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 donโt 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 wonโt 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, letโs 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: โ Proof of Enrollment(Required) โ Academic Transcripts (Required) โ If Applies: Proof of school closure or certificate of scholarship โ Bank Statement(๊ตญ๋ด์ฒด๊ณ๊ฒฝ๋น ์ ์ฆ์๋ฅ๋ฑ) or other documents to prove finances โ Certificate if you are a student receiving a government scholarship โ Residence certificate (์ฒด๋ฅ์ง ์ ์ฆ์๋ฅ) 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 didnโt 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 visaโs 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:ย
List of required documents for a D-2 visa extension: โ A Bank Statement (์๊ณ ์ฆ๋ช ์) issued no less than 2 weeks prior with a balance of 9,000 USD (approx. 10,500,000 KRW) โ An Account Histoy Statement (์ ์ถ๊ธ๋ด์ญ์) showing your financial activity since the issuance of your D-2 visa. โ 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!
6 comments
Now I am in Bangladesh but I can not apply in onlineโฆ..how it possible help me.
I want to extension my visa but I can not applyโฆ
Hello, if you are unable to apply online, please call 1345 for assistance.
Hi I applied and they say sebt me an email saying ‘Process returned’ do you happen to onow what that means? I am worried they rejected my application
Hello,
It means that there may be an issue with your application. You should call 1345 for more information.
I was stressed about extending my visa, thank you for explaining in it step-by-step, was suuupper helpful!