South Korea · Required now
K-ETAwho needs it, the official fee, how to apply
Right now, U.S., British, Canadian and Australian citizens, and citizens of 11 EU countries, don’t need a K-ETA: Korea’s temporary exemption runs until December 31, 2026, and they fill in an arrival card instead. Citizens of the other 16 EU countries need one now. It costs KRW 10,000 on k-eta.go.kr or the official app and lasts three years.
Checked against official sources Oct 29, 2026 · Sources
- Status
- Required now
- Official fee
- KRW 10,000 · plus an online payment fee of about 3%; not refundable
- Valid for
- 3 years, or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner
- Each visit
- Your visa-free stay (90 days for U.S., UK and Australian citizens; 6 months for Canadians)
- Official decision time
- Usually 72 hours or less, sometimes longer; there is no express service
- Apply at least
- 3 days before you travel (72 hours); earlier is safer
- Apply only at
- www.k-eta.go.kr · official K-ETA website or app
Who needs it
Of the passports we cover: U.S. citizens, British citizens, Canadians, Australians, EU citizens. Visa-free visitors who aren’t on the temporary exemption list. EU citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia need a K-ETA now.
Who doesn’t
Until December 31, 2026: citizens of the 22 temporarily exempt countries and regions, including the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Always: people 17 or younger or 65 or older, visa holders, transit passengers who don’t enter Korea, and some others.
How to apply
- Apply only on k-eta.go.kr or the official K-ETA app.
- Pay KRW 10,000 plus the card fee. Apply at least 72 hours before boarding.
- Travelers on the exemption list can still apply voluntarily: with a K-ETA you skip the arrival card.
Children
Travelers aged 17 or younger on the entry date are exempt, according to the K-ETA system’s FAQ (another official page says “under 17”).
If you’re only changing planes
Not needed if you don’t enter Korea. If you leave the transit area, for example to collect bags, you need one (unless your nationality is exempt).
After December 31, 2026
Korea has extended the exemption before. As of our last check, no extension beyond December 31, 2026 had been announced. If it isn’t extended, U.S., British, Canadian and Australian travelers will need a K-ETA for arrivals from January 1, 2027. We’ll update this page and our change log.
Official sources
- K-ETA application guide (Ministry of Justice) - fee ·
The K-ETA fee is 10,000 KRW (approximately USD $7~8, Online Payment Fee is Charged Separately) and is non-refundable, even if the application is denied.
· checked 2026-10-29 - 대한민국 전자여행허가제(K-ETA) 한시 면제 기간 연장 알림 (K-ETA notice, posted 2025-12-23) ·
전자여행허가제(K-ETA) 한시 면제 조치의 기간을 1년 더 연장하여 2026. 12. 31.까지 시행하기로 하였습니다.
· checked 2026-10-29 - K-ETA FAQ [Q57] K-ETA 신청 면제 대상은 누구인가요? (Korean) ·
⑨ 17세 이하 또는 65세 이상(입국일 기준)
· checked 2026-10-29 - K-ETA home page (Korean) - official channels and phishing warning ·
K-ETA 신청대행 (또는 급행) 서비스를 제공한다는 명목으로 고액의 수수료를 편취하는 유사 대행/피싱사이트에 주의하시기 바랍니다.
· checked 2026-10-29
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Get an email when these rules change
Only when an official entry rule we track changes: a new travel authorization, a fee, a start date or a passport rule. At most once a week, with the official source for every change.