The German Embassy in Seoul and its Honorary Consulate in Busan are closed on 24 and 25 September due to a local public-holiday bridge day, according to an official notice on the mission’s website. All visa interviews, passport pickups and legalisations have been postponed; applicants will receive new appointments via the Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal. The closure comes at peak seasonal demand for Ausbildung and winter-semester student visas from South Korea, one of the top ten non-EU source countries for German higher-education enrolment. Processing times already average eight weeks, so even a two-day shutdown can bump arrivals into late October—critical for programmes that begin on 1 November. Corporate HR teams relocating South-Korean talent should verify start dates and, where possible, switch to remote onboarding until residence permits are issued. German employers must also remember that Korean nationals need an entry visa *before* arrival; unlike some other OECD countries, they cannot convert status in Germany. Embassy officials stress that urgent humanitarian cases can still be handled through a 24/7 on-call service but confirm that “no walk-in visa processing is possible.” The mission resumes normal operations on Monday, 28 September. Similar short closures are expected around Korea’s National Foundation Day (3 October) and Hangul Day (9 October), making proactive appointment booking essential through Q4 2026.
Source: German Embassy Seoul
