Do You Need a K-ETA for Korea in 2027? What We Know So Far

Last checked: November 2, 2026

Nobody official has said yet whether the K-ETA exemption continues into 2027. The current exemption ends on December 31, 2026, Korea time. If you’re 18 to 64 and land in 2027 on a passport that is exempt now, I’d plan on getting a K-ETA, unless one of the other exemptions below covers you. If your trip is between January and March, I’d apply in early December.

The K-ETA is Korea’s online travel authorization for visitors who don’t need a visa. It costs 10,000 won and lasts three years, so one approved in December would still cover a trip in 2027 or 2028 on the same passport.

What’s official right now?

The K-ETA site posted the current rule on December 23, 2025. The Ministry of Justice extended the temporary exemption by one year, from January 1 to December 31, 2026, for the countries that were already covered. Korea’s consulate in Guam confirmed the United States is one of them.

I read the K-ETA site’s notices and the immigration service’s English news on November 1 and 2, 2026. The newest K-ETA notices cover Gmail delays and how to apply. None of them mentions 2027.

The K-ETA site posted the 2026 extension only nine days before it took effect, so I wouldn’t read much into the silence. I also wouldn’t count on another extension. The exemption is called temporary, and every notice I read has an end date. If January 1 arrives with no new notice, I’d treat the K-ETA as required again.

Is your passport on the exempt list?

VISITKOREA, the Korea Tourism Organization’s site, lists 22 countries and regions covered until the end of 2026. In the Americas, they’re the United States (including Guam) and Canada. In Asia and Oceania, they’re Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

In Europe, the list covers the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and Austria. Switzerland’s embassy in Korea adds Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens, also until December 31, 2026.

If your passport isn’t listed but you think it’s covered, the K-ETA site checks: nationals of covered countries see a “K-ETA Exempt” pop-up when they enter their passport.

The K-ETA is only for people who can enter Korea without a visa, so if your country needs a visa, you need the visa instead. People who hold a Korean visa, registered foreign residents, transit passengers, cruise passengers and APEC Business Travel Card holders are also on the site’s list of travelers who need no K-ETA.

So are diplomatic, official and UN passport holders. Travelers aged 17 or under or 65 or over on arrival day need no K-ETA under a separate rule, covered below.

Arriving before January 1, 2027: the e-Arrival Card

Exempt travelers landing in 2026 need no K-ETA, so the arrival card rule below applies. Since February 24, 2025, Korea has used the e-Arrival Card, filled in online at e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Incheon Airport lists the fee as none.

The arrival card rule: without a K-ETA, you file the e-Arrival Card unless one of its own exemptions covers you. The official FAQ lists a valid Korean residence card and a Group e-Visa among them.

The official FAQ’s example is a January 31 arrival, which can be submitted from January 29 to 31, so the window is three days counting your arrival day. Incheon Airport describes it as 72 hours before arrival, so if the two counts differ, go by the dates the site accepts.

After you submit, you need to land within 72 hours, or you file a new card. My Incheon Airport guide covers what happens after immigration.

Watch the date if you fly on New Year’s Eve. The exemption runs on Korea time, which is ahead of the Americas and Europe, so it ends while it’s still December 31 there. Midnight in Seoul is 10 a.m. on December 31 in New York.

I couldn’t find an official answer on whether your boarding or arrival date counts. If you board on December 31 and land on January 1, I’d get a K-ETA rather than find out at the gate.

Arriving in 2027: how the K-ETA works

The K-ETA site lists the fee as 10,000 won, about 7 to 8 US dollars, plus an online payment fee of usually about 3%. You don’t get it back if your application is refused. Approval usually comes within 72 hours, but it can take longer, and there’s no express service.

You need the approval before you board your plane or ship. The site warns that applying after boarding, or once you’re already in Korea, can lead to a refusal. Once approved, the K-ETA is good for multiple trips over three years, or until your passport expires if that comes first.

K-ETAs applied for before July 3, 2023 were only valid for two years, so all of those have run out. Ones applied for since then last three years, so check the date on yours.

The K-ETA is tied to your passport. The number you use at check-in and at immigration has to match the one on your approval, and any new passport means applying again.

A site notice says its emails to Gmail addresses can arrive late and asks you to use a different address. It says Outlook and Hotmail may be slow too.

A K-ETA also lets you skip the arrival card, and the current notice says exempt visitors may apply for that benefit if they pay the fee.

Should you apply now anyway?

Applying while you’re still exempt is allowed. A K-ETA approved in December 2026 would stay valid until late 2029, as long as your passport is valid that long.

I’d pick early December for a January to March arrival. You’ll know your travel dates and passport by then, and a slow approval still won’t touch a January flight. You risk the fee, which isn’t refunded if the exemption is extended.

Watch out for lookalike sites

Both the K-ETA site and the immigration service have warned about unofficial sites for these forms. The immigration service’s notice about fake e-Arrival Card sites went up in March 2026.

Kids and travelers 65 and over

Since July 3, 2023, travelers aged 17 or under and 65 or over on the day they arrive haven’t needed a K-ETA. That age rule is separate from the temporary exemption for countries. The site’s FAQ says a teenager who turns 18 by the day they arrive does need one.

For a family flying in 2027, I’d expect a K-ETA for each parent and none for the children. Without a K-ETA, they follow the same arrival card rule, though they can choose to apply for one and pay the fee.

FAQ

Will the exemption be extended again?

Nobody has said yet. The last extension was posted on December 23, 2025, and I’ll update this page when the ministry posts its decision on 2027.

If I apply now and the exemption is extended, do I get a refund?

No. The current notice says K-ETAs that have already been issued stay valid until they expire and aren’t refunded.

Do I need a K-ETA if I’m only changing planes in Korea?

The K-ETA site lists transit passengers among the travelers who need no K-ETA. Its FAQ adds that a transit passenger who enters Korea, for example to change an itinerary or collect checked bags, may need one. So the question is whether you’ll go through immigration, not only whether you’ll leave the airport.

Does the e-Arrival Card cost anything?

No. Incheon Airport lists no fee, so a site asking you to pay isn’t the official one.

If you spot an official notice before I do, please send it to me through the Contact page.

Hwaiting!

Yuna

Sources and last check

How I put this guide together: from the official K-ETA site, Korean embassy and consulate notices, the Korea Immigration Service, and Incheon Airport, plus VISITKOREA and the Swiss embassy for the country list, all checked on November 1 and 2, 2026. Which option suits your dates is my own read. Nothing here is sponsored. More on how I research every guide is on the About page.

Last checked: November 2, 2026. Entry rules can change at short notice, so please confirm on the official sites before you travel. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with the Korean government.

Sources:

• K-ETA: Notice on extending the temporary exemption (December 2025)
• VISITKOREA: Visa and travel requirements, with the exempt list
• Embassy of Switzerland in Korea: K-ETA exemption for Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens
• Consulate General in Hagatna: K-ETA temporary exemption (December 2025)
• Embassy in the Netherlands: K-ETA temporary exemption (January 2026)
• K-ETA: Application guide (in Korean)
• K-ETA: Apply
• K-ETA: FAQ (in Korean)
• K-ETA: Age exemption and three-year validity (June 2023)
• K-ETA: Fee information
• K-ETA: Notice on delayed emails
• Embassy in Denmark: e-Arrival Card introduction (February 2025)
• e-Arrival Card: FAQ
• Incheon Airport: Immigration and arrival card
• Korea Immigration Service (English)

Cover image: Inside the terminal at Incheon International Airport. Photo: Choikwangmo25, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons