Consulate General of the Republic of Korea — Local services in San Francisco

I applied for a work visa during the Covid-19 pandemic three weeks before the date I was supposed to arrive in Korea (due to the program I applied to). I contacted the consulate to get information on what documents I needed to apply. They answered most of my questions and when I asked a more detailed question, the young lady didn’t have a response but promised to call back. I was very surprised, because she indeed called back! I then traveled to San Francisco in person and turned in my paperwork. The ENTIRE staff was very kind. I cannot emphasize this enough. The Security guard was so friendly and even waved my car down for the free parking. I was told I’d get a call two weeks after I turned in my application from the consulate for an interview. The day came and I did not get a call, so because of the time constraint, I called nearly every day to check on the status of my application. Every single time I called, the lady handling the visa process was very kind and patient. I wasn’t trying to annoy her, but my job in the US needed to hire for my position so I had pressure and needed answers. On the third week Consul Lee called me for my interview. He is a very kind man and took the time to ensure that my paperwork was ready in time for me to get to South Korea on the scheduled date, even earlier than normally expected. He has a great sense of humor and was very understanding. I traveled to San Fran the next day after the interview to pick up my visa and it was ready first thing in the morning!! I cannot stress enough, how kind and caring all of the staff at the consulate are!! It has been the KINDEST government office I have EVER visited in my ENTIRE life. I can’t speak for other people’s experiences, but I am not Korean and was treated very kindly, even when I called repeatedly. Great Service all around; from the awesome security guard to the Consul. FIVE STARS. THANK YOU GUYS!! It took me a while, but I’m typing this from Korea :)

Also, if you call to ask a question and you are not within their jurisdiction, the consulate turns you away. They don’t do this to be rude, but rather every consulate has slightly different procedures they follow. I called the Korean Consulate in LA and they informed me I was in the San Francisco jurisdiction, so they were able to answer my questions but it would be irrelevant to my situation. Where you live matters when you make...

We had to make an online appointment to file for a working visa. This took a little patience as we had to wait until the booking window opened up. Prior to visiting, we called ahead the Visa Department and spoke with Officer Woo Sung Lee, who went through the list of needed items to ensure we didn't miss anything to avoid any hassle. Once there, we were greeted by a witty security officer, who also had command presence. We proceeded to Window 5, Visa, and met with Officer Lee. He was extremely courteous and efficient in his duties. We asked for a faster way to get our visa and were informed that we would receive a call once the visa was ready, which we did in a timely fashion and as promised. Obtaining a working visa can be an extremely frightening experience for many people as it's a complicated and lengthy process. It is amazing how meeting a wonderful and friendly officer such as Mr. Lee at a foreign consulate can make you forget all the stress and anxiety built over time working on getting the visa. Many thanks to the SF Korean Consulate to have great employees serving their clients in the SF Bay Area. **p.s. I wanted to post this on MOFA website but I couldn't because I couldn't validate my ID (apparently you need a Korean phone number to do that.) I would appreciate any direction in case I...

I made an appointment for an F4 visa even though I didn't have all the docs because I had a lot of questions that the website did not answer. I've called multiple times but no one ever picks up which is why I made the appointment. The young lady with shoulder length hair that worked in Window #5 (visa) was very unfriendly and rude. She practically refused to help me because I didn't have all the forms and when I said I was here because I had questions, she barely would answer and was very curt. SO unprofessional and clearly is just trying to coast and not do her job. I had to ask the other people working in the office for help and most were nice, but weren't sure what I had to do since my case was not simple. It wasn't until I spoke with the young man with glasses working in Window #3 (notary) that I got the answers I needed. He was VERY helpful and friendly and kind. They should really FIRE that woman who is working the Visa window. She is such a disdainful unhelpful unprofessional person and really should not be working there. If you read other reviews, I'm pretty sure we are all talking about the same person. Maybe if they get enough complaints about her,...