In my previous guide, I shared tips on how overseas Koreans who entered Korea after receiving a visa at an overseas Korean embassy or consulate could visit the Immigration Office without an appointment and complete residence registration on the same day.

While same-day visits without an appointment are possible for those who already hold a visa, the main drawback is long waiting times.

Today, I’d like to introduce a solution to this issue.
The solution is to make an advance appointment through the HiKorea website.

To do this, you only need to remember three key steps:

1. Report of loss of Korean nationality
   
   
2. Issuance of the F-4 visa
   
   
3. Advance visit reservation through HiKorea
   
   

I’ll explain each step in order.

Report of Loss of Nationality

1️⃣ The first step is the report of loss of Korean nationality.

For overseas Koreans, Korean nationality is considered to have already been lost at the moment foreign citizenship is acquired.
However, to apply for an Overseas Korean (F-4) visa, you must formally complete the report of loss of nationality in advance.

This procedure can be completed at a Korean embassy or consulate abroad.

‍

How to Apply for an F-4 Visa

2️⃣ The second step is applying for the F-4 visa.

When you submit the report of loss of nationality, you can apply for the F-4 visa at the same time, which is highly recommended.

Using the United States as an example:

• The application fee is approximately USD 45
  
  
• Processing time is usually 2 to 4 weeks
  
  

How to Make a HiKorea Appointment

3️⃣ The third and final step is making an Immigration Office visit reservation through HiKorea.

After applying for the F-4 visa, you will receive a Visa Issuance Confirmation.
This document includes a visa number, which you can use to make an appointment on the HiKorea website.

The biggest advantage of this method is that you can make the appointment while still overseas.

By scheduling the visit according to your entry date, you can complete residence registration without waiting, making your overall schedule much more efficient.

Important Notes on HiKorea Reservations

If you try to make a reservation using only your passport number, it is not possible to book an appointment from overseas.
In that case, you must wait until after entering Korea to make the reservation, which can result in waiting times of over one month—a highly inefficient outcome.

In such situations, I recommend using the alternative method explained in my previous guide:
visiting the Immigration Office without an appointment and completing residence registration on the same day.

However, if you choose this option:

• Visit early in the morning, or
  
  
• Aim for after 4:00 p.m., when fewer people are present
  
  

Even then, same-day processing is not guaranteed.

For this reason, advance appointment through HiKorea is strongly recommended whenever possible.