Hello! I am an international student in Japan, and my nationality requires a tourist visa for traveling to South Korea. I have searched the [Korean embassy website for visa application for third-country nationalities](https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/jp-osaka-ja/brd/m_22656/view.do?seq=761178&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&multi_itm_seq=0&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=2), and there is one requirement that I’d like to ask about: the rule that you must have stayed in Japan for two years to be eligible for visa application.
Currently, I have been residing in Japan for 1 year and 11 months. My intended travel date to Korea is 2 years and 1 week from my arrival date in Japan (I wasn’t aware of the rule when I decided the travel date). The 1 week time is too short if I started my visa application immediately on the day of my 2 year anniversary, and the website itself said the processing time is 2 weeks.
I am wondering if I could apply as early as now, even though I haven’t met the 2-year requirement yet. Has anyone experienced dealing with this rule? Thank you. I also emailed the embassy already, but I was hoping to get some insights here as well.
by Due_Draft_2291