Korea Entry Requirements 2026: K-ETA (Who Is Exempt Until Dec 31, 2026), the e-Arrival Card, Visa-Free Days, Smart Entry Gates — Which Forms You Actually Need

Korea changed its arrival paperwork three times between 2021 and 2025 — introducing the K-ETA, then exempting most Western and East Asian tourists from it, then replacing the paper arrival card with an online one — and the result is that the average blog post is wrong about at least one of them. As of September 2026 the rules are simple once you know which of two forms applies to you. This first part of the trip-planning course sorts it out, with a checker.

The two forms

K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) is the pre-travel screen introduced in 2021 for visa-waiver nationals: an online application at k-eta.go.kr, ₩10,000, approved in minutes to a couple of days, valid 3 years for multiple entries. Since April 2023 Korea has exempted about 22 countries and regions from it to support tourism — the US, Canada, the UK, most of Western and Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and Guam — and in late 2025 extended the exemption through 2026-12-31. Nationals of other visa-waiver countries (Ireland, Portugal, Greece, most of Eastern Europe, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, Thailand, Israel, the Gulf states and others) still need one.

e-Arrival Card (전자입국신고서) replaced the paper arrival card on 2025-02-24. It is filled in online at e-arrivalcard.go.kr within 3 days before arrival — flight, passport, address in Korea, purpose — and linked to your passport; no printout needed. It is required from every foreign visitor except registered foreign residents, holders of a valid K-ETA, crew, transit passengers who do not enter, and designated group tourists from a handful of countries. Paper cards remain available on the plane and at immigration as a fallback.

So the rule of thumb: if you are K-ETA-exempt you file the e-Arrival Card; if you need a K-ETA you do not. Exempt travellers may still apply for a K-ETA voluntarily — it replaces the e-Arrival Card, lets you use a dedicated lane at Incheon, and lasts three years.

Visa-free stays

Korea grants visa-free entry to about 110 countries under bilateral agreements or unilateral designation: 90 days for the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, most EU states, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore; 30 days for some designated countries; 180 days for Canadians. Citizens of China (individuals), Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria and most of Africa and the Middle East need a C-3 short-term visa from a Korean mission — allow one to three weeks, and use a designated agency in countries where the embassy requires it. The exception in 2026 is the Chinese group-tour trial: registered group tourists from China enter visa-free from September 29, 2025 to June 30, 2026 (a separate scheme waives the visa fee for group tourists from six countries through December 31, 2026 — different programme, often confused).

Overstaying the visa-free period is an offence: fines scaled by length, and an entry ban of one to ten years for long overstays.

At the gate

All foreign arrivals aged 17 and over give fingerprints and a face scan. Immigration may ask for a return or onward ticket and an accommodation address — have the first hotel's Korean address on your phone. Customs is a separate form, now also online (the e-Customs declaration) or paper; the duty-free allowance is covered in Part 3.

Smart Entry Service (SES) e-gates: registered foreign residents aged 17+ can enrol at an SES desk (Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and the major immigration offices) and use gates both ways; short-term visitors who gave biometrics on arrival can use them on departure without enrolling. A Korea–US arrangement lets enrolled Global Entry members use gates both ways; it is not a general US-citizen exemption.

Transit

Incheon is a transit hub: passengers with an onward international ticket within 24 hours stay airside without a visa, and the airport runs free and paid transit tours (from about ₩10,000) into Seoul for layovers of five hours or more — leaving the airport for one uses your normal entry status, so K-ETA-exempt nationals can join freely and visa-required nationals generally cannot.

What to have ready

• Passport valid for the stay (Korea does not enforce six months' validity, but airlines may).
• K-ETA approval (if required) or the e-Arrival Card filed (if exempt) — screenshots are fine.
• First night's address in Korean.
• Return ticket; for a long visa-free stay, evidence of funds if asked.
• For work or study: the visa, then the Residence Card within 90 days (Living course, Part 1).

Once you are through, the first purchase is a transit card — and in 2026 the choice between T-money, WOWPASS and the Climate Card has a new wrinkle. That is Part 2.