South Korea entry requirements, by passport
South Korea visa requirements at a glance: 110 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter South Korea without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 88 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for South Korea for your nationality.
What we've verified for South Korea
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 10 August 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Authorisation fee: 10,000 KRW
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (3)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: k-eta.go.kr (official "Notice on Extension of K-ETA Temporary Exemption" of 23 December 2025: exemption extended from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026) and atlanta.mofa.go.kr (Consulate General in Atlanta, same notice, 29 December 2025: optional application with the fee to skip the arrival card); overseas.mofa.go.kr/sg-en (Embassy in Singapore: list of the 22 exempt countries and regions); customs.go.kr (Korea Customs Service passenger clearance guide: alcohol, tobacco and nicotine liquid allowances, minimum age and the USD 10,000 threshold) (checked 29 September 2026).
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2 November 2026. Published: 10 August 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Albania | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Andorra | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Argentina | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bahamas | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Bahrain | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Barbados | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Belgium | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Botswana | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Brazil | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Brunei | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Chile | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Croatia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cyprus | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Denmark | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Dominica | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Dominican Republic | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Ecuador | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| El Salvador | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Estonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Eswatini | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Fiji | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Finland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| France | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Greece | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Grenada | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Guatemala | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Guyana | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Haiti | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Honduras | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Hong Kong | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Iceland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ireland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Jamaica | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Kazakhstan | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Kiribati | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Kuwait | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Latvia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Lesotho | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Liechtenstein | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Lithuania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Luxembourg | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Macao | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Malta | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Marshall Islands | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Mauritius | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Mexico | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Micronesia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Monaco | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Montenegro | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Morocco | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Nauru | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Norway | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Oman | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Palau | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Panama | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Paraguay | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Peru | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Poland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Portugal | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Qatar | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Romania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Russia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Saint Lucia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Samoa | Visa-free | 30 days |
| San Marino | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Serbia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Seychelles | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovakia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovenia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Solomon Islands | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| South Africa | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Spain | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Suriname | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Sweden | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Taiwan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Thailand | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Tonga | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Tunisia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Turkey | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa-free | 30 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Vatican | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Venezuela | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | e-Visa | — |
| Algeria | e-Visa | — |
| Angola | e-Visa | — |
| Armenia | e-Visa | — |
| Azerbaijan | e-Visa | — |
| Bangladesh | e-Visa | — |
| Belarus | e-Visa | — |
| Belize | e-Visa | — |
| Benin | e-Visa | — |
| Bhutan | e-Visa | — |
| Bolivia | e-Visa | — |
| Burkina Faso | e-Visa | — |
| Burundi | e-Visa | — |
| Cambodia | e-Visa | — |
| Cameroon | e-Visa | — |
| Cape Verde | e-Visa | — |
| Central African Republic | e-Visa | — |
| Chad | e-Visa | — |
| China | e-Visa | — |
| Comoros | e-Visa | — |
| Cuba | e-Visa | — |
| Djibouti | e-Visa | — |
| DR Congo | e-Visa | — |
| Egypt | e-Visa | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Eritrea | e-Visa | — |
| Ethiopia | e-Visa | — |
| Gabon | e-Visa | — |
| Gambia | e-Visa | — |
| Georgia | e-Visa | — |
| Ghana | e-Visa | — |
| Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | e-Visa | — |
| India | e-Visa | — |
| Indonesia | e-Visa | — |
| Iran | e-Visa | — |
| Iraq | e-Visa | — |
| Ivory Coast | e-Visa | — |
| Jordan | e-Visa | — |
| Kenya | e-Visa | — |
| Kosovo | e-Visa | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | e-Visa | — |
| Laos | e-Visa | — |
| Lebanon | e-Visa | — |
| Liberia | e-Visa | — |
| Libya | e-Visa | — |
| Madagascar | e-Visa | — |
| Malawi | e-Visa | — |
| Maldives | e-Visa | — |
| Mali | e-Visa | — |
| Mauritania | e-Visa | — |
| Moldova | e-Visa | — |
| Mongolia | e-Visa | — |
| Mozambique | e-Visa | — |
| Myanmar | e-Visa | — |
| Namibia | e-Visa | — |
| Nepal | e-Visa | — |
| Niger | e-Visa | — |
| Nigeria | e-Visa | — |
| North Korea | e-Visa | — |
| North Macedonia | e-Visa | — |
| Pakistan | e-Visa | — |
| Palestine | e-Visa | — |
| Papua New Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Philippines | e-Visa | — |
| Republic of the Congo | e-Visa | — |
| Rwanda | e-Visa | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | e-Visa | — |
| Senegal | e-Visa | — |
| Sierra Leone | e-Visa | — |
| Somalia | e-Visa | — |
| South Sudan | e-Visa | — |
| Sri Lanka | e-Visa | — |
| Sudan | e-Visa | — |
| Syria | e-Visa | — |
| Tajikistan | e-Visa | — |
| Tanzania | e-Visa | — |
| Timor-Leste | e-Visa | — |
| Togo | e-Visa | — |
| Turkmenistan | e-Visa | — |
| Uganda | e-Visa | — |
| Ukraine | e-Visa | — |
| Uzbekistan | e-Visa | — |
| Vanuatu | e-Visa | — |
| Vietnam | e-Visa | — |
| Yemen | e-Visa | — |
| Zambia | e-Visa | — |
| Zimbabwe | e-Visa | — |
South Korea rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Vaccinations
- No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Declare cash and other means of payment exceeding USD 10,000.
- Alcohol
- Up to 2 litres of alcoholic beverages in total, worth no more than USD 400, duty-free. Travellers under 19 (counted by year of birth) do not get this allowance.
- Tobacco
- 200 cigarettes and 20 ml of e-cigarette liquid (under 1% nicotine), duty-free. Travellers under 19 (counted by year of birth) do not get this allowance.
Overstay penalties
Overstaying leaves you in illegal-stay status, which brings a fine or deportation. There is a way out worth knowing about: South Korea periodically runs special voluntary departure programmes under which anyone who leaves the country of their own accord within the set window is exempted from the fine and has entry restrictions suspended. Outside those programmes, having been deported or having paid a large penalty within the previous three years restricts future entry. The specific overstay fine is not given here: the figures that can be found rest on articles of the Immigration Act penalising unauthorised work, which is a different matter.
Grounds for refusal
Apply to: Visa-free, Electronic authorisation (ETA)
- Having given false or inaccurate information in the K-ETA application: the official portal warns that the authorisation is refused or cancelled, and that penalties or entry restrictions may follow under Korean law.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
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Do you need a different visa for Seoul, Busan, or Jeju?
No. South Korea sets the requirements, so entering through Seoul asks for the same as entering through Busan or Jeju. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to South Korea
South Korea is compact, with fast trains linking almost everything in a few hours. Seoul mixes Joseon-dynasty palaces, markets and neighbourhoods of design and technology. Gyeongju, "the museum without walls", was the capital of the Silla kingdom and gathers three World Heritage sites: the Bulguksa temple, the Seokguram grotto and its royal tombs. Busan, on the south coast, is beaches, a fish market and street art. The volcanic island of Jeju (lava tubes, the Seongsan cone, Mount Halla) is a natural World Heritage site and a separate trip. Korea has 16 UNESCO World Heritage sites. A week covers Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan. The cherry-blossom spring (April) and the autumn colour (October-November) are the best seasons; summer brings monsoon rains and winter is cold and dry.
Sources for this section: english.visitkorea.or.kr (Korea Tourism Organization, KTO); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 16 sites in South Korea); UK FCDO travel advice for South Korea. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in South Korea
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can South Korea passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.