Electronic Travel Authorization to South Korea Coming Soon

The South Korean government will soon deploy an electronic travel authorization system for travellers from visa waiver countries.

It was at a meeting on the country’s foreign policy on 12 February, chaired by South Korea’s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon himself, that the Prime Minister stated that South Korea would gradually introduce an electronic travel authorization system to strengthen border control management.

As is already the practice in some countries such as the United States and Canada, South Korea plans to digitally collect personal data of travellers wishing to enter the country as well as information about their stay. Once the application has been approved by the Korean authorities, the visitor will receive an entry permit by e-mail to present to the country’s immigration office upon arrival in Korea.

At present, travellers who are nationals of one of the European Union countries (except Cyprus[30 days without visa] and Portugal[60 days without visa]) can stay in South Korea (tourism, non-profit travel) without a visa for a maximum of 90 days on presentation of a valid passport, at least six months after the date of return from the country. No additional steps are required at this time.

Please visit us in the coming months to find out how to obtain this electronic travel authorization.