Why I panicked at Arrivals?
I arrived in South Korea today with a D-4-1 visa (language training visa). And I wanted to write about the process that I went through in detail while it is still very much fresh in my head. Hopefully, this helps at least one more of you so that you don't panic like I did (will come explain why in a bit). Please also note that procedures are due to change even within short notice depending on the situation so please take my experience as a reference/guide.
Before my departure date, some digging on the internet told me that I would need a working Korean number. For long term visas, like mine, quarantine in a temporary apartment like airbnb is allowed (probably more on this in a different post for next time). However, you will need a Korean number for them to reach you at, otherwise they will send you to the Government Quarantine Facility, which is by far much more expensive than an airbnb for the same period. While I have come across some people mentioned that they've managed to get by with just a Kakaotalk ID, it wasn't the case for me.
So rewind back to before my departure date, with that acquired knowledge, I ordered a SIM card on Trazy.com which I can collect from within the quarantine inspection area in the airport. So technically, I can pick up my SIM card just before I go through the officers so before I reach the counter, I should already have a working Korean number. Trazy already sent an image on where the KT booth is located within the quarantine inspection area as shown below.
Looks easy so I didn't doubt that I would fail to find it.
But I was wrong.
I made the mistake of not asking the very first officer/staff I encountered about the booth. I got swept along with the rest of the passengers from my flight into the lane where an officer/staff would ask that you download the quarantine application. Once you stepped into that lane, it would be difficult to divert from the subsequent processes to find the KT booth. Because they would lead you to one counter after another. I tried asking a couple of officers/staff in the middle of the procedures but one told me she doesn't know and the other told me it is outside, meaning past the arrival gate. When I finally reached the last officer for this process chain, she acknowledged that there is indeed a KT booth within that area but since I am already right before the arrival gate, she told me to get my card outside.
Due to this mistake, I believe I almost got sent to the Government Quarantine Facility. The guy that looked through my documents wasn't very good with English, so much that he had to either ask the other guy beside him or use a translator to communicate with me. So it could possibly also be due to a communication error that I was almost sent to the Quarantine Facility.
When he first looked through my forms, I only had my Kakaotalk ID written on it. But to be fair, the field in English asked for a Korean number but the same field in Chinese (beside the English) asked for a Korean number, followed by in brackets, or another means to communicate in the country. Hence, I thought Kakaotalk would suffice but the guy asked for a Korean number and when I told him I don't have one yet as I have yet to collect my SIM card, he looked confused. I wasn't exactly sure if he actually understood what I had just said. Regardless, he insisted that I write down a Korean Number so I told him I have a friend here and he asked if my friend is Korean. I said yes, so he told me to put my friend's number down. And so I did. Then he proceeded to call my friend to verify that it is a legit, working number.
Huge thanks to my friend, I am now able to quarantine in the airbnb that I have arranged for myself, comfortably typing out this post.
So that was my experience. And I hope you don't have to go through the same panicky situation as I did.
Lessons learned.
Lesson learned. If you would like to order the same SIM card via Trazy as I did, then make sure to ask every officer until someone points you in the direction of the KT booth. Do not join the queue nor follow the flow until you have gotten your card.
To entirely avoid this issue, Trazy also can ship the SIM card internationally. This was what I planned to get actually, but messed up on noting the shipping timeframe. So another lesson learned.
Get your
SIM card delivered to your doorstep here.*
Breakdown of the different stations
So SIM card issue aside, below are the different stations you would go through after you have landed in Incheon International Airport.
1) First lane/queue - they will make you download the quarantine application and guide you through on the setup
2) First (sit-down) station - they will go through your documents (I suggest you just hand them everything ,including your passport, and let them pick out what they need). This is the station where they will check your temperature and verify your address and contact number. After everything, they will tell you how and when you need to update your health status in the application and the hotline to reach when you need help, all within the application itself.
3) First (stand-up) counter - they will need your passport again and your documents. Again, best to just hand them all and let them pick out what they need. Then they will make you sign on some forms. To be honest, I didn't actually read through what they made me sign on, but pretty sure you have to sign it to proceed into the country nevertheless.
4) Second (stand-up) counter - the lady officer here in my case just told me to hand her everything and she picked out what she needed from the pile. Fingerprint records are done at this counter.
You will be cleared to go through the arrivals gate and you may proceed to pick up your checked-in baggage(s).
Once you have all your stuff with you and ready to exit, there will be a small box station where the declaration form is being collected. From here, the officer will decide if you need to undergo baggage check or not. If you don't then you can continue on to exit into the arrival hall.
It was the first time that I had to get checked, probably because I had so much luggage this time around. The check was very quick for me, there is no need to remove electronics and what not, everything stays inside the bag and they just scanned my large bag pack and baggages. My small sling purse was spared.
Exiting into the arrival hall, you will come to realise that the hall has been segregated more or less into two, so you would have no choice but to swim along the lane and not wander around. Before you reach the next officer/staff, you will pass by a convenience store (called C U). I would suggest you grab whatever you think you would need, food, drinks, etc, because you won't pass by nor be able to drop by another convenience store on your way to your quarantine venue.
Further down the lane, there will be officers/staff asking which city/province is your quarantine place in. Then they will put a sticker on you and inform you which counter you should head to. As i am doing my quarantine in Seoul, I was directed to counter number 7.
[If you forgot to grab something from the convenience store earlier, just let the officer know you need to head back to the convenience store. They will ask you to leave your baggages near them then you can go ahead and return to the convenience store to grab whatever else you need. Also, if for any reason, you need to deviate from the lane, like me, I had to pick up my SIM card since I failed to do so in the quarantine inspection area, just let the officer know where and what. Similarly, they will ask that you leave your stuff near them and direct you to wherever you need be.]
At counter number 7, I was informed that I would need to make a trip to the testing center the next day as they would have closed by the time I reach. They close at 5pm kst. The lady gave me a pamphlet (all in Korean...) with contact information on the testing centers in each district, she did circle the number for my district. Then, I was presented four transport options - Standard taxi, Large taxi, Limo taxi and Bus. Not sure if I remembered the taxi options correctly but I remember there were three options for taxis. Prices differ for the different taxis due to the size of the vehicle and also the district that you will be heading to (possibly due to the distance from the airport). If you choose any of the taxi options, you can go right away, as the drivers are usually already on standby. If you choose the bus option, the bus has fixed departure timings so you would have to wait.
I chose the standard taxi option as I would have to wait for two hours if I were to take the bus. As the driver and I depart from counter 7, I was told to swing by this other counter to let the lady at the counter know which neighbourhood my place would be. There, she also asked me to fill in this sheet on her clipboard with my name and Korean number (which by then I have it up and running, phew). She passed me another pamphlet on how to call for a taxi that would take me from my place to the testing center and then back.
Albeit going with the bus option would be way cheaper, but I believe the bus only drops off at certain bus stops, so you may have to switch to another transport mode. Not exactly sure about this. That aside, you would also have to give thought about how tired you would be by that stage. Also, don't forget the bus most likely would have other passengers on board, so you may not be the first to be dropped off.
Finally, that was the last of all the procedures.
Final thoughts.
Super lengthy, I know. But I hope that by giving every single little detail of my experience today can help at least one person go through the process smoother.
If you have read through each and every word, I hope this would be helpful if you are coming over any time soon. If not, I hope it would at least be insightful!
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