Getting Your Baby an Alien Card (ARC) While They're in the NICU in Korea

NICUs in Korea are stressful enough with the majority of them only allowing you access to your baby for 20-30 minutes twice a day. Since you're a foreigner in Korea, you'll also have to worry about getting your baby a visa. You might also have to worry about getting them Korean health insurance. Below you can find out more about these two topics.

You Have 30 Days to get Korean Health Insurance
If you have Korean National Health Insurance you need to get your child an ARC within 30 days so that they are covered. For the first 30 days, they're under the mom's insurance.

You Have 90 Days to Get the Visa
If you don't have to worry about Korean health insurance, you still have to worry about the visa. You need to apply for the visa before 90 days or face a fine. Most immigration offices require you to make an appointment and there is usually a two week wait after that. If you can't make an appointment online, thanks to how horrible Korean websites are, you can go to the immigration office with the baby's passport and they will help you make an appointment.

First Things First

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In order to get an ARC, you need to get your child's passport. Make sure you look at what documents you need way before the baby is born. Different countries have different requirements, however, I believe that all countries require the child to actually go to the embassy.

Of course, if your child is in the NICU, they can't leave in order to go to the embassy. They also might be there for a long time, so you can't risk waiting to get the passport.

A Simple Solution
There is a pretty simple solution and that is to bring the embassy to you. You will have to contact your embassy and ask about this. Most places are going to charge an extra fee for them to come to you and the further away you are, the more it is probably going to cost. However, it has to be done.

Once you get your child's passport, then you can get their ARC. Some countries take a long time to issue the passport. If that's the case, then you might be able to get the ARC with proof of having applied for the passport. Contact the immigration hotline on 1345 for more info.


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