Do You Need A Visa For South Korea
Visas are a must for numerous individuals who want to travel to other nations. In truth, the majority of travelers should not bring an I.D with them into the nation; rather, they need to fulfill visa necessities first, before boarding the plane. But data about visas–and particularly about national visas for South Korea–can be particularly hard to find. That’s why we’re going to discuss this topic in today’s article.Do you dream about monsters? Does your subconscious warn you of impending problems? If you’re an expat planning a trip to South Korea, we’re here to help. The government of South Korea allows a lot of information about its visa programs to be freely available online. What does this mean for a traveler? It means that all the information you need for planning a trip is in one convenient place. Let’s talk about visas.
Do You Need A Visa For South Korea
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Visa Policy for South Korea
The visa policy of South Korea determines the regulations, rules, and requirements that a foreign citizen must meet in order to travel to the country.
South Korean visa requirements state that all travelers entering the country, whether they have a visa or not, need to have a passport valid for at least 6 months that contains between one or two blank pages.
Upon arrival in the country, it may also be necessary to prove that the visitor has enough funds for the stay to gain entry to South Korea.
According to the South Korean visa law, there are currently around various visa-exempt nationalities for the country. These foreign citizens may enter South Korea for differing periods of permitted stay visa-free.
To access visa-free travel to South Korea, nationals of these countries must have an approved K-ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). This can be used for vacations or business trips for short-term stays.
Individuals from over 130 countries and territories around the world require a visa to travel to South Korea, no matter the period of stay or purpose of travel.
In addition, travelers who are eligible for visa exemption for tourism, business, and transit through the K-ETA scheme may have to apply for a South Korean visa for overseas study, corporate investment, foreign language teaching, residency, or other purposes.
South Korea currently only offers the option of obtaining a visa through a government diplomatic office, either an embassy or a consulate, as a visa on arrival is not available for the country.
Therefore, applying for a South Korea visa currently involves having to attend an appointment in person and supplying an embassy with a range of supporting documentation depending on the visa type requested.
Find further information about these different types of visa for South Korea below.
Tourist Visa Policy for South Korea
According to the country’s tourist visa policy, foreign citizens from around 50 countries can visit South Korea for tourism without having to obtain a visa in advance if they register online with the K-ETA system.
Visa-exempt visitors must have an approved South Korea ETA to enter the country for tourism, no matter the duration of their intended stay. This Electronic Travel Authorization is a multiple-entry visa waiver valid for 2 years from approval. It may be obtained through a simple online application that takes just a few minutes to complete.
The length of visa-free stay for tourism permitted depends on the traveler’s nationality and ranges from 30 days to 3 months.
All other foreign travelers are required to obtain a tourist visa to enter the country, which at the moment must be applied for at the nearest embassy or consulate of South Korea.
A consular appointment for a South Korea embassy visa for tourism should be made well in advance of the intended date of arrival in the country, to ensure sufficient time for processing and approval.
An approved tourist embassy visa may be issued as a single or multiple entry visa for a short stay. It is also possible to obtain a tourist visa extension once in South Korea and before the visa expires.
See more information about South Korean tourist visa requirements for your nationality below.
South Korea
Korea ETA Available
Embassy or Consular Visa Required
Visa Not Required
South Korea ETA
The ETA for South Korea, called the K-ETA, is an Electronic Travel Authorization that allows the holder to visit the country without a visa. It simplifies the process of getting authorization to enter South Korea and has improved the country’s border security.
Holders of passports issued by around 50 countries and territories can complete a quick application form online to get a K-ETA for visa-free travel to South Korea.
The South Korea K-ETA program was implemented on a trial basis for select visa-exempt nationalities in May 2021. From September 2021 onward, it became mandatory for eligible travelers.
An approved ETA for South Korea allows the holder to enter the country for purposes of tourism, to visit friends or family, to attend conferences or meetings, or for commercial activities. It is valid for 2 years from the date of issue, and allows multiple entries to South Korea during its validity.
To complete the simple online South Korea ETA form, it is necessary to provide basic personal, passport, and travel information. Applicants must provide a valid email address to which the approved ETA tourist authorization is sent.
Once approved, travelers are required to print a copy of the approved ETA visa waiver to present to border officials upon arrival in South Korea.
Check if you are eligible to apply for the K-ETA for South Korea by browsing the list below.
South Korea ETA: Country list
- Albania
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nauru
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Oman
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Cyprus
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
or
South Korea Embassy or Consular Visa Required
There are more than 130 countries that require a visa to visit South Korea, no matter the travel purpose or period of intended stay. ETA-eligible citizens who want to stay in the country in the long term and/or work or study there must also obtain a visa.
This type of document must be obtained from a government office of South Korea well in advance of travel, by making an appointment at the nearest embassy or consulate.
South Korean immigration regulations dictate that it is necessary to have an eligible passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the intended arrival date, containing at least one or two blank pages, to apply for an embassy visa.
It may also be necessary to provide a range of supporting documentation, including proof of funds and round-trip flights, depending on the type of embassy visa the applicant requires.
The South Korean embassy visa type required must be indicated on the application form the traveler must fill out, whether a student visa, business visa, tourism visa, transit visa, work visa, resident visa, or other visa option.
An approved consular travel document for South Korea may be issued as either a single or multiple entry visa, depending on the type of visa and the regulations and agreements that South Korea has with their country.
It is recommended to make the embassy visa appointment well in advance of the intended arrival date in South Korea, since processing and approval can take several weeks, sometimes even longer.
Check the list below to find out if you require an embassy visa to travel to South Korea for your nationality.
South Korea Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list
- Afghanistan
- Aland Islands
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antarctica
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bonaire
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Christmas Island
- Cocos Islands
- Comoros
- Congo
- Cook Islands
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greenland
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Isle of Man
- Ivory Coast
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mayotte
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- North Korea
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Territory
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Pitcairn Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Reunion
- Rwanda
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Helena
- Saint Martin
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Sint Maarten
- Somalia
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tokelau
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United States Virgin Islands
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Visa Not Required for South Korea
According to the South Korean visa policy, visa-free travel is now only possible with a K-ETA (see above).
The K-ETA can be obtained in minutes through a simple online application and is valid for 2 years from approval. It allows multiple entries to South Korea during its validity.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, over 60 visa-exempt countries are yet not eligible for the South Korean electronic authorization. However, their visa-exempt status is temporarily suspended. Once the suspension is listed, they will require a valid K-ETA.
Additionally, most foreign nationalities do not need a transit visa to pass through South Korea, if the transit time is less than 24 hours and if they do not leave the transit area, at Incheon Airport.
Travelers arriving at all other South Korean airports may transit without a visa on the same calendar day if they remain within the airport transit area.
Below, you can find a full list of the countries whose citizens do not need a visa to enter South Korea.