Your visa application may or may not be accepted if you can’t submit an ITR depending on your circumstance.

The following types of applicants are exempted from submitting an ITR:

• Frequent visitors to OECD-member countries within the past five years
• Those who have traveled to Korea more than four times in the past two years or more than 10 times overall (with one of the visits made within the past two years).
• BDO and BPI credit cardholders who are eligible for the multiple-entry visa promo

Not exempt from ITR submission? Here’s what you must do:

For tax-exempt employees under the TRAIN law (less than Php 21,000 monthly salary): Ask HR or your employer for a copy of your latest ITR. Even if you don’t pay taxes, you aren’t exempted from having an ITR.

For fresh graduates with no job yet: Submit your transcript of records and a photocopy of your diploma to prove your status, along with a cover letter addressed to the consul explaining why you don’t have an ITR.

For newly employed people: Present a copy of the latest ITR from your previous employer. Your certificate of employment will show that you’re newly hired, so the consul may consider that you don’t have an ITR yet with your new employer. Submit an explanation letter.

Related: How to Get a Copy of Your ITR

For OFWs: No need to submit an ITR. But just to be sure, get a Certificate of Non-Filing of Income Tax Return from the BIR that indicates your being an OFW, and then submit it along with your other visa requirements.

For freelancers: File and pay your taxes because you’re still required to submit an ITR (with payment receipt from a BIR-authorized bank) as a self-employed individual. If you can’t submit an ITR (i.e., you’re working on your registration with the BIR), submit a letter explaining your situation.

Go back to the main article: How to Get Korean Visa in the Philippines: A Complete Guide for First-Time Visitors