Myanmar Embassy in South Korea to suspend passport renewal services

By Admin 29 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 August 2023, Sittwe

The Myanmar Embassy in South Korea said Monday it will suspend extending passports for Myanmar citizens as of September 1.

The embassy said it would meanwhile work to simplify the application procedure for passport renewal, and do maintenance work on passport-related machinery.

It is mandatory for migrant workers in South Korea to apply for ID cards issued by the South Korean government, and migrant workers can continue to live in South Korea with that ID card even if their passport expires, according to Myanmar expats in South Korea.

“Any foreigner has to apply for an ID card after they have been in Korea for three months. So, people can continue to live in Korea even if their passports expire. That ID card is valid for three years,” said Arakanese migrant worker Ko Zaw Zaw Aung, who is working in South Korea.

Migrant workers can continue to live outside their home country for six months after the expiry of their passports.

“Even if you have lost your passport, it is easy to apply for a new one. There is nothing to worry about with an expired passport. But there are some problems finding a job when your passport expires,” said Ko Kyaw Soe, who is working in South Korea.

Despite the suspension of accepting new applications for passport extension, the embassy said it would issue new passports to applicants who had applied earlier.