Do You Need a K-ETA for Korea in 2027? The Waiver Ends 31 December — Here's What to Do
Seoul · Entry rules · Checked October 2026
You booked January flights to Seoul months ago. Somewhere between the hotel confirmation and the restaurant list, a friend mentioned that “the K-ETA thing changes at the end of the year” — and now you are not sure whether you need to apply for something, when, or where.
📅 The waiver for 22 countries ends 31 Dec 2026 · 🛂 K-ETA ₩10,000, valid 3 years · 📝 No K-ETA → file the e-Arrival Card
Short answer If your passport is from one of the 22 countries on Korea’s temporary waiver (the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and much of Western Europe), you need nothing but the free e-Arrival Card for entries up to 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, unless Korea announces another extension, you will need an approved K-ETA. As of October 2026 no extension has been announced. The simplest move for a trip in early 2027: apply for a K-ETA now on k-eta.go.kr — ₩10,000, valid three years, and it also exempts you from the e-Arrival Card.
We get this question at the counter almost every week now — from travellers already in Seoul planning a return trip, and from families booking New Year visits. Here is the whole picture in one place.
01Which group are you in?
Three kinds of passport, three different answers
Korea’s entry rules for short visits sort travellers into three groups. Find yours first; everything else follows from it.
| Your passport | Entering in 2026 | Entering from 1 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Group A — one of the 22 waiver countries (list below) | No K-ETA needed. File the free e-Arrival Card (or hold a K-ETA and skip it) | K-ETA required unless an extension is announced |
| Group B — visa-free, but not on the waiver list (for example Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland) | K-ETA required | K-ETA required — nothing changes |
| Group C — visa required (for example mainland China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, India) | Apply for a visa; K-ETA does not apply | Apply for a visa — nothing changes |
The 22 waiver countries and regions (1 January – 31 December 2026): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States (including Guam).
Age overrides nationality for K-ETA. Travellers aged 17 or under and 65 or over do not need a K-ETA at all, whichever group their passport falls into (Group C still needs a visa). They do, however, need the e-Arrival Card — more on that below.
Group C, one extra note: Korea has waived the visa issuance fee for group tourists from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Cambodia through 31 December 2026. That is a fee waiver, not visa-free entry — a visa is still required.
Not sure which group you are in? The official K-ETA site lets you enter your nationality and tells you whether you are exempt, eligible or need a visa. That check takes thirty seconds and beats any blog list, including this one.
02What actually changes on 1 January 2027
The deadline is real until someone says otherwise
The waiver for Group A was introduced as a temporary tourism measure and has been extended more than once. That history makes it tempting to assume it will be extended again. Two reasons not to plan on that:
- The last extension was confirmed late. The decision to carry the waiver through 2026 was announced in December 2025, only weeks before the previous deadline. If the same thing happens this year, you may not know until your bags are half packed.
- Airlines check at boarding. Your travel authorisation is checked when you check in, not when you land. “I’ll sort it out at immigration” is not an option.
So the working rule is simple: if you land in Korea on or after 1 January 2027, treat K-ETA as required until an extension is officially announced on k-eta.go.kr or by the Korea Immigration Service.
📌 Landing on or after 1 Jan 2027 · 🛂 Assume K-ETA is required · ⏱️ Apply 72+ hours before departure
03The ₩10,000 hedge
Why many Group A travellers should just apply now
Here is the part most guides skip: you are allowed to apply for a K-ETA even while your country is exempt. For anyone with a trip in early 2027, that turns an uncertain deadline into a non-issue.
- It costs ₩10,000, paid by credit card.
- It is valid for three years, for multiple trips — though never beyond your passport’s expiry date.
- It replaces the e-Arrival Card. K-ETA holders do not file the arrival declaration, so you do the paperwork once instead of before every trip.
- It protects you either way. If the waiver is extended, you lose ₩10,000. If it is not, you are the one traveller in the check-in queue who does not have a problem.
Apply only on the official channels: the website k-eta.go.kr or the official K-ETA app. Search results are full of look-alike “Korea ETA” agency sites that charge several times the official fee for the same form and sometimes take days longer. If the price is not ₩10,000, you are on the wrong site.
04How to apply
The K-ETA application, step by step
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Have your passport and a photo ready
You will upload your passport’s photo page and a recent face photo. The passport must be the one you will travel on — a renewed passport needs a new K-ETA.
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Enter your trip details
Purpose of visit, expected dates, and your first accommodation address in Korea. Copy it from your booking confirmation; the Korean road-name address is best.
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Pay ₩10,000 by card
Credit card only. Keep the confirmation email.
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Wait for approval — and give it 72 hours
Many approvals come back quickly, but the official advice is to apply at least 72 hours before departure. Do not leave it to the night before a holiday flight.
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Check the status before you fly
Approval is linked to your passport electronically; you do not need to print anything, but a screenshot of the approval is handy at check-in.
Applying for the whole family? Each traveller who needs a K-ETA needs their own application. Children 17 and under and adults 65 and over skip it — but see the next section.
05The e-Arrival Card
The form that catches people who skipped the K-ETA
Korea’s paper arrival card has been replaced by an online one. If you enter without a K-ETA, you need it.
Who must file it: foreign visitors entering without a K-ETA — Group A travellers relying on the waiver, children aged 17 or under, adults aged 65 or over, and anyone else exempt from K-ETA.
Who skips it: K-ETA holders and registered foreign residents of Korea.
Where: e-arrivalcard.go.kr — free. Any site charging a fee is not the official one.
When: up to 72 hours before arrival, counted in Korea Standard Time.
What you need: your passport, flight details, arrival and departure dates, purpose of visit, contact details, and the address of your first accommodation.
Groups: one person can submit for a whole group in a single session, which is the sane way to do it for a family.
📝 Free · ⏱️ Within 72 h of arrival (KST) · 👨👩👧 One person can file for the whole group
06A real family, worked through
Parents, kids and a grandparent on the same flight
This is the case we see most, and it is where the rules surprise people. Imagine a family from the United States landing at Incheon on 3 January 2027, with no extension announced:
- Two parents, aged 44 and 46 → need a K-ETA each. Once they hold it, they do not file the e-Arrival Card.
- Two children, aged 6 and 9 → exempt from K-ETA by age, so each child needs an e-Arrival Card.
- Grandmother, aged 71 → exempt from K-ETA by age, so she also needs an e-Arrival Card.
So the family does two K-ETA applications in December and three e-Arrival Cards in the 72 hours before landing — and the people who looked “exempt” are exactly the ones who still have a form to file. For more on travelling with a small child, see what to check before flying to Korea with a baby.
07Your checklist
Eight things to do before a January 2027 trip
- Check your nationality on k-eta.go.kr: waiver, K-ETA or visa.
- Check every traveller’s age on the date of entry — 17-and-under and 65-and-over skip K-ETA.
- If you land on or after 1 January 2027 and are in Group A, apply for a K-ETA unless an extension has been announced.
- Apply at least 72 hours before departure, only on the official site or app.
- Get the full Korean road-name address of your first accommodation, especially for a short-term rental.
- File e-Arrival Cards for anyone entering without a K-ETA, within 72 hours of arrival.
- Check your passport validity — a K-ETA cannot outlive the passport it is linked to.
- Plan the first hours after landing — transport, luggage and anything you would rather rent than carry (below).
08After immigration
The part that is easier than the paperwork
Once you are through, the rest of the arrival is about getting from Incheon to your bed with as little hauling as possible.
- Arriving before check-in? Leave your bags at our counter connected to Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3 and use the morning — see your first five hours in Seoul.
- Packing a stroller, car seat or hair dryer “just in case”? Rent them in Seoul instead — the KPLANZ rental catalogue has strollers, car seats, wheelchairs and Dyson hair tools from a two-night, three-day minimum.
🧳 Luggage storage at Exit 3 · ✈️ Airport transfers from ₩95,000 · 🍼 Baby & senior gear for rent
Checked October 2026. Entry rules change, sometimes at short notice. Always confirm on k-eta.go.kr, e-arrivalcard.go.kr and with your airline before you fly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a K-ETA to visit South Korea in 2027?
If your passport is from one of the 22 waiver countries, the waiver currently ends on 31 December 2026. Unless Korea announces another extension, you will need a K-ETA for entries from 1 January 2027. Travellers aged 17 or under or 65 or over are exempt regardless of nationality. As of October 2026 no extension has been announced.
Which 22 countries are exempt from K-ETA until 31 December 2026?
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States (including Guam).
Can I apply for a K-ETA even if my country is currently exempt?
Yes. It costs ₩10,000, is valid for three years for multiple trips, and K-ETA holders skip the e-Arrival Card. For a trip in early 2027, applying now removes the risk entirely.
How far in advance should I apply?
At least 72 hours before departure, and only on k-eta.go.kr or the official app. Look-alike agency sites charge far more than the official ₩10,000.
What is the e-Arrival Card and who submits it?
Korea’s free online arrival declaration at e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Anyone entering without a K-ETA submits it — including waiver-country travellers, children 17 and under and adults 65 and over — up to 72 hours before arrival. K-ETA holders do not.
My kids and parents are exempt from K-ETA by age. Do they need anything?
Yes — their own e-Arrival Card each. Age exemption removes the K-ETA, not the arrival declaration.
What address do I put on the forms?
Your first accommodation in Korea, copied from the booking confirmation, ideally with the Korean road-name address.
My flight leaves on 31 December and lands on 1 January. Do I need a K-ETA?
Treat it as required. The waiver covers entries up to 31 December 2026, and airlines check authorisation at boarding.
Related reading
- Traveling to Korea with a baby: what to check before you fly
- Landed at 10 AM, check-in at 3 PM: your first five hours in Seoul
- Christmas and New Year’s week in Seoul
The paperwork is the least interesting part of a trip to Seoul. Do it once, do it early, and spend the first morning somewhere better than a check-in queue.
Pack Less, Care More.