Before You Go
Korea Entry Requirements: Visa, K-ETA & e-Arrival Card
Korea Entry Requirements in 4 Simple Checks
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Answer in 30 seconds
Check these four things in order:
- Visa: Use the official Korea Visa Portal for the passport, purpose, and length of stay you will actually use.
- K-ETA: If you can enter without a visa, check the official K-ETA site. It will show whether your passport currently needs K-ETA or has a temporary exemption.
- e-Arrival Card: Use the official Navigator for the documents that will be valid when you arrive. The official card is free and can be submitted from three days before arrival, based on Korean Standard Time.
- Health and customs: Check current Q-CODE guidance for your recent route and symptoms, then review customs rules separately.
Important: This is general travel information, not immigration or legal advice. Final entry permission is decided by Korean immigration authorities. Recheck the official services before paying for non-refundable travel.
Traveler compatibility
- Korean phone number
- Varies by case
- Foreign-issued card
- Check the official step
- Korean ID
- Varies by case
- English support
- Partial English
Have these details ready
- The exact passport you will use
- Your travel purpose and planned length of stay
- Arrival and departure dates
- Your first accommodation address in Korea
- Countries or regions where you recently stayed or transited
Your four checks
1. Check whether you need a visa
Open the Korea Visa Portal Visa Navigator. Select your continent, nationality, travel purpose, and length of stay.
If the result says you need a visa, follow the instructions for that visa category and confirm the documents, appointment, fee, and processing time with the Korean embassy or consulate responsible for your application.
If you are visiting for work, study, paid activity, or a long-term stay, do not rely on tourist-entry advice.
2. If visa-free, check K-ETA
Use only the official K-ETA website. K-ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry.
The temporary K-ETA exemption for currently exempt countries and regions is extended through December 31, 2026 (KST). Do not use an old country list: check your passport on the official service close to your trip.
If K-ETA is required, the official fee is KRW 10,000 plus the online payment fee. Assessment normally takes 72 hours or less but can take longer, and there is no expedited service. Apply early.
A K-ETA is normally valid for three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Apply again after a passport reissue or when the official guide requires an information update.
3. Check the free e-Arrival Card
Use the official e-Arrival Card Navigator and select every visa, K-ETA, or residence card that will be valid when you arrive.
The quick rule is:
- Valid K-ETA used for visa-free entry: normally no arrival card
- Temporarily K-ETA-exempt traveler: may still need an arrival card; check the Navigator
- Korean visa holder: normally needs an arrival card unless another official exemption applies
- Residence card holder: normally exempt
- Holding both K-ETA and a visa but entering on the visa: submit the arrival card
The official e-Arrival Card is free. Submit it within the three days before arrival in Korea, based on Korean Standard Time. Have your passport, email address, arrival details, and accommodation address ready. Save the issued number from the confirmation email.
4. Finish the route-based checks
Q-CODE is not automatically required for every traveler. Shortly before departure, check the latest KDCA Q-CODE notice against every place where you recently stayed or transited.
- If your route includes a strict quarantine inspection required area, submit Q-CODE or a Health Declaration Form to a quarantine officer on entry, even if you have no symptoms.
- If you visited or transited through another quarantine inspection required area and have relevant symptoms, you must submit Q-CODE or a Health Declaration Form to a quarantine officer on entry.
The designated areas can change, so use the current notice instead of copying a country list from a blog.
Finally, check the Korea Customs Service traveler guidance for restricted items, duty-free allowances, and currency declaration rules that apply to you.
Cases that need an extra check
Contact the responsible Korean embassy or consulate, the Korea Immigration Contact Center at +82-2-1345, or your airline when your case includes:
- Work, study, paid activity, or a long-term stay
- A passport reissue after a visa or K-ETA application
- Dual nationality, a residence card, or a previous immigration issue
- Transit that requires baggage collection, an airport change, or Korean immigration
- A minor traveling alone or with only one parent or guardian
Your airline can confirm boarding and baggage-transfer checks, but Korean authorities decide immigration admission.
Avoid these common mistakes
- Paying a lookalike site for the free e-Arrival Card
- Treating visa-free, K-ETA-exempt, and arrival-card-exempt as the same status
- Using a visa or K-ETA result tied to a different or expired passport
- Trusting a static nationality or quarantine list instead of the current official checker
Before you leave for the airport
- [ ] Visa status checked for the exact passport, purpose, and stay length
- [ ] K-ETA requirement or exemption checked on the official site
- [ ] e-Arrival Card Navigator result checked; confirmation saved if submitted
- [ ] Current Q-CODE notice checked for recent stays and transit
- [ ] Customs and airline document rules checked
Save important approvals and confirmation numbers offline in case mobile data is unavailable at the airport.
Official sources
Checked on September 9, 2026:
- Korea Visa Portal Visa Navigator
- K-ETA application guide
- K-ETA temporary-exemption extension notice
- Korea e-Arrival Card guide
- Korea e-Arrival Card target guide
- KDCA Q-CODE current-area notice
- Korea Customs Service traveler guidance
Because entry rules can change, recheck the relevant official service close to departure.
Change log
- 2026-09-10 — Added contextual photographs and instructional screenshots with source and privacy notes. This media update does not change the information-verification date or field-test status.
- 2026-09-09 — Rechecked Visa, K-ETA, e-Arrival Card, KDCA and Customs guidance. Updated the Q-CODE notice to the September 7 area designation and corrected the overseas Immigration Contact Center number. No application or border-entry test was performed.
- 2026-09-09 — Clarified the opening instructions and related information; retained existing images, sources and the Guide-wide verification date.
- 2026-08-10 — Initial official-source check and editorial draft created.
- 2026-08-11 — Added the Incheon Airport transfer guide as the primary next action.
- 2026-09-01 — Rechecked the official Visa, K-ETA, e-Arrival Card, Q-CODE, and Customs sources; replaced the long decision tree with a four-check traveler flow and airport checklist.