Day One Korea
← All guides
EssentialsUpdated 2026-09-09· 5m

Do You Need a K-ETA to Enter Korea? Many Visitors No Longer Do

Korea suspended the K-ETA requirement for 22 countries, and the waiver runs to the end of 2026. Here is how to tell which of the three entry categories you fall into.

Reality check

Booking
Not needed — if you are exempt there is nothing to apply for; if you are not, apply at least 72 hours before departure
Cost
K-ETA application fee applies only if you are required to apply

This is the single most confusing thing about arriving in Korea right now, and it is confusing because the rule changed and most of the internet did not.

Korea's electronic travel authorisation, the K-ETA, was introduced in 2021 and applied to visitors from visa-free countries. Then Korea temporarily suspended it for a list of countries to encourage tourism, and has extended that suspension more than once. As it stands, the waiver runs to 31 December 2026.

The three categories

  1. Visa-free and K-ETA-exempt. You apply for nothing. You board with your passport. This now covers most of Korea's largest visitor markets.
  2. Visa-free but K-ETA required. You are not applying for a visa, but you must get K-ETA approval before you fly.
  3. Visa required. You apply for an actual visa through a Korean embassy or consulate.

The 22 countries currently exempt

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States including Guam. If your passport is not on this list, do not assume category one.

This has an expiry date

The waiver is temporary and has been renewed rather than made permanent. Check the official K-ETA site close to your departure rather than trusting any article, including this one. A rule that was true when a page was written is exactly the kind of thing that strands people at check-in.

Should you apply anyway if you are exempt?

You may, and there is one small reason to. Holding an approved K-ETA exempts you from filling in the paper arrival card on the plane. That is the entire benefit. If you dislike forms and have time to spare before your trip, it is a fair trade; otherwise skip it.

If you do have to apply

  • Apply on the official government site or its app. Search results are full of paid intermediaries charging several times the real fee for the same form.
  • Apply well before you fly, not the night before. Most approvals are quick, but a manual review takes days and there is no way to hurry it.
  • The approval is tied to your passport. A new passport means a new application.
  • Approval is permission to board and to be considered at the border. It is not a guaranteed entry — immigration still decides at the desk.
+I have an old K-ETA that is still valid. Do I use it?

If you are in an exempt country you do not need to present anything, but a valid approval does not hurt and still gets you out of the arrival card.

+Does the exemption cover transit?

Airside transit without entering Korea is a separate matter and generally does not require a K-ETA. If you plan to leave the airport on a layover, you are entering the country and the normal rules apply.

Read next