K-ETA or e-Arrival card: check which one you need before you leave for Korea

Right now

1. 1Check your arrival date. If you arrive on or after January 1, 2027, the exemption may have ended, so check the K-ETA notices again before you leave.
2. 2Scan your passport on the K-ETA application screen and see whether the message "K-ETA exempt" appears. The notice does not list the exempt countries.
3. 3If you are exempt, submit an e-Arrival card starting 3 days before arrival. If you are not, get K-ETA approval before you board.

What to have ready

• Passport
• Photo of your face: Your whole face must be visible, from your forehead to your chin.
• A card that supports international payments: You need it to pay the K-ETA fee.
• Address and contact details for your accommodation in Korea
• Arrival and departure details: The e-Arrival card asks for your passport details, arrival details, departure details, purpose of entry, planned accommodation and contact details, and occupation.

Phrases you can copy and paste

Step by step

1. 1

   Work out how you are entering

   If you are a registered foreign resident with an Alien Registration Card, you need neither K-ETA nor an arrival card. If you have a visa, you do not need K-ETA either, but the e-Arrival card guide does not list visa holders among those excluded. If you are entering without a visa, go to the next step.

2. 2

   Check that your country can apply for K-ETA

   The table of eligible countries on the K-ETA website also shows how long you can stay without a visa, country by country. It is 90 days for Japan and the United States and 6 months for Canada.

3. 3

   Check whether you are exempt

   When you scan your passport photo page during the K-ETA application, a pop-up appears if you are exempt. You also do not need to apply for K-ETA if you are 17 or younger or 65 or older on your date of entry.

4. 4

   If you need K-ETA, apply on the official website or app

   Apply at www.k-eta.go.kr or in the K-ETA app. The fee is 10,000 won per person, plus an online payment fee of about 3%. That comes to about US$7-8, and it is not refunded whatever the result.

5. 5

   If you do not have K-ETA, submit an e-Arrival card

   Submit the form at www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. It is free, and you can use it on a computer or in a mobile browser. On the first screen, choose which of a visa, K-ETA or Alien Registration Card you hold to check whether you need to submit one.

6. 6

   If your plans change, update your travel information on the K-ETA website

   Make the changes under Update Travel Information on the K-ETA website. This covers your purpose of entry, the address where you will stay, contact details, planned arrival and departure dates, departure flight number and travel companions. If you do not update them, you may face consequences such as being refused entry.

7. 7

   Go through immigration inspection

   K-ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry. An immigration officer decides whether you can enter.

The Korean words

전자여행허가jeonja yeohaeng heoga, Online authorization you get before entering without a visa

The English name is K-ETA.

입국신고서ipguk singoseo, A form you submit when entering the country

You do not submit it if you have a valid K-ETA.

전자입국신고jeonja ipguk singo, An arrival card you submit online

The English name is e-Arrival card.

무사증 입국musajeung ipguk, Entering without a visa

This determines whether K-ETA applies to you.

등록외국인deungnok oegugin, A person who has completed foreign resident registration

Needs neither K-ETA nor an arrival card.

Easy to miss

• ·Paying fees to agency sites. The government has not appointed any official agencies. There have also been cases of people being charged high fees by sites posing as the official K-ETA website. There is no expedited service either.
• ·Assuming you have nothing to do because you are exempt. If you have not obtained K-ETA, you must submit an arrival card. This also applies if you are 17 or younger or 65 or older.
• ·Assuming you cannot apply for K-ETA if you are exempt. You can apply for K-ETA to skip the arrival card, but you must pay the fee. The approval is valid for 3 years.
• ·Trying to get a refund for a K-ETA you have already received. You cannot get a refund even if you become exempt, and you can use it until it expires.
• ·Going to the airport with a new passport and your old K-ETA. If you get a replacement passport, you must apply for K-ETA again. You cannot board if the details on your approval do not match your passport.
• ·Trying to correct inaccurate information after submitting it. You cannot edit a submitted application, so apply again with the correct information.
• ·Confusing K-ETA validity with how long you can stay. Even though K-ETA is valid for 3 years, each stay cannot exceed the visa-free period allowed for your country.
• ·Entering Korea during a transfer to collect your baggage. Transit passengers do not need K-ETA, but you must apply in advance if your plans change and you enter Korea, or if you enter to collect your baggage.
• ·Overlooking your 18th birthday. You need K-ETA if you have turned 18 by your date of entry.

You can skip this if

• Those exempt from applying for K-ETA are South Korean citizens, active-duty military personnel covered by SOFA, aircrew and ship crew, ABTC holders, transit passengers, registered foreign residents and visa holders, UN passport holders, diplomatic passport holders, people aged 17 and under or 65 and over, and cruise tourists.
• If you have both an Alien Registration Card and K-ETA, the status and period of stay on your Alien Registration Card take precedence. If you have both a visa and K-ETA, your visa takes precedence.
• This guide is based on the Ministry of Justice K-ETA website and guidance from the Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice, checked on November 2, 2026.

Where this comes from

• Notice of Extension of the Temporary Exemption Period for Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA), December 23, 2025 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Guide to the e-Arrival card, checked November 2, 2026 (Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice)
• K-ETA Application Guide, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Notice List, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Frequently Asked Questions Q47, Q49, Q54, Q57, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Application Fee Guide, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Eligible Countries and Applicants, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• e-Arrival card Website, checked November 2, 2026 (Ministry of Justice)
• Warning About Unofficial K-ETA Websites and Agencies, December 16, 2022 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• K-ETA Exemption for Those Aged 17 and Under or 65 and Over and Extension of K-ETA Validity, June 28, 2023 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)
• Guide to Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA), November 1, 2022 (Ministry of Justice K-ETA website)