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Getting into Korea: K-ETA exemption until end of 2026, the e-Arrival card and customs basics

For Japan and Taiwan passports the K-ETA is waived until 31 December 2026. Visa-free stay, the online arrival card, the duty-free limits and what you must declare, as far as the official sites confirm.

Facts checked Oct 31, 2026 · 4 min read

Before you fly in for a festival or a concert, here is the entry paperwork in one place. Everything below was read on official sites. Rules change, so check the official pages again before you leave (checked 31 October 2026). This is not legal advice.

K-ETA: currently waived for Japan and Taiwan

The K-ETA is an online travel permit for people who enter Korea without a visa. Japan and Taiwan are on the list of places whose nationals are temporarily exempt.

  • Korea's embassy notices say the exemption runs from 1 January to 31 December 2026 (Korea time) and covers 22 countries and regions, including Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, the US, Canada and the UK.
  • You can also check on the K-ETA site: choose your nationality and scan your passport, and an "exempt from K-ETA" pop-up appears for exempt nationals.
  • We found no announcement about what happens from 1 January 2027. If you travel in the new year, read the notices on the K-ETA site before you book. Once the exemption ends, applying may be required again.
  • Exempt travellers may still apply. A K-ETA lets you skip the arrival card (below) but costs a fee: KRW 10,000 on the K-ETA site, with review usually taking up to 72 hours.
  • Apply only on the official site (k-eta.go.kr) or its app. The site warns about fake sites that charge high fees for "express" service.

How long you can stay without a visa

Taiwan's mission in Korea says Taiwan passport holders may enter Korea without a visa for 90 days. For Japan, the Japanese foreign ministry says stays of up to 90 days for tourism and similar purposes need no visa. If you are coming to work or stay longer, check the visa rules with a Korean embassy first.

The e-Arrival card

Since 24 February 2025 Korea has had an online arrival card for foreign visitors.

  • Fill it in on e-arrivalcard.go.kr, within 3 days before arrival. There is no fee.
  • Holders of a valid K-ETA do not need to file one. If you travel on the exemption and have no K-ETA, you do. The site's navigator asks what you hold (visa, K-ETA, residence card) and tells you whether you must file.
  • Korea's foreign ministry says travellers may choose a paper or an electronic form, and Taiwan's mission says the same. Paper arrangements can change, so the online form is the safer plan.
  • Once the online submission has gone through, you do not need to print it (a screenshot or PDF is handy).

Customs

A customs declaration form is needed only if you have something to declare (since 1 May 2023).

  • Duty-free limits per traveller: USD 800 in total purchases. Within that, alcohol up to USD 400, 2 bottles and 2 litres, 200 cigarettes and 100 ml of perfume (Korea Tourism Organization). Travellers aged 19 and under cannot use the alcohol and cigarette allowance. An older figure still appears on one English page of the Korea Customs Service, so check the official site before a big shopping trip.
  • Korea Customs lists things to declare: cash or other payment means above USD 10,000, narcotics and medicines open to misuse, animal and plant products such as meat, fruit and vegetables, and counterfeit goods. If you carry prescription medicine, read the official guidance before you go.
  • When you do have to declare, you can do it online with the "Korea Customs Declaration for Travelers" app.

For people coming to a show or festival

  • All of the above assumes a short trip as a tourist, which includes going to concerts and festivals. If you are performing, working as crew or coming for business, ask the embassy whether visa-free entry applies to you.
  • Because of the end date of the K-ETA exemption (31 December 2026), what you need can depend on your arrival date. Planning a New Year's show? Check the rules for the day you land.
  • For buying tickets and what to do without a Korean phone number, see Buying concert tickets in Korea. For getting to the venue, see Getting to events in Korea.

On now and coming up

Sources

Tours, passes and tickets in Korea on Klook →Hotels in Seoul on Trip.com →Affiliate link

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