Korea entry requirements 2026: K-ETA, the e-Arrival Card, and what you actually need

Two similar-sounding forms cause more pre-flight panic than everything else about a Korea trip combined. One of them — the K-ETA — is currently switched OFF for most visitors. The other — the e-Arrival Card — is switched ON for almost everybody, and it is the one people forget. Here is the whole picture for 2026, kept simple.

The 60-second answer

• US, UK, Canadian, Australian, EU, Japanese, Singaporean and 15 other passports (list below): no visa, no K-ETA needed until 31 December 2026 — but the e-Arrival Card IS required before you fly.
• Philippine, Indian, Pakistani and most other passports: Korea is not visa-free for you — apply for a tourist visa first (see below), and the e-Arrival Card still applies before your flight.
• Everyone: a passport valid for your whole stay, and the address of your first night in Korea ready to type into the form.

K-ETA: what it is, and why you probably skip it in 2026

The K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) is Korea's version of the US ESTA: an online permission that travellers from visa-free countries normally apply for, and pay for, before flying. Since 2023, Korea has temporarily exempted 22 countries and regions from it to encourage tourism — and the exemption now runs until 31 December 2026.

• The exempt 22: 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.
• If your passport is on the list: just show up with your passport — you can stay up to 90 days for tourism. Do not pay for a K-ETA “out of habit”; the fee buys you nothing this year.
• Age rule worth knowing: travellers aged 17 and under, or 65 and over, never need a K-ETA, whatever their passport.
• Planning a 2027 trip? The K-ETA returns on 1 January 2027 for all visa-free travellers. If your trip is next year, this is the date to remember — we will update this page when the rules switch.

The e-Arrival Card: the one form everybody needs

The e-Arrival Card is the digital replacement for the little paper arrival card you used to fill in on the plane. It is free, takes a few minutes, and it is the form most visitors now get wrong — mostly by not knowing it exists.

• Where: only on the official site, e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Type the address yourself — copycat sites charge fees for a form that costs nothing.
• When: within 3 days (72 hours) before you arrive — not earlier, the window will not accept it, and not at the airport on arrival-day Wi-Fi if you can avoid it.
• What you need: your passport details, your flight number, and the address of where you are staying in Korea — have your first hotel booking open beside you.
• Who: every visitor, one card per person, children included. The only travellers who skip it are those holding a valid approved K-ETA (their details are already on file), long-term residents, and transit passengers who are not entering Korea.
• After you submit: your details are linked to your passport, so there is nothing vital to print — but screenshot the confirmation and keep it on your phone, just in case.

Coming from the Philippines, India or Pakistan?

Then Korea is not visa-free for you, and this is the step to plan around: apply for a tourist (C-3) visa at the Korean embassy or consulate in your country, and give it weeks, not days. Do not book anything non-refundable until the visa is in your passport. Once it is approved, everything above about the e-Arrival Card applies to you too — fill it in within 3 days before you fly, exactly the same way.

At the airport, and the mistakes that cost money

• Your airline may ask for proof of onward travel at check-in — a return or onward booking on your phone is enough.
• Paying a stranger for the e-Arrival Card. It is free, and the official address is e-arrivalcard.go.kr — if a site asks for card payment for this form, close it.
• Applying for a K-ETA while exempt. The application fee is small, but it buys nothing in 2026 for the 22 exempt passports.
• Filling in the arrival card too early. More than 3 days before arrival is outside the window — set a reminder for the day before you fly instead.
• Forgetting the children. Every traveller needs their own card, toddlers included.

That is genuinely all of it for most visitors in 2026: no K-ETA, one free e-Arrival Card, passport, hotel address. Once you land, the trip itself is the easy part — our guide to your first time in Korea covers the 21 things to know next, and the ride from the airport is explained in Incheon Airport to Seoul.

Based on the Korea Immigration Service and the official portals k-eta.go.kr and e-arrivalcard.go.kr, October 2026. The exemption list is set by official notice and can change — always check your own nationality on the official sites in the week you travel.