K-ETA is an electronic travel authorization that visa-free foreign visitors need to obtain before entering the Republic of Korea, by submitting relevant information online such as their travel information.
Purpose of travel should be tourism, visiting a family member, participating in events or meetings, or commercial business (excluding pursuit of profit).
Starting 1st September 2021, K-ETA is Mandatory for all foreigners entering Korea from visa waiver countries and visa-free countries. (Ireland included) All foreigners without either a K-ETA or a valid Visa will not be permitted to board a plane to Korea. (You do not need a K-ETA if you have a valid visa)
List of Available Countries from November 1st 2022 : 112 countries (Ireland is included)
□ 50 Eligible Countries(Regions) for K-ETA
Albania, Andorra, Barbados, Dominica, Guam, Guyana, Holy See, Ireland,
Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Saint Kitts-Nevis,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Slovenia, United Kingdom,
United States of America, Venezuela, Greece, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany,
Latvia, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Sweden,
Spain, Slovakia, Estonia, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Poland, France, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Singapore
□ 46 Countries(Regions) added as of April 1, 2022
Malaysia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Israel, Kazakhstan, Qatar,
Thailand, Turkey, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Brazil, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, El Salvador, Uruguay, Jamaica, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Argentina, Honduras, Paraguay, Ecuador, Russia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Tuvalu, Australia, Republic of South Africa, Lesotho, Morocco, Mauritius, Botswana, Seychelles, Eswatini, Tunisia
□ 6 Countries(Regions) added as of May 1, 2022
Brunei Darussalam, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Panama, Peru, New Zealand,
□ 1 Country(Region) added as of June 1, 2022
Grenada
□ 1 Country(Region) added as of July 1, 2022
Hong Kong
□ 3 Countries(Regions) temporarily added from August 4 to October 31, 2022
Japan, Taiwan, Macau
□ 8 Countries(Regions) added as of November 1, 2022
Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Micronesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga
Exceptions for K-ETA
Only UN passport holder, ABTC holder, USFK service member, aircraft and ship crew member, transfer passenger, Jeju Island travellers using a direct flight to Jeju Island are not required to apply for K-ETA.
Ages 17 years old and under, and 65 years old and above, will be exempted from July 3 2023.
K-ETA will temporarily be exempted for 22 countries from 2023.4.1 to 2023.12.31.
How to apply
– You can apply for your K-ETA at the official K-ETA website www.k-eta.go.kr (PC and mobile app)
– You must apply for K-ETA at least 72 hours before boarding your flight or ship bound to the Republic of Korea.
(Due to the increased number of K-ETA applicants, the process is currently taking more than 72 hours)
* Your application may be filled out by proxy.
* You can apply for up to 30 people at once.
Items to prepare
– valid passport, credit card(for fee payment), email address, recent profile photo
Period of validity
– The period of validity is 2 years from the date of authorization.
(Validity period will be expanded to 3 years from K-ETA applied from July 3, 2023)
Fees
– The fee is 10,000 KRW (approximately $9-10, Additional fee excluded).
Information and Inquiry
– K-ETA is NOT a visa. K-ETA approval does not guarantee admission of the Republic of Korea; a Korea Immigration Service officer at the port of entry will have the final determiniation. -Since K-ETA center is not in charge of Quarantine, please contact the department in charge for detailed information on the quarantine requirements.
—-IMPORTANT ALERT!—-
Non-official Websites for K-ETA Application
– Recently, non-official K-ETA application websites were found to be charging more than the official fee. One website’s price for the K-ETA application was even 20 times more than the official fee.
– K-ETA can only be applied from the K-ETA official website(www.k-eta.go.kr) and mobile app(K-ETA). The Government of the Republic of Korea has not designated any application agencies for K-ETA.
– The K-ETA fee is 10,000KRW (approx 9euros. additional fee excluded) and does not charge any extra fees.
– If you have any questions on the K-ETA application procedure, pelase visit the K-ETA official website (www.k-eta.go.kr) – Notice – Questions (available in English, Russian, and Thai).
– Please be extra cautious to avoid any financial damages or frauds due to non-official application agencies.