Entry to Korea: K-ETA, Arrival Card and Customs (2026–2027)

This page is a summary, not legal advice. Entry rules depend on your nationality and change from time to time. Always check the official sites linked here before you travel.

The short version

If you are…	You need
From a visa-free country not on the temporary exemption list	A K-ETA before you fly
From one of the 22 temporarily exempt countries, traveling by 31 Dec 2026	No K-ETA, but submit an e-Arrival card
Traveling to Korea from 1 Jan 2027	A K-ETA, unless the exemption is extended
Aged 17 or younger, or 65 and over	No K-ETA; submit an e-Arrival card
From a country that isn’t visa-free	A visa (check with your nearest Korean embassy)

Visa-free entry

Over 100 countries and regions can visit Korea without a visa. The permitted stay is usually 90 days, but 30 days for some nationalities and longer for a few.

Check your nationality and how long you can stay on the official K-ETA eligibility list.

K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization)

Visa-free visitors must get a K-ETA before boarding their flight or ship.

• Fee: ₩10,000, plus an online payment fee of about 3%. Non-refundable.
• Processing: usually 72 hours or less. There’s no express option.
• Valid for: 3 years, or until your passport expires if that’s sooner. A new passport needs a new K-ETA.
• Apply: only at k-eta.go.kr or the official app. Ignore look-alike sites charging extra.
• Exempt from K-ETA:
  • Travelers aged 17 or younger, or 65 and over, on the day of entry
  • Transit passengers
  • Visa holders
  • A few other groups listed on the official site
• Not a visa: a K-ETA doesn’t guarantee entry. Immigration officers make the final decision.
• Bonus: K-ETA holders don’t need to submit an arrival card.

The temporary exemption ends on 31 December 2026

Korea has temporarily exempted travelers from 22 countries and regions from K-ETA. The exemption has been extended for a year at a time, and the current one runs until 31 December 2026:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macau, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States (incl. Guam)

The official notice confirms the end date but doesn’t list the countries. The list above comes from published summaries, so check your nationality on k-eta.go.kr.

What to do:

• Arriving by 31 Dec 2026: you can skip K-ETA but must submit an arrival card. You can still apply for a K-ETA voluntarily if you’d rather skip the arrival card.
• Arriving from 1 Jan 2027: plan to apply for a K-ETA unless an extension is announced. No extension had been announced at the end of October 2026.

Arrival card (e-Arrival card)

Who needs one: visitors without a K-ETA. That includes:

• People on the temporary exemption
• Travelers aged 17 or younger, or 65 and over
• Visa holders

K-ETA holders don’t.

How it works:

• Online: submit it free at e-arrivalcard.go.kr from 3 days before arrival until you reach immigration.
• Validity: it expires 72 hours after you submit it.
• Groups: on a phone you can submit for up to 9 people at once.
• Paper: if you file online, you don’t need the paper card. The official site says you can still choose paper.

Health declaration (Q-CODE)

Most visitors don’t need one. A health declaration through Q-CODE is required if, in the days before arrival, you:

• stayed in or passed through a country on Korea’s priority quarantine list, or
• have symptoms such as fever or cough after being in a quarantine-managed area.

It can be filed up to 7 days before arrival. The current country list is on the KDCA travel health site.

Customs

Duty-free allowances per adult:

Item	Allowance
General goods	US$800
Alcohol	2 liters in total, worth up to US$400
Cigarettes	200
Perfume	100 ml

• Under-19s get no alcohol or tobacco allowance.

You must declare:

• Goods over the allowance
• Cash over US$10,000 (or equivalent)
• Meat, fruit, vegetables, plants and other food or farm products
• Weapons, medicines with narcotic ingredients and protected wildlife products

Declaring and penalties:

• If you have nothing to declare, use the green no-declaration lane.
• Declaring voluntarily reduces the duty.
• Undeclared goods face a 40% penalty on top of the duty.

Some older English pages still show a US$600 allowance. That’s outdated; the current figure is US$800.

Before you fly

• Check your nationality on the K-ETA site
• K-ETA approved, or e-Arrival card submitted within 3 days of arrival
• Passport valid for your whole stay (more is safer; some airlines check)
• Nothing in your bag that needs declaring, or ready to declare it

The rest of the list (money, SIM, apps): see our Korea travel checklist.