Health Insurance Health Insurance is a mandatory requirement at Yonsei University. You can purchase it through MIX for only $1 a day (it is technically the UHM Study Abroad Center Insurance Plan, but you can send in your application and payment to the MIX office). It takes about three weeks for your application to be processed, and once you receive your insurance card through email, don't forget to print out a few copies to take with you abroad!
Yonsei will require you to send in your Health Insurance Declaration Form and Certificate of Insurance by the end of May. Don't procrastinate on getting your insurance, but if you don't receive your card in time, you can ask Kathy to write a placeholder letter confirming that you will be insured!
K-ETA/Other Visa As of now, U.S. citizens are not required to have a visa if they are staying in Korea for less than 90 days. However, after September 1, 2021, you must have an approved Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) to enter Korea. The K-ETA is basically an electronic travel authorization that all visa-free visitors must have.
The application is extremely simple! During the pilot period (May - August 2021) it's free, but once it closes the fee will be 10,000 KRW (about 10 USD).
Since the K-ETA was not mandatory when I landed in Korea, the government workers did not ask for it when I went through customs. I still printed it just in case, and it came in very handy; even though some workers could not speak English, they were able to tell that I was not self-quarantining after I showed them the K-ETA, as everyone who does not have a regular visa is required to quarantine in a government facility.
As for regular visas, if you are attending the Summer program, Yonsei will only send out a certificate of admission (required for visa application) to students who reside in countries that are required to have a visa to enter Korea. This means that if you are a U.S. citizen it's likely you won't be able to get a visa. It may be possible to ask Yonsei for one, but it's also a bit complicated because student visas are technically not valid if the classes are administered online.
TB Test Results (if staying on campus) If you are staying on campus, you will be required to submit a TB test upon check-in. The test must be administered within 3 months of checking in.
COVID Test Results As of June 2021, everyone entering Korea must provide a negative COVID-test result, both before boarding the plane for departure and upon actually arriving in Korea. Some students had problems with having their rapid-PCR test result accepted, so I think it's better to just go with the regular Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test since it's more likely to be accepted.
The test must be taken within 72 hours of departure, and the results must include your full name, test results, test location, and signature. Make sure you account for any layovers when you schedule your test to stay within the 72 hour timeframe!
It typically takes between 24-48 hours to receive your results. I took my test through National Kidney Foundation testing center at the airport, and I received my results the next day.
Dorm Certificate/Housing Address This isn't a mandatory document, but I printed my dorm certificate out to take with me through customs. It included the SK Global House address and phone number, so I could easily show it to the workers.
SIM Card-Not a Document But Very Useful to have Beforehand When you go through customs, you'll be required to provide a "Korean Contact" to contact you during your quarantine period. You can use Yonsei's number, but since I landed late in the day Yonsei did not answer. The government worker calls right there and will not let you leave until someone answers.
This is where a Korean SIM card will be very helpful, as you can provide your own Korean number. I actually did have a SIM card, but for some reason it did not work when I landed and had to contact my provider so that they could manually register my phone IMEI number in their system. Tip: It's possible to pre-activate your card, and a lot of students said their cards didn't activate in time. So I suggest scheduling your card to be activated about a day or two before you arrive (:
Trazy is a tried and true international shipping service for SIM cards. The only downside is that you have to manually pay by the minute for international calls, but other than that I have no complaints. Their customer service is also super nice! I bought the Premium Classic Plan for $75 dollars, which is valid for 30 days. I might switch to Olleh Mobile (the phone company at the Yonsei dorms if it's cheaper - I'll update this if so). My SIM card took a little over two weeks to arrive in the mail.
Passport You already know this but don't forget it! If you don't already have yours, apply asap - it might take longer to process due to the pandemic.