How to submit the South Korea e-Arrival Card

Step by step

Official sources do not publish a field-by-field guide, so read each screen on the official site carefully as you go.

1. 1Check whether you need to submit. The official site has an "e-Arrival card navigator" for this. Holders of a valid K-ETA and registered residents of Korea do not need to submit.
2. 2Open www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr and complete the entry declaration online.
3. 3Submit it within the 3 days (72 hours) before you arrive in Korea, counted in Korea Standard Time (KST).
4. 4On arrival, show your passport at immigration. Foreign nationals aged 17 or older also give fingerprints and facial recognition data.

When to submit

You can submit up to 3 days (72 hours) before you arrive in Korea, counted in Korea Standard Time (KST). If you do not arrive within 72 hours of submitting, your e-Arrival Card is no longer valid and you need to submit a new one.

Paper arrival cards: official sources differ. Korean embassy and consulate notices said paper and electronic cards would both be accepted during a transition period until December 2025. UK FCDO says paper entry declaration forms will still be available. Check the official site before you travel.

Cost

The e-Arrival Card is free. UK FCDO says "There is no fee to submit the e-Arrival card", and Incheon Airport lists the fee as none. Korea's Ministry of Justice warns that look-alike sites charge fees, while the official site does not.

Do not confuse it with K-ETA. K-ETA is a separate electronic travel authorization with a non-refundable application fee.

Who doesn't need it

• Korean nationals.
• Registered residents of Korea, including Permanent Resident Card and Overseas Korean Resident Card holders, and people who have reported domestic residence.
• Holders of a valid K-ETA approval. K-ETA is a separate electronic travel authorization for visa-free visitors, applied for only at k-eta.go.kr. It has a non-refundable fee, and official notices from Korean embassies advise applying at least 72 hours before you board.
• Nationals of countries with a temporary K-ETA exemption (extended to 31 December 2026, for example the USA, Belgium and the UK) who do not hold a K-ETA must submit an arrival card. They may still apply for a K-ETA voluntarily, and pay the fee, to skip the arrival card. Existing K-ETA holders can use theirs until it expires.
• Group tourists on C-3-2 visas: Chinese, Vietnamese, Philippine and Indonesian group tourist e-visa holders, and Indian and Cambodian group tourist visa holders whose visas were issued by Korean missions.
• Visa-free transfer passengers (B-2, 15D): Chinese group tourists transferring through Jeju, Chinese group tourists with a Japanese group visa, and Chinese student field trip groups.
• Airline crew members, among others.
• All other foreign nationals entering Korea must submit an arrival card.

Fake websites: how to spot them

The only official e-Arrival Card site is www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. In March 2025, Korea's Ministry of Justice warned: "Fraudulent websites using names similar to Korea's official e-Arrival Card website have been detected." Some of them charge fees. The official service is free.

• Make sure the address includes "go.kr", as the Ministry of Justice advises. The official address is www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr.
• Look for the Korean government emblem on the site.
• Do not click suspicious links.
• If a site asks you to pay for the e-Arrival Card, it is not the official site.
• For K-ETA, UK FCDO says: "Other sites offering K-ETA application services are generally scams." Apply only at k-eta.go.kr.

Common mistakes

• Submitting too early. The window opens 3 days (72 hours) before arrival, and the card is no longer valid if you do not arrive within 72 hours.
• Using a look-alike site that charges a fee.
• Submitting when you do not need to, for example with a valid K-ETA or as a registered resident. Use the "e-Arrival card navigator" to check.
• Confusing the free e-Arrival Card with K-ETA, a separate, paid travel authorization.