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I overstayed in South Korea , and now I want to go back to my home country (the US) after two months.

Will there be a problem with the US Immigration when arriving back to the country?

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    Apart from the fact that the US authorities don't care how much time you spent abroad, do you know that US citizens can stay 90 days visa-free in South Korea? A two months' stay is not an overstay.
    – Johnnyjanko
    Sep 8 at 10:08
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    @Johnnyjanko: From the wording it's not clear if this is a two months total stay, or overstay by two months past the permitted duration of stay.
    – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
    Sep 8 at 17:20
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    By "home country", you mean you are a US citizen. If yes, could it be that you are worried about the wrong end (US) of overstaying?
    – Quora Feans
    Sep 8 at 17:45
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    tHE us DON'T CARE. kOREA MAY. From 'QuOra Feans link here Expand section headed: Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements. || It says" ... Exceeding your authorized stay or not possessing a valid visa may result in detention and fines. | In the event of an overstay, apply for a visa extension from the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) before attempting to leave the country. Also consult with KIS regarding changes in visa category."
    – Russell McMahon
    Sep 9 at 7:14
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    @RussellMcMahon Detention and fines, yes, but in South Korea, NOT in the US!
    – Johnnyjanko
    Sep 10 at 17:23

3 Answers 3

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If you are a US citizen - you can always return to the US. The US is not going to be enforcing Korean laws, so your overstay in Korea is of no consequence in the US. There may be consequences in other countries which may refuse to accept you or give you visa given your history of overstay. There most definitely will be consequences in Korea, you will very likely be denied entry in the future.

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    Note that some countries (e.g. the Phillipines) impose departure fines and/or prison sentences on people who have overstayed. I don't think this is a possible consequence of overstaying in South Korea specifically, but it would be good to confirm this.
    – Michael Seifert
    Sep 7 at 16:25
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    The question was about potential problems on entrance to the US, not leaving Korea.
    – littleadv
    Sep 7 at 16:41
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    @MichaelSeifert: unhappily it is possible. See this official resource about overstaying: travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/… Section Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements
    – Quora Feans
    Sep 8 at 17:44
  • @QuoraFeans What's possible? That website mentions nothing about the US authorities taking action against citizens overstaying in Korea or any other country.
    – Johnnyjanko
    Sep 10 at 17:28
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    @Johnnyjanko: Michael Seifert spoke about departure fines and/or prison sentences on people who have overstayed in the Philippines and that he didn't know if that was possible in S. Korea. I was not answering the OP's question, but to Seifert's comment.
    – Quora Feans
    Sep 10 at 21:14
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No, there's nothing for the US to gain by caring about it in the slightest. As US citizens have a universal right to enter, all they're likely to care about is that you're not smuggling any goods and they don't have a warrant for your arrest.

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It is unlikely that there will be any problems with US immigration when returning home after overstaying in South Korea. However, it is always possible that immigration officers may have questions or ask for further information regarding your stay in South Korea. It is important that you can provide all necessary documentation to avoid any issues.

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    They won't, on average, have any more or less questions about someone returning from S Korea than someone returning from an EU country. Attempting to return from N Korea, however, might raise some eyebrows...
    – FreeMan
    Sep 8 at 11:47
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    "it is always possible that immigration officers may have questions or ask for further information regarding your stay" perfectly correct and perfectly true of ANy country pair, even the most innocuous.
    – Fattie
    Sep 8 at 13:51
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    @Fattie while that's true, I think the spirit of the question is more about "what could the consequences be", i.e. will the US do anything about it, even if I dont have all the documentation. My understanding is that no, they wont, and they can't stop you from entering, and they wont (cant?) deport you back to south korea. I'm not an expert, so this may be untrue and if so you can correct me, but that's the actual question that's being asked - the US will not be enforcing any penalties or consequences relating to this.
    – BeB00
    Sep 8 at 18:48
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    This answer looks as if it were generated by an AI.
    – Brian
    Sep 10 at 1:45
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    Jamessmith0901 can you proof you are really trying to answer the question and not a bot spinning out nonsense?
    – Willeke ♦
    Sep 10 at 18:22

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