A large number of countries are temporarily exempt from the K-ETA requirement until 31 December 2026. If your passport is on that list, you do not need to apply, and applying gives you no advantage at the border.
Check first, pay second
The exemption list is published on the official portal and it changes. ⚠️ Reports have described the exemption as covering anywhere from 22 to 67 countries and territories, and those figures do not agree — so do not rely on a number you read in an article. Check the list itself for your passport.
If you are exempt and apply anyway
- You pay KRW 10,000 for something you did not need
- There is no refund
- You get no priority and no faster processing at the border
What still applies while you are exempt
- The permitted stay from your country's visa-waiver arrangement
- The quarantine declaration and its penalties
- The customs allowance
- Immigration's assessment on arrival
In other words, exemption removes one step before you fly. It does not change anything about what happens when you land.
After the exemption ends
The exemption currently runs to 31 December 2026. If it is not extended, travellers from those countries will need a K-ETA again. Check the official portal close to your travel date rather than relying on what was true when you last visited.
Source: K-ETA official portal
⚠️ The most common way to lose money on a K-ETA is not the fee — it is paying a third-party site to submit an application you did not need in the first place.
More about K-ETA
After you land
K-ETA gets you on the plane. What comes after — arrival card, e-gates, cash, tax refunds, transport, healthcare, emergencies — checked with official sources.
Arrival card and e-gates
Without a K-ETA you file an arrival card (online from 3 days before). Since 16 March 2026, visitors aged 17+ from 42 countries can register for e-gates.
Transit
Whether a K-ETA applies to a transit depends on whether you pass immigration. Staying airside and entering the country are treated differently.
After the exemption
Many nationalities are temporarily exempt from the K-ETA until 31 December 2026. What that means for trips planned around that date.
If denied
A denial does not automatically mean you cannot travel, but it does mean the online route is closed. What the next step actually is.
Which one do I need?
Similar names, very different rules. Which scheme applies to which destination, what each costs, and the mistakes that come from mixing them up.