Important! Starting July 01, 2020, consulates of the Republic of Korea around the world will no longer paste visas into passports. The visa will be issued in the form of an electronic file upon availability. A printed confirmation of the visa issuance is required to pass border control.
South Korea has visa waiver agreements with more than 100 countries. This policy means that most visitors can enter South Korea and stay for a limited time (30/90/180 days) without applying for a visa. Visitors to these countries only need to register for the K-ETA e-Visa.
PLEASE NOTE
Starting from July 3, 2023, the online permit
K-ETA will be issued for three years instead of two. In addition, all citizens under the age of 17 and over the age of 65 are now exempt from applying for it. You can visit South Korea as many times as you like. Those who have a valid ETA will be exempt from submitting an arrival card and will be able to easily pass immigration control upon entering the country through ETA-only counters at airports.
The list of these countries can be found
here. All others require a visa.
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Starting November 1, 2022, the following eight countries and regions were added to the list of countries that do not require a visa:
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Micronesia
- Macau
- Solomon Islands
- Samoa
- Taiwan
- Tonga
While travelers from the countries mentioned above can now enter South Korea without the need to obtain a visa for limited activities, corporate immigration partners explain that they are still required to provide a Korean Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA).
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In addition, applicants must complete K-ETA registration no later than 72 hours before departure.
The application form is filled out only on this website k-eta.go.kr in English. There you need to upload a photo and indicate your passport details, mail, phone number in Korea, purpose of the trip, address of residence and information about previous trips to the country. You also need to pay a fee of KRW 10,000. This can be done with a card of a foreign bank. You can apply 3 times within 180 days.
In general, a K-ETA permit remains valid for a three-year period or until the applicant's passport expires, if earlier.
This means that after the citizens of the above countries complete the registration, they will be able to use the same permit for the next three years.
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Special immigration policy is in effect on Jeju Island.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has its own visa policy. Most passport holders can enter the island without a visa and stay for up to 30 days. To be eligible, foreigners must travel directly to Jeju Island or name it as their final destination.
Visitors from the following 11 countries must obtain a visa to Jeju Island: Afghanistan, Cuba, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Macedonia, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Sudan.
Chinese nationals can stay on Jeju Island for 15 days without a visa if they have a valid passport issued by the People's Republic of China and join a tour group hosted by a Chinese or Korean travel agency.
Visa-free entry is also available for those traveling in transit to one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA. No visa is required to visit Jeju Island by direct flight.
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Tourist visa (C-3) for the Republic of Korea
A tourist visa to the Republic of Korea allows you to stay in the country for up to 30 days. The corridor of such a visa is 90 days. The corridor in Korean visas is set upon submission of the passport to the consular department.
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Documents required to apply for a visa:
- A foreign passport with a validity period of 6 months beyond the last day of the planned trip (one blank page must be left for stamps);
- The photo is a color photo of a standardized sample measuring 45*35 mm;
- Confirmation of the date of departure and arrival (purchased airline tickets or reservations for them - electronic version is allowed);
- Completed visa application form (all fields must be filled in in English);
- A certificate from the place of official employment in the prescribed form with wet printing;
- Certificate of payroll for the last six months;
- Proof of the candidate's financial security (bank or card account statement, minimum balance of $2,000), as well as a bank statement of financial flow for the last 90 days.
- Hotel reservation (if any).
In addition to the standard package of documents for travelers to South Korea, you need to provide:
- A copy of the child's birth certificate;
- Sponsorship letter from parents;
- Permission to travel if traveling with one of the parents.
Important! All documents for all types of visas must be translated into English or Korean!
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A short-term visa for the Republic of Korea (C-3) provides for the following purposes of visit:
- Tourism;
- Visiting exhibitions;
- Attending seminars;
- Attending festivals;
- Business;
- Visas for sailors;
- Visiting friends/relatives;
- Participation in sports competitions;
- Transit.
A transit visa to South Korea is suitable for visiting relatives or meeting friends. In this case, in addition to the standard package of documents, you will need an invitation from the Korean side and papers confirming kinship or friendship (letters, photos, etc.). The receiving party will also have to provide an identity card, confirm your financial well-being, and draw up a program for your stay in South Korea.
Visitor visa is required for those who are traveling to the country to visit friends or relatives. In addition to the invitation, it is necessary to provide proof of family or friendship with the inviter (photo, correspondence, etc.). The Korean party is obliged to provide the original employment certificate, a letter of guarantee, and a program of stay in the country.
Conditions for obtaining a transit visa for South Korea:
- Flying to a third country through an Incheon International Airport, transit by any other means of transport is not allowed. The final destination should differ from the country of your departure.
- The interval between arrival and departure is 72 hours – a transit visa to the Republic of Korea is valid for only three days.
- Taking part in a tour for transit passengers – tourists traveling in South Korea are not free to leave the airport.
Transit passengers are accompanied by assistants. Employees of the transit tourism desk will help you pass customs control and offer several options for excursion routes. A transit visa to South Korea is required for citizens who cross the territory of the country with the purpose of further travel through the continent.
If you want to stay in Korea for more than three days and then go on a further trip, we recommend that you apply for a short-term transit visa for up to 15 days. A multiple-entry transit visa valid for up to 90 days and can be obtained by citizens who make regular frequent flights through Korea.
It is not necessary to issue a transit visa to foreigners who have a valid visa to the USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia.
Cats and dogs under the age of 90 days are exempt from a titer analysis for antibodies to rabies. Adult pets must be chipped, vaccinated, and have a quarantine certificate.
What documents are required?
- Passport of the animal. The document is issued by a licensed veterinary clinic after examining the pet. It displays data on the breed, age, vaccinations. Also, the 15-digit identification code of the microchip implanted under the animal's skin is entered into the passport.
- Chipping. The microchip must work according to HDX or FDX-B technology, as well as meet the requirements of international standards ISO 11784 and ISO 11785. It is not necessary to change old-style chips, but you must have a reading device with you.
- Vaccination. After reaching the age of more than 90 days, the animal must be vaccinated. Importing an animal to South Korea will also require comprehensive vaccination against plague, infectious hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus enteritis, etc.
- Rabies virus antibody titer test. You can take a blood test at least 30 days after vaccination, since the vaccination begins to work only after 21 days. Serological research is carried out only in accredited anti-rabies laboratories. The permissible concentration of antibodies in the animal's blood is at least 0.5 IU/ml. With lower indicators, re-vaccination of the pet is required.
Important! Rabies antibody titer analysis is performed at least 30 days and at most 24 months before the trip.
In order not to postpone the trip at the last moment, you should do the rabies titer analysis in advance, approximately 2-3 months before departure.
1. When entering Korea
There is a system of "red" and "green corridors" in Korea.The "Green Corridor" is designed for individuals moving goods that are exempt from duty and taxes. If you are in doubt as to whether you need to declare the goods you are importing, it is recommended to choose the "red corridor" to avoid possible misunderstandings.
Goods that need to be declared should be packed in such a way that they can be easily presented to a customs official if necessary.
Important! It is categorically not recommended to move the luggage of strangers. If such goods turn out to be prohibited or restricted for import, the person who directly moves them will be responsible for the offense.
It is prohibited to provide customs authorities with inaccurate or incomplete information. Such actions can be followed by a confiscation of the goods as a punishment.
Duty-free import
Goods with a value of not more than 400 dollars are imported into Korea duty-free and tax-free. If the value of the imported goods exceeds the specified limit, customs payments are paid only in respect of the excess.
In addition to the above, it is also allowed to import without a duty:
- 1 liter of alcoholic beverages (worth less than 400 dollars);
- 2 ounces of perfumery products (~56.6 g);
- 200 cigarettes;
- 50 cigars;
- 250 g of tobacco.
Personal property (clothing, toiletries, personal jewelry, including a wristwatch) may be imported duty-free, provided that:
- These things are intended for personal use;
- The goods will not be used by other persons, are not intended as a gift, for sale or exchange for other goods.
Members of the same family are allowed to sum up the quotas that belong to each individual.
Items intended as gifts are included in the 400 dollar duty and tax exempt total.
If a person moves goods in excess of the established quotas, it is necessary to declare the goods and pay customs payments, namely: duty, VAT, as well as special taxes. In this case, a simplified rate of duty is applied in the form of 20 to 55%.
Duties and taxes are calculated as a percentage of the contractual value of the goods (the value at which the goods were purchased). If the value of the goods cannot be determined, it is established at the discretion of the customs officer. Payments are accepted only in Korean won. A person cannot pay customs fees using a credit card or in any other way.
Items that should be declared:
- Goods exceeding the established quota numbers;
- Goods designed for sale in Korea;
- Foreign currency and other means of payment summing up to more than 10,000 dollars;
Goods restricted to import:
- Cold weapons and firearms, cartridges for them, explosives;
- Narcotic and psychotropic substances, as well as any drugs containing such substances;
- Goods made from animal materials that are under special protection and the use of which is restricted or prohibited;
- Goods, the import of which is restricted by the quarantine service (food products, animals and plant materials);
- Animals, plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as their derivatives.
Restrictions on goods may be introduced for reasons of public safety and welfare of the state, as well as for the purpose of protecting national fauna and flora. A special permit is required to import such goods into the country.
Goods prohibited for import:
- Books, publications;
- Images, films and other materials of pornographic content;
- Any materials that may be considered as ones violating the constitutional order, public security and traditional foundations;
- Counterfeit coins, banknotes, negotiable instruments.
When declaring goods, the following documents must be submitted:
- Passport;
- Plane ticket;
- Customs declaration (if required).
2. When leaving Korea
Duties and taxes are not payable on goods whose value does not exceed 400 dollars.
In addition, a person has the right to export the following goods without payment of customs payments within the specified restrictions:
- 1 liter of alcoholic beverages;
- 200 cigarettes;
- 50 cigars;
- 2 ounces of perfumery products (~56.6 g);
- 250 g of tobacco products. The export of alcoholic beverages is allowed for individuals over the age of 20, cigarettes – over the age of 19.
The amount of foreign or Korean currency being exported that exceeds 10,000 dollars must be declared.
When moving souvenirs purchased in Korea, you should be aware that any restrictions and prohibitions may apply to materials of animal and plant origin. Such goods are recommended to be submitted to customs officials for inspection.
If a person takes out of Korea any expensive items (computers, video and photo cameras) with the intention of further importing the goods, such goods must be declared. One of the possible proofs of ownership of goods being brought back can be a receipt.
Goods that are subject to mandatory declaration when taking them out of Korea:
- Animals, plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as their derivatives;
- Korean and foreign currency, the value of which exceeds 10,000 dollars;
- Firearms and cartridges for them;
- Objects of cultural and historical heritage.
Export of the abovementioned goods is carried out on the basis of a permit.
South Korea (The Republic of Korea)