Dodori Korea TripArriving
Korea's duty-free allowance, and what you may bring in
Most visitors walk through the green channel without thinking about it, and for most visitors that is correct. The duty-free allowance matters when you have been shopping in the duty-free shop, when you are carrying gifts, or when you have something in your bag that Korea does not allow in at all regardless of what it cost. All of it is published by the customs service, and the one thing worth knowing in advance is that declaring something is cheaper than not declaring it.
The allowance
USD 800 per person, measured on the customs value of everything you acquired abroad, gifts included, and it counts things bought in duty-free shops as well. Duty-free is a tax status at the point of sale, not an exemption from the limit at the border.
Three categories sit outside that figure and get their own allowances.
| Allowance | |
|---|---|
| Alcohol | 2 litres and USD 400 in total |
| Cigarettes | 200 cigarettes |
| Perfume | 100 ml |
Electronic cigarette liquid is limited to 20 ml, and only under 1% nicotine. Anyone under 19, counted by year of birth rather than actual birthday, gets no alcohol or tobacco allowance at all.
Agricultural and livestock products have their own separate limits regardless of price: 5 kg per item, 40 kg in total, and an overall acquisition value under 100,000 won.
Declaring is the cheap option
If you are over the line, say so on the form. Voluntary declaration carries a 30% reduction in the duty owed.
Not declaring and being found carries the opposite: the duty plus a penalty. Customs at Incheon x-rays bags and works from arrival data, and the odds are not as favourable as they feel while you are standing in the queue.
The arithmetic is straightforward. On something moderately over the limit, declaring costs you a modest amount of duty. Not declaring costs you the same duty plus a fine plus a much longer arrival. There is no version of this where staying quiet is the better bet.
What is not about money
Some things are refused entry no matter what they cost or whether you declare them, and they are the ones most likely to be in an ordinary suitcase.
Meat and meat products. Korea enforces this strictly because of foot-and-mouth and African swine fever. Cured ham, sausage, jerky, meat-filled snacks and dried meat all count. This is a quarantine rule, not a tax one, and the penalties for undeclared meat are severe rather than nominal.
Fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and plants need quarantine inspection and are frequently refused.
Certain medicines. Some drugs that are ordinary elsewhere are controlled here, including certain ADHD medications and strong painkillers. Carry them in labelled original packaging with a doctor's note, and check with a Korean embassy before you fly if you are unsure. This overlaps with what to do if you need medical care here.
Counterfeit goods, including the ones bought as souvenirs elsewhere in Asia.
If you are carrying something in these categories, declare it and let quarantine decide. Being told to throw away a packet of jerky is a minor annoyance. Being found with it is not.
Cash
Carrying more than the equivalent of USD 10,000 in cash or bearer instruments requires a declaration on arrival. This is a reporting requirement rather than a tax, and it applies to the total across your party.
Arrivals duty-free, and how it counts
Incheon has duty-free shops in the arrivals hall, which is unusual and useful if you forgot to buy something on the way out. Purchases there count against the same USD 800, combined with everything else you are carrying. Alcohol and perfume bought there can still use their separate allowances, with one wrinkle: if you buy Korean-made alcohol or perfume in the arrivals shop, that is applied against the allowance first.
The paperwork
The declaration form is handed out on the plane or filled in electronically. If you have nothing to declare and nothing in the restricted categories, the green channel is correct and takes seconds.
The form asks you to answer honestly rather than to guess a value precisely. If you genuinely do not know what something is worth, say what you paid.
Before you leave again
The other direction has its own system, and the money is worth more there. Tax paid on shopping in Korea is refundable to visitors, through three routes that most people get wrong. That is the tax refund guide.
Quick answers: Korea's duty-free allowance
What is a duty-free allowance?
The value of goods you can bring into a country without paying import duty on them. Korea's is USD 800 per traveller, and alcohol, cigarettes and perfume carry their own separate allowances on top of that figure.
What happens if I exceed Korea's duty-free limit?
Declare it on the arrival form. Voluntary declaration carries a 30% reduction in the duty owed; being found with it undeclared costs the full duty plus a penalty.
Can I bring food into Korea?
Meat and meat products are refused regardless of value - cured ham, sausage, jerky and meat-filled snacks all count. Fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and plants need quarantine inspection and are frequently refused.
Figures on this page come from Korea Customs Service. Checked against the published source on the date below.
LAST VERIFIED 15 AUGUST 2026