Apply for your Certificate of Admission (CoA)
Warmest greetings from the Office of International Affairs, SNU!
To study at SNU, all international students must have a valid D-2 Visa. Returning students must have a valid D-2 visa and enter Korea before the start of the semester(March 4th, 2024). To acquire a D-2 Visa, you need to apply for a Certificate of Admission (CoA).
If you are
a) an international student currently enrolled at SNU with a non D-2 visa who needs a D-2 visa; or
b) a returning international student,
please apply for the COA at the mySNU portal.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THE COA AFTER THE END OF FEBRUARY. Even if you will need a D-2 visa mid-semester, please apply now.
IF YOU ARE AN ENROLLED STUDENT WITH A D-2 VISA AND YOU ARE SEEKING TO EXTEND YOUR VISA, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. APPLY FOR THE VISA EXTENSION DIRECTLY WITH THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE.
Application Location: mySNU portal Student Service > Int’l Exchange > Visa/Immigration > Certificate of Admission
Application Period: ~ February 28(Wed), 2024
How to Apply: check the attached file(CoA Application Manual) for details
1. Process
Apply for the Issuance of Certificate of Admission via mySNU portal
⇒OIA will go over your documents and issue your CoA (if the documents are sufficient, takes up to 2~3 weeks)
⇒Receive the Certificate of Admission & SNU Business Registration Certificate at the mySNU portal
⇒Apply for the D-2 visa with the CoA and Business Registration Certificate (Korean Embassy if you are OUTSIDE Korea, Immigration Office if you are IN Korea)
2. Required Documents
- Color copy of your passport (page with your photo & personal information)
- Certificate of Graduation ⇒ please check item 1) for details
- Proof of Finance ⇒ please check item 2) for details
- Family Relationship Certificate (if the account holder of the bank statement you submitted for the Proof of Finance is your parent)
- Scholarship Certificate (for scholarship recipients)
- Color copy of Residence Card (if you already registered with the Immigration Office and your RC did not expire)
1) Certificate of Graduation
Submit the same graduate certificate you submitted when you applied to SNU.
2) Proof of Finance
The Proof of Finance must prove you have more than KRW 20,000,000(annual) and must be issued within 2 weeks of the COA application submission date. Please submit a bank statement (issued by the bank) from a bank account owned by you or your parent(s).
If you belong to a department whose tuition for one year is higher than KRW 7,000,000, you need to prove you have the total balance equivalent to the sum of one year’s tuition and KRW 13,000,000.
For example, if your tuition for one year is KRW 25,000,000, you need to prove you have KRW 38,000,000 (KRW 25,000,000 + KRW 13,000,000.)
(A) If you are submitting a bank statement from a bank account owned by your parent(s)
You must submit an additional Family Relation Certificate that proves your relationship with the account owner. If your nationality is China, only the notarized Family Relation Certificate is allowed and birth certificates will be prohibited.
(B) If you are a scholarship recipient (not KGSP)
Please submit the scholarship certificate that proves the scholarship period and amount of money you will be receiving from the scholarship.
If the scholarship does not cover the whole KRW 20,000,000, you need to submit an additional bank statement that proves you have the remaining amount.
Ex) scholarship certificate (KRW 6,000,000) + bank statement (KRW 14,000,000)
(C) If you are a KGSP scholar
You only need to submit the KGSP scholarship certificate.
(D) If you are submitting a bank statement from a bank in China
Only 存款证明书 will be accepted. The bank statement must be written as 定期 and should be valid at least for 6 months.
(E) If you are a registered foreigner and are currently in Korea
Only a bank statement from a Korean bank under your name will be accepted.
(F) If you graduated from a Korean institution and the visa you received from that institution did not expire
Only a bank statement from a Korean bank under your name will be accepted.
3. Notice & Guidelines
You can apply for the CoA before you pay your tuition. However, please note that your CoA will be issued and given to you ONLY AFTER YOUR RETURN HAS BEEN APPROVED BY YOUR COLLEGE(복학승인완료).
If your passport has less than 6 months remaining until the expiration date, you must renew it before applying for the CoA.
If you already have or will be pursuing a visa that is not D-2 but allows you to stay in Korea and study, do not need to apply for the CoA since you do not need a D-2 visa. The types of visas that allow you to stay in Korea and study include (but are not limited to) A-1, A-3, F-1, and F-6. Please contact the Immigration Office (Call: +82-2-1345) to confirm if your visa or your pursuing visa is eligible to study in Korea.
However, if your visa(that is not D-2) is set to expire before or during the semester and you need to switch to the D-2 visa, please apply now as we will not be accepting any COA applications whatsoever once the semester starts.
Please note that the CoA issuance process will take about 2~3 weeks. We will give you the SNU Business Registration Certificate with your CoA. Both will be available for download at the mySNU portal menu you used to apply for the CoA. We do not reply with the expected date of issuance. No emergency or expedited service is available. Any urging, solicitation, or coercion will result in further delay for your application. We cannot guarantee any exact date of your CoA issuance. The purchase of airplane tickets must be made AFTER the visa is granted from the embassy. SNU is not responsible for any purchases made before the visa approval.
All students must arrive in Korea before the start of the semester on March 4th, 2024. If you cannot arrive before then, please notify us ASAP with the fixed arrival date. The final arrival date for latecomers is March 15th, 2024. Failure to arrive by March 15th, 2024 may result in the cancellation of your D-2 visa.
Students who wish to stay in Korea for more than 90 days must register with the Immigration Office and get an RC (Residence Card). We will open group applications soon, which is a way for you to apply for the RC as a group.
We hope you have a wonderful time at SNU:D
Best wishes,
Office of International Affairs