In late July, four months before the October expiration date, I'll go and renew my F4 visa again, this time for the requisite three years. That'll be the last of the major housekeeping items: passport, driver's license, PNC Bank card, and F4 visa. After that, I've got more minor stuff to do: replace my ceiling lights, and replace my front door's motion-sensor light. The ceiling lights burned out just before I'd left for the States, and the motion-sensor light started going wonky last year, not long after my buddy Mike had left. When the electricians come to replace the ceiling light, I'll ask them what I need to do about the front-door light. From what I'd experienced last time, when I'd needed my kitchenette light replaced, it's up to me to buy the LED light(s), and they do the replacement work. Coupang, here I come.
Since the boss's attempt at getting the Suwon properties fell through, I'm in my current studio for the duration. I've been here since 2018; I've been in Daecheong Tower since 2015, but I spent three years on the sixth floor in a shitty apartment. This apartment, where I am now, had been renovated and was much nicer. Hard to believe I've been in this old building for a decade, but there we are. Livin' the life of an oil tycoon, I'm tellin' ya!
Three years? Isn't your visa good for ten, though? Or is the F4 visa different?
ReplyDeleteThe F4 gets renewed every three years. I wish it were ten.
DeleteThe VA driver's license used to be valid for seven years, but my new license is valid for eight, so maybe there's hope for the F4. It sucks that all of my important documents get renewed at different intervals.
Wow. That's weird. I wonder what the justification for that is.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, Google AI is saying the validity period is five years for multiple entry, with an "initial sojourn" period of two years. I have no idea what that means exactly. I'll have to ask somebody. What the AI says:
DeleteThe validity period for an F-4 Overseas Korean Visa in South Korea is 5 years for multiple entries, with a sojourn (stay) period of 2 years. The visa holder can extend their stay beyond the initial 2 years by applying for an extension before the expiry of their initial stay period.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Visa Validity:
The F-4 visa itself is valid for 5 years, allowing multiple entries into South Korea during that period.
Sojourn Period:
The initial allowed stay is 2 years from the date of entry.
Extension:
F-4 visa holders can apply to extend their stay beyond the initial 2 years, according to the Korea Immigration Service.
Resident Card:
F-4 visa holders must apply for a Resident Card (거소증) at the local immigration office within 90 days of their arrival in Korea.
Weird, indeed. All I can tell you is that my F4-visa card shows an issue date of 9/3/15, and the first validity period extended from 9/1/15 to 8/31/18. The second validity period was from 7/26/18 to 8/31/21; the third validity period was from 11/30/21 (there'd been some sort of weird extension, so I'd renewed in November that year) to 11/30/24. In other words, I'm not hallucinating the 3-year thing. Whatever the AI is talking about is either false or something very new that has arisen since my last attempt at renewal. I'll contact someone and find out more.
OK, did a bit of research. I'm wondering if "initial sojourn period of two years" means I don't have to renew the F4 for five years (as of November 2024 according to the Korean Immigration website, so this validity-period thing is new), but I do have to leave the country by the two-year mark for whatever reason. The whole thing is very confusing. As usual.