Arriving

K-ETA, and whether you still need one

This is the single most confusing thing about arriving in Korea, and it is confusing for a specific reason: the K-ETA rule changed, and then the change kept getting extended. Most guides online describe the world before it. Here is where it stands today, who is exempt, and why the first search result may be about to charge you five times the real price.

The short answer

If you are from a country that Korea already lets in visa-free, you are probably exempt from K-ETA until 31 December 2026.

Korea suspended the requirement for the currently exempt countries as a tourism measure, and has extended that suspension more than once. The most recent extension runs to 31 December 2026.

The date that matters more than today's rule

The exemption is a suspension, not a repeal. It ends on 31 December 2026, and unless it is extended again, the requirement applies to arrivals from the following day.

That matters if your trip straddles the date. A flight landing on the last day of the exemption needs nothing; the same flight a day later needs an approved K-ETA before you board, because airlines check it at the gate rather than immigration checking it on arrival.

It has been extended more than once already, so this is not a prediction that it will end - it is a date to check your arrival against rather than assume. Book the flight, then check the date. Do not check the date once and assume it held.

That is the answer for most people reading this. The rest of this page is for the cases where it is not.

How to check in thirty seconds

Go to the official application page and start an application. When you select your nationality, an exemption pop-up appears if your country is on the suspended list. You do not have to finish, pay, or submit anything to find out.

That is the authoritative check. Any list on any other site, including this one, is a copy that could be stale.

Who this never applied to anyway

K-ETA is only for people entering visa-free. If you hold a Korean visa, it is not your concern.

Beyond that, these groups are outside the system entirely, exemption period or not:

• Diplomatic and official passport holders
• APEC Business Travel Card holders
• Air and ship crew
• Transit passengers not entering the country
• Anyone 17 or under, and anyone 65 or over

That last one surprises people, and it splits families. A grandparent and a grandchild may be outside the system while the parents are inside it.

If you do need one, or want one

Apply only at k-eta.go.kr or in the K-ETA app. The fee is 10,000 KRW, about seven to eight US dollars. It is valid for 3 years, or until your passport expires if that comes first, and it covers multiple trips in that window.

Apply at least 72 hours before you board. Assessment normally completes inside the same window, which means a same-day application is a gamble you do not need to take.

The part that costs people money

The official site carries its own warning about this, which tells you how common it is.

Search for "K-ETA" and you will find sites that look official, use similar names and layouts, and offer to file your application for you or to expedite it. They charge several times 10,000 KRW for filling in a form you can fill in yourself in ten minutes. Some collect your passport details on top of it.

There is no expedited option. There is no authorised agency. There is one government site and one government app.

Why apply if you are exempt

There is one real reason, and it got stronger recently. A K-ETA approval exempts you from the arrival declaration that every other visitor has to file.

That declaration used to be a paper card handed out on the plane. Korea moved it online, to an official free form at e-arrivalcard.go.kr, and the exemption came with it: hold a valid K-ETA and you file nothing.

There is an irony in that worth naming. Being exempt from K-ETA is precisely why you have the form to fill in - no K-ETA held means no exemption from the declaration. Applying for one you do not need is the way out of it.

Whether that is worth 10,000 KRW is a personal call. For a short trip it usually is not. For a family arriving on a late flight with tired children, it might be.

Note that previously issued approvals stay valid until their own expiry, and the fee is not refundable if the exemption is extended again after you paid.

What this does not cover

K-ETA is entry authorisation. It is not a visa, not the arrival declaration described above, and not a customs or health declaration - four separate things that get talked about as if they were one. Arrival requirements can change separately, and the K-ETA site posts notices when they do. Read the notices on the front page rather than assuming this page is current: everything on this site carries the date it was checked, and immigration rules move faster than most figures we publish.

Quick answers: K-ETA

Do I need a K-ETA in 2026?

Probably not. If your country is one Korea admits visa-free, the requirement is suspended until 31 December 2026. The official site tells you for certain in about thirty seconds when you pick your nationality.

Does K-ETA come back after the exemption ends?

Yes, unless it is extended again. The suspension runs to 31 December 2026, so the requirement applies from the following day. It has been extended more than once before, so check the date against your arrival rather than assuming either way.

How much does a K-ETA cost?

10,000 KRW, paid on the government site. There is no expedited option and no authorised agency. A page asking for meaningfully more than that is not the government's.

How long is a K-ETA valid?

3 years from approval, for multiple entries, and it stays valid to its own expiry even if the rules change.

How far ahead should I apply for a K-ETA?

At least 72 hours before departure.

Is K-ETA the same as a visa?

No. K-ETA is travel authorisation for people entering visa-free. If you hold a Korean visa it does not apply to you.

Figures on this page come from Korea Tourism Organization, K-ETA (Korea Ministry of Justice), Korea Ministry of Justice, Korea e-Arrival Card (electronic arrival declaration). Checked against the published source on the date below.

LAST VERIFIED 15 AUGUST 2026