How to Extend Your D-2 Student Visa on HiKorea

If you are in Korea, the easiest, most hassle-free way to extend your visa is through the online system HiKorea. Today I will run through my own experience using HiKorea to extend a D-2 Student visa. If you are extending your own visa, you can follow alone using the step-by-step guide I have provided below.

Why apply for a visa extension online?

It is a nightmare for students when they need to apply for a visa extension to legally stay in South Korea. Students tend to extend their visas right as the new semester is beginning and you are swamped with assignments. We simply don’t have the time.

A typical visit to the immigration office involves waiting in line for hours. Then, when you finally meet the officer they may not speak English or understand your accent. Moreover, they love asking for surprise documents. As a result, it is almost always an extremely frustrating experience that takes the entire day.

However, there are thankfully other options. The best of which is definitely applying for an extension through HiKorea. Plus, the best part is that you can keep your resident card with you the entire time. You won’t have to put off taking the TOPIK exam, setting up a bank account, or buying alcohol for two months while waiting for your renewal.

HiKorea Visa Extension: Step-by-step Guide

With all this in mind, let’s proceed with our online visa extension application through HiKorea.

NOTE: The time you can apply for a visa extension using HiKorea is from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. ( Online application on weekends and holidays is not possible)

Step 1: Log in to the website www.hikorea.go.kr

Step 2: Select Petition Application => Extension of stay for registered foreigners

Step 3: Take a clear picture or scan of the necessary documents and then upload. Each document item only allows jpg, png, pdf, gif, tif, bmp files and no more than 1MB (1024KB)

List of required documents for a D-2 visa extension:
✅ Proof of Enrollment(Required)
✅ Academic Transcripts (Required)
✅ If Applies: Proof of school closure or certificate of scholarship
✅ Bank Statement(국내체계경비 입증서류등) or other documents to prove finances
✅ Certificate if you are a student receiving a government scholarship
✅ Residence certificate (체류지 입증서류) or Housing contract

Step 4: Pay by card, Naver pay, or Samsung pay. The Renewal fee is 50,000 won.

Then, you will need to wait for the results of your HiKorea application. For my application, they sent me the results by email and text message. Usually, the renewal process takes around 10 days. However, if they decide to investigate further due to issues with your application or random selection, it can take 1 to 2 months for your visa to be renewed.

Finally, after I received news of my successful application on HiKorea, I brand my resident card to the bureau. I didn’t need an appointment and they were able to quickly print the new date on my card.

NOTE: submitting documents through a school will make the process easier regarding legal documents. However, please pay attention to the school deadlines for submitting documents. It may be past your visa’s expiration date.

Special cases

If you are a student with a GPA under 2.00 or are studying an extra semester due to a graduation delay you will have to prepare some extra documents.

You will need to provide additional documents: 

List of required documents for a D-2 visa extension:
✅ A Bank Statement (잔고증명서) issued no less than 2 weeks prior with a balance of 9,000 USD (approx. 10,500,000 KRW)
✅ An Account Histoy Statement (입출금내역서) showing your financial activity since the issuance of your D-2 visa.
✅ Statement of Reason: Explaining why your GPA is low or why you need to take additional time to complete your degree.

I hope this article can help people navigate HiKorea. While my example is related to how to apply for a D-2 visa extension, other visas follow similar procedures.

If you recently graduated from university, one visa that will allow you to remain in Korea for up to 3 years is the D-10 job-seeking visa. Click Here to learn more!