The bottleneck for Korea is not the paperwork, it is the appointment. The Embassy in Kathmandu releases slots online every Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 and they go quickly. Everything else follows from getting one.
At a glance
Visa needed: Yes — C-3-9 short-term visit visa
Length of stay: Up to 90 days per entry
Appointments: Booked online; slots open Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00 Nepal time
Processing time: Around 5–15 working days
Indicative fee: NPR 5,400 for a single-entry visa, payable in cash at the Embassy
Fees
The single-entry fee has been NPR 5,400 since 1 January 2025 and is payable in cash at the Embassy counter — cards are not accepted. Multiple-entry and longer categories cost more.
Visa types
C-3-9 short-term visit (tourism) — Up to 90 days. The standard tourist route.
C-3-1 short-term visit (family) — Up to 90 days. Requires the invitation and status documents of your relative in Korea.
C-3-4 short-term business — Up to 90 days. Needs the Korean company's invitation and your employer letter.
D-2 / D-4 study — Course length. Requires the standard admission letter and certificate of admission from the Korean institution.
Documents required
Completed visa application form
Nepali passport valid at least 6 months with two blank pages
Two recent passport photographs
Stamped and sealed bank statement covering the last 3 months
Employment or business documents showing your ties to Nepal
Confirmed flight and hotel bookings, with your itinerary
Notary-certified English translation of every Nepali-language document
Before you apply
Book the appointment first
Slots open twice a week and are taken within minutes. Have your documents ready before the slot opens rather than after.
Cash only at the counter
The Embassy takes the fee in cash. Bring the exact amount in Nepali rupees.
About South Korea
South Korea rewards a shorter, denser trip than most people plan. Seoul alone can hold a week, the train system makes Busan and Gyeongju easy add-ons, and Jeju is a short domestic hop when you want to slow down. The hard part is not the itinerary — it is the visa appointment, which the Embassy in Kathmandu releases twice a week and which disappears within minutes. Everything else about the trip is straightforward, and Korea is unusually easy to travel in once you land.
Highlights
Watch the guard-changing ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace, in a rented hanbok if you like
Wander the restored hanok lanes of Bukchon between the two palaces
Ride up N Seoul Tower on Namsan for the whole city at once
Take the DMZ tour to the Joint Security Area — book weeks ahead, passport required
Fly to Jeju for Seongsan Ilchulbong crater at sunrise and the black-sand coast
See Busan's Gamcheon Culture Village and eat at Jagalchi fish market
Cherry blossom along the Han River in early April, or the maples at Naejangsan in late October
Walk the tomb mounds and Buddhist heritage of Gyeongju, the old Silla capital
Spend an evening in Hongdae among the buskers and student bars
Packages from Kathmandu
Seoul City Break — 5D/4N, NPR 165,000
Seoul, Nami Island & DMZ — 7D/6N, NPR 195,000
Seoul, Busan & Jeju Grand Tour — 9D/8N, NPR 245,000
Travelling with family
Buy a T-money card at any convenience store — it works on subway, buses and taxis nationwide
The Seoul subway is signed in English and is far easier than it looks on the map
Tipping is not practised and can cause confusion; the price on the menu is the price
Take your shoes off at guesthouses, temples and many restaurants — this is not optional
Offer and receive with two hands, especially with anyone older; it matters here
Nami Island and Everland are each a full day out from Seoul — do not stack them
Free public wifi is everywhere, but a local SIM or eSIM makes navigation much simpler
Pharmacies are excellent but close early; hotel front desks will point you to a night one