Sometimes, getting all your paperwork together to teach English in South Korea can take just a little too long. Or, you may already be in the country when you secure a job and need to head overseas to swap your visa over to an E2. Whatever the reason, visa runs are an inconvenience, but luckily Fukuoka is a mere hour flight away from many cities in Korea and makes for a pleasant enough getaway. Here are some tips to make your visa run from South Korea to Fukuoka as easy and stress-free as possible.
Booking your flight
Fly from Busan if you can, as the flight prices will be the cheapest and the flight duration will be the least painful to endure. Another option is Daegu, though Busan tends to have the greater volume of flights to choose from. Here are cheap airlines to check:
| Airline Name | Port(s) of Departure |
| T’way Air | Incheon, Daegu |
| Air Busan | Busan, Gimpo, Jeju, Daegu |
| Jeju Air | Incheon, Busan |
Remember, when you book your ticket, that you will need 3 days to get your E2 visa in Fukuoka. That’s applying for the visa before 11:30 Monday and picking it up in the afternoon on Wednesday. Getting it quicker is not an option, so don’t make the mistake of booking a flight too soon!
Booking a hotel
It’s easy enough to find accommodation in Japan. Places can be booked online, so you can have everything sorted before you even touch down in Fukuoka. Check the following sites for lodging:
- AirBnB (recommended)
- Couchsurfing
- Hostelworld
- Agoda
- Booking.com
Finding the embassy
Take the free shuttle from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. Upon disembarkation, turn right and go down into the subway.
Take the subway (300 yen) to Tojin Machi station and take Exit 1. Walk straight for several minutes until you reach the first major intersection you come to. Cross the street and take an immediate right. Walk for another few minutes until the next major intersection. Across the way you’ll see a building with a Korean flag — that’s it!
Alternatively, here’s the address:
South Korean Consulate in Fukuoka
1-1-3 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka Japan, 810-0065
Phone number: 81-(0)92-771-0461/3
Hours of operation: Drop off visa applications between 9:00 and 11:30. Pick up your visa between 13:30 and 16:00. The consulate is closed on Korean/ Japanese national holidays and weekends.
Getting your visa
As mentioned above, you’ll need to arrive at the consulate between 9:00 and 11:30 to apply for your visa. Be sure to bring the following:
- Your passport
- Passport photo (1)
- Completed visa application form
- Your visa issuance number.
- 4,950 Japanese yen (cash) for the visa fee
- Keep your receipt! You will be asked for it by security when you return to pick up your passport.
The visa process takes three business days. For example — you could drop your visa off between 9:00 and 11:30 Monday morning, then pick it up between 13:30 and 16:00 Wednesday afternoon.
Ever had to do a visa run to Fukuoka, or anywhere else? How was your experience? Do you have any tips to share? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!
Bonus Recommendation
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Thanks for the great article! It’s super helpful as I will most certainly have to do the D-2 visa run. Do you happen to have the email address to the Consulate there? Also, is it easy to communicate in English? Sorry for all the questions, I’m just kinda anxious about the trip. Great blog!!
I wasn’t able to find their email address, but I was able to call the consulate from Korea and communicate with them in English 🙂 Their number(s) are: 81-(0)92-771-0461/3. Don’t worry, you should be fine! Just make sure to allow enough time for getting the visa. If in doubt, ask the person you speak to at the consulate.
Thanks for reading, Ann!
This is so handy! I’m very thankful that I didn’t have to do a visa run. Everything was in order when I arrived (but fell apart upon arrival!) Can’t wait to read more about what you did over your 3 days there!
Honestly, I didn’t do enough to do a post ^^ I just ate a lot of tasty food and enjoyed walking around the city! It’s kind of nice to have a ‘me’ trip every once in a while.
While an inconvenience, it’s a minor one when it involves a trip to Fukuoka. I love the city. It’s a great place to spend a few days getting a visa for Korea and looking around.
Agreed! Really convenient location and a beautiful spot 🙂
Though this post isn’t for me, i am sure this is informative to those who are caught in situations where they need to settle their teaching visa.you’ve provided all the necessary details. whoever gets himself in this situation can learn to enjoy themselves too from your post.
Hopefully so 🙂 Thanks for reading, Wendy!
This is a very helpful post! Thankfully I’ve never had to do a visa trip but one of my good friend’s boyfriends needs to do this on the regular as he is in Korea with her (she teaches English) but he doesn’t, so every 3 months he must visit Japan.
Oh wow! I’d be nervous having to do one every three months.
Great tips- I had to do this in between contracts as I’d gone travelling. I got the ferry from Busan which is a great, really cheap option. I booked my tickets for next to nothing on the aferry website. I went in July though so my boat got cancelled on the way back which was a bummer and had to book onto a Korean Air flight at the last minute so, yeah, it didn’t end up being that cheap! Brits need to spend 5 working days in Fukuoka so it was quite a long trip but I wasn’t complaining about eating ramen and conveyor belt sushi everyday!
Yeah, I chose to fly because I didn’t want to worry about the ferry getting canceled. I had to fly back and work the same day! It snowed on that day as well, so my flight ended up being delayed, but only by 20 minutes.
I’ve never had to do a visa run – think it would make me a little anxious. But after reading your post it doesn’t seem too stressful after all. Such an informative post thanks for sharing all the details!!
I was a bit anxious as well, but I called the consulate beforehand and had a pretty good grasp of how things would play out. Glad I did that, there was another guy there who didn’t research enough and ended up not having enough time to get his visa.
Great information! Since coming to Korea we’ve heard so many stories of the fabled ‘visa run’ to Japan. Alas, for South Africans this is not possible. We require a visa for Japan!! Can you imagine needing a visa to go for a visa run?
Seems like a needless complication! What are your options, then?
I’ve not had to do a visa run yet, but this was a really informative blog to read, in the event of. I like how you detailed how to get from the airport to the embassy. Very thorough.
This post is so important and informative, Nathan. A visa run to Fukuoka is certainly a must-read topic.