South Korea: 'Visit Korea Year' Temporarily Exempts 22 Countries from K-ETA
January 9, 2026
Update January 9, 2026: The Ministry of Justice has formally extended the K-ETA exemption for certain countries, allowing visa-free entry into Korea without a K-ETA through December 31, 2026. This extension applies to countries and regions that are currently exempt from the K-ETA requirement. Eligible travelers will receive a pop-up notification confirming the exemption upon scanning their passport information page during the application process.
Update December 19, 2024: The Ministry of Justice has extended the exemption until December 31, 2025. Applicants from eligible countries or regions will see a pop-up notification on the K-ETA website when selecting their nationality.
March 31, 2023: From April 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024, the South Korean government will temporarily exempt nationals from 22 countries/regions, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the United States (including Guam), from the need to obtain a Korean Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) for entry. Currently, foreign nationals from visa waiver and visa-free countries must obtain a K-ETA before entering South Korea. Despite the exemption, however, travelers from these countries may still choose to apply for a K-ETA, in which case they will be exempt from the requirement to complete an arrival card at the time of entry. The application fee for a K-ETA is KRW 10,000 (the current exchange rate is 1 KRW = 0.00077 USD). The government will not refund the application fee to those who have already applied for the K-ETA. This temporary K-ETA exemption for the 22 countries/regions is in line with the government’s goal of reviving the tourism industry, which has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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