for the visa fee will leave you short once ARC issuance and extension fees are due.
Check the official fee schedule first
All amounts in this guide are as of the stated date, but immigration and consular fees change frequently. Before you apply:
- Open the Korean embassy page for your country and check the exact visa fee for D-2.
- Look up the current ARC issuance and extension fee on the Ministry of Justice’s HiKorea pages.
- Save the official link you used, so you can re-check it if a fee changes before your payment date.
The official sources are linked below. Your actual total will depend on your nationality, the card type involved, and when you apply.
Frequently asked questions
Is the D-2 student visa fee always $60?
The standard single-entry fee for a stay over 90 days is billed around 60 USD, but the actual amount is set per nationality by the relevant embassy. Some countries pay a different amount, so confirm on your embassy's fee page.
What does the ARC fee cover?
The 35,000 KRW fee covers issuance of the IC-based Alien Registration Card, which is required for everyone staying longer than 90 days in Korea.
Do I pay the extension fee every year?
Yes. D-2 students generally extend once a year, and each extension application costs 60,000 KRW. The reduced 30,000 KRW rate applies to F-6 (marriage) holders only, not to F-2.
Is visa issuance the only immigration cost?
No. You also pay the ARC fee after arrival and extension fees each year. Health insurance premiums and university administrative fees are separate costs.
Where can I verify the current fees?
Visa fees are listed on visa.go.kr and the embassy page for your country. The ARC and extension fees are listed on the Ministry of Justice's HiKorea pages, linked in the sources below.