The Korean embassy in the Philippines has announced an extension to its simplified visa application process, now including a wider range of credit card holders. Effective from July 22 to December 31, eligible applicants from BDO, BPI, RCBC, and Metrobank credit cards can benefit from this streamlined process.
Eligible BDO Cards:
Gold: Mastercard Gold, Visa Gold, JCB Gold, UnionPay Gold, Diners Club International, American Express® Cashback, American Express® Explorer™
Elite: Mastercard Titanium, Platinum, World Elite, Visa Platinum, JCB Platinum, UnionPay Diamond, Diners Club Premiere, American Express® Platinum, American Express® International Dollar Charge Cards (Platinum, Gold & Green)
Eligible BPI Cards:
Gold: Gold Rewards
Elite: Platinum Rewards, Amore Platinum Cashback, Signature Card
Eligible RCBC Cards:
Gold: Mastercard Gold, Visa Flex Gold, JCB Gold
Elite: Black Mastercard, Diamond Mastercard, YGC Rewards Plus Platinum, Hexagon Privilege, Visa Platinum, JCB Platinum, UnionPay Diamond, Visa Infinite, World Mastercard and variants (RCBC Hexagon Priority, RCBC Balesin World, RCBC The City Club World)
Eligible Metrobank Cards:
World Mastercard, Femme Signature Visa, Travel Platinum Visa, Platinum Mastercard, Dollar Mastercard
Applicants can extend their eligibility to parents, spouses, minor children, student adult children, and their spouse’s parents. Supplementary cardholders are excluded from this benefit.
Required documents include an original Certificate of Employment, a copy of the front of the credit card, the latest three months’ credit card statements, and proof of relationship for family members, replacing the need for financial statements.
The embassy clarified that while bank documents are simplified, all other general documents are still required.
Initially announced in January, the simplified process was previously limited to holders of BDO Gold and Elite credit cards. The recent expansion aims to facilitate travel for a broader group of credit card holders.