K-ETA, explained: who still needs Korea's travel authorization

The Korea Electronic Travel Authorization, K-ETA, is South Korea's online pre-travel check for people who can visit without a visa. You apply on the official website or app, pay KRW 10,000 and usually get an answer within 72 hours. You need approval before you board a flight or ship to Korea.

In 2026, fewer people need one than the rule suggests. Travelers from the countries and territories on the temporary exemption list are exempt until 31 December 2026, and anyone aged 17 or under, or 65 or over, is exempt anyway. The rest, visa-free visitors aged 18 to 64 from countries not on the temporary list, still need a K-ETA. There is also a reason some exempt travelers buy one: it lets them skip the arrival card.

The K-ETA is a requirement for visa-free visitors. It comes with permanent exemptions by age and category, and with a temporary exemption for a list of countries, which the Ministry of Justice has extended to stimulate tourism.

The only official source is the Ministry of Justice's K-ETA website, which also offers the official K-ETA app. Its notices page carries the current exemption period, and its FAQ lists every category of traveler who does not need to apply.

The temporary exemption runs until 31 December 2026 (Korea time). The Ministry of Justice extended it in a notice dated 23 December 2025 for one more year, and the notice says the countries and territories that were exempt before are covered. The notice does not print the list, but the application does the check for you: if you scan an exempt passport, a pop-up tells you that you do not need to apply.

Some people are exempt permanently. The K-ETA FAQ lists Korean nationals and dual nationals with a valid Korean passport, US military personnel under the Status of Forces Agreement, airline and ship crew, APEC Business Travel Card holders, registered foreign residents and visa holders, UN passport holders, diplomatic and official passport holders, cruise passengers, and travelers aged 17 or under or 65 or over on the day of entry.

Transfer passengers are also exempt, with two exceptions. If you need to enter Korea because your itinerary or destination changes, or to reclaim your baggage, you need a K-ETA.

The exemption notice makes a point of this. If you are exempt but still want the benefits of an approved K-ETA, such as not having to submit an arrival card on entry, you can apply and pay the normal fee. For frequent visitors, and for anyone who dislikes filling in a card at the end of a long flight, KRW 10,000 for three years is a reasonable trade.

If you already hold a K-ETA, it stays valid until its expiry date whether or not your country is exempt, and the fee is not refunded. You do not need to cancel it or apply again because of the exemption.

Apply only on www.k-eta.go.kr or the official K-ETA mobile app. The official site says applications are available only there and warns about similar agencies and phishing sites that charge high fees under the pretext of an agency or expedited service. The Ministry states there is no expedited service.

You need your passport, a facial photo and details of your trip, such as the purpose of entry, your address in Korea, contact information, expected dates and any accompanying persons. If those details change after approval, update them on the site before you travel. The site also lets applicants check the result of an application.

The official site says decisions generally come within 72 hours. Apply at least three days before you fly, and earlier if you can. The Ministry says assessment typically takes 72 hours or less but can take longer when applications surge, and a late or rejected application leaves little time to fix it.

The fee is KRW 10,000, which the official site puts at about $7–8 per person, and it is not refundable whatever the outcome. The fee page adds that online payment can carry a processing fee of roughly 3%.

For approvals since 3 July 2023, a K-ETA is valid for three years, or until your passport expires if that comes sooner. Before that date it was two years. You can use it for multiple trips while it is valid, as long as each stay respects the period your nationality allows. A reissued passport means you need a new K-ETA even if the old one has not expired, and the FAQ covers a replacement after a lost passport.

A K-ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee admission. At any port of entry, a Korea Immigration Service officer checks your passport and decides whether to admit you and for how long. The length of stay depends on your nationality: the Ministry's country list shows 90 days for Australia, six months for Canada and 30 days for Albania, for example.

The Ministry's notices say that K-ETA holders do not have to submit an arrival card on entry, a benefit that exempt travelers without a K-ETA do not get. For where to base yourself on arrival, see our guide to where to stay in Seoul.

The exemption has an end date, and trips do not always fit neatly inside it. The temporary exemption applies until 31 December 2026, Korea time. If you are exempt now but fly to Korea in early 2027, you need a K-ETA unless the exemption is extended or another rule covers you. Because the official site says to allow up to 72 hours, do not leave that decision until the last day of December.

Ages are measured on the date of entry. A 17-year-old who turns 18 before a trip, or a 64-year-old who turns 65 just after it, falls on the other side of the age exemption, so check the birthday against the arrival date rather than the booking date. The other common problem is a passport change. A K-ETA is tied to one passport number, so if you renew your passport, or replace a lost one, you must apply again even if the old K-ETA had years left on it. Transfer passengers who unexpectedly have to collect bags at Incheon also need a K-ETA, so check how your ticket handles baggage before you choose a self-connection.

If you are aged 18 to 64, hold a passport on the temporary list and enter Korea before 31 December 2026, you can skip the K-ETA and save the fee. Apply anyway if you fly in early 2027 and do not want your plans to depend on another extension, if you travel to Korea often, or if you want to skip the arrival card. A three-year approval is cheap protection for a repeat visitor.

If you are 17 or under, or 65 or over on the day you enter, you are exempt whatever the temporary list says. Transfer passengers are exempt too. Anyone who might have to collect bags or change destination should apply, because those cases require approval.

The backup plan is simple. Apply early enough to absorb a rejection or a long queue, keep the approval email, and if you cannot get a decision before departure, move the flight rather than boarding without approval. The official guide warns that applying after boarding or while already in Korea can lead to refusal or entry restrictions.

In December 2025 the Ministry of Justice extended the temporary exemption to cover 1 January to 31 December 2026 (KST). This was an extension of an earlier exemption period. The Ministry's notice list showed no decision on 2027 as of 3 October 2026. The Ministry has also announced that the whole K-ETA system will be down from 18:00 on 8 October to 02:30 on 9 October 2026 (KST), with unsent drafts lost, so apply before then if you fly soon after. If your trip starts in January 2027 or later, check the notices page on the official site before you fly, or buy a K-ETA in advance if you want certainty.

If your trip continues elsewhere in Asia, see our China visa-free guide and our Thailand entry rules.