Flag of South Korea
Destination · data reviewed 2026-10

South Korea Visa Requirements by Passport (2026)

118 of 207 passports can enter South Korea without arranging a visa in advance: 71 visa-free and 47 with an electronic travel authorization. 88 need a visa before travel.

  • Visa-free 71
  • ETA 47
  • Visa 88
  • Special 1
Check your passportPrice an award flightFind routes

No visa in advance

118 of 207

Visa-free, ETA or on arrival

Visa-free

71

E-visa online

0

Visa required

88

How to enter South Korea

What to apply for, what it costs and where to apply.

Visa-exempt visitors need a K-ETA before boarding, except nationals of 22 countries and regions (including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and much of Western Europe) who are exempt until 31 Dec 2026. Anyone without an approved K-ETA must file the free e-Arrival Card.

Travel authorizationK-ETA

Visa-exempt nationals not on the temporary exemption list (e.g. Brazil, Mexico, UAE, South Africa)

Fee
KRW 10,000
Stay
Each country's visa-free period
Valid for
3 years
Processing
Usually within 72 hours
Official site: k-eta.go.kr
Arrival carde-Arrival Card

Foreign visitors without an approved K-ETA (including K-ETA-exempt nationals)

Fee
Free
Processing
Online within 3 days before arrival
Official site: e-arrivalcard.go.kr

Passport validity

Valid for the whole stay

Official entry rules

k-eta.go.kr

Recent and upcoming changes

  1. K-ETA exemption due to end

    No further extension had been announced as of 31 Oct 2026, so exempt nationals may need a K-ETA from 1 Jan 2027. Source

  2. K-ETA exemption extended through 2026

    The temporary K-ETA exemption for 22 countries and regions was extended to 31 Dec 2026. Source

Checked against 4 sources on Oct 31, 2026. Rules for South Korea can change quickly: confirm on the official site before you book.

Passports that can visit South Korea visa-free

71 passports. No visa or online approval needed. Show your passport at immigration.

Anguilla30 daysAustralia90 daysAustria90 daysBahrain90 daysBelgium90 daysBermuda30 daysBritish National (Overseas)30 daysBritish Virgin Islands30 daysBrunei90 daysBulgaria90 daysCanada180 daysCayman Islands30 daysChile90 daysColombia90 daysCroatia90 daysCyprus90 daysCzechia90 daysDenmark90 daysEstonia90 daysFiji90 daysFinland90 daysFrance90 daysGermany90 daysGreece90 daysHong Kong90 daysHungary90 daysIceland90 daysIreland90 daysIsrael90 daysItaly90 daysJapan90 daysKiribati90 daysKuwait90 daysLatvia90 daysLiechtenstein90 daysLithuania90 daysLuxembourg90 daysMacau90 daysMalta90 daysMarshall Islands90 daysMicronesia90 daysMonaco90 daysMontserrat30 daysNauru90 daysNetherlands90 daysNew Zealand90 daysNorway90 daysOman90 daysPalau90 daysPoland90 daysPortugal90 daysQatar90 daysRomania90 daysSaint Helena30 daysSamoa90 daysSan Marino90 daysSaudi Arabia90 daysSingapore90 daysSlovakia90 daysSlovenia90 daysSolomon Islands90 daysSpain90 daysSweden90 daysSwitzerland90 daysTaiwan90 daysTonga90 daysTurks and Caicos Islands30 daysTuvalu90 daysUnited Kingdom90 daysUnited States90 daysVatican City90 days

Passports that need an ETA for South Korea

47 passports. No visa, but you need an online approval before you board.

Albania30 daysAndorra30 daysAntigua and Barbuda90 daysArgentina90 daysBahamas90 daysBarbados90 daysBosnia and Herzegovina30 daysBotswana90 daysBrazil90 daysCosta Rica90 daysDominica90 daysDominican Republic90 daysEcuador90 daysEl Salvador90 daysEswatini30 daysGrenada90 daysGuatemala90 daysGuyana30 daysHaiti90 daysHonduras30 daysJamaica90 daysKazakhstan30 daysLesotho60 daysMalaysia90 daysMauritius30 daysMexico90 daysMontenegro30 daysMorocco90 daysNicaragua90 daysPanama90 daysParaguay30 daysPeru90 daysRussia60 daysSaint Kitts and Nevis90 daysSaint Lucia90 daysSaint Vincent and the Grenadines90 daysSerbia90 daysSeychelles30 daysSouth Africa30 daysSuriname90 daysThailand90 daysTrinidad and Tobago90 daysTunisia30 daysTurkey90 daysUnited Arab Emirates90 daysUruguay90 daysVenezuela90 days

Passports that need a visa for South Korea

88 passports. Apply for a visa at an embassy, consulate or official visa center before you go.

AfghanistanAlgeriaAngolaArmeniaAzerbaijanBangladeshBelarusBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChinaComorosCubaDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEthiopiaGabonGambiaGeorgiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIsraeli Travel Document (Teudat Ma'avar)Ivory CoastJordanKenyaKosovoKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaldivesMaliMauritaniaMoldovaMongoliaMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNigerNigeriaNorth MacedoniaPakistanPalestinePapua New GuineaPhilippinesRepublic of the CongoRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth SudanSri LankaSudanSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaTimor-LesteTogoTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUzbekistanVanuatuVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Special permits and unconfirmed entry

1 passports. A special permit is needed, or entry on this passport isn't confirmed. Contact the destination's embassy.

North Korea

South Korea visa: common questions

Do US passport holders need a visa for South Korea?

No. US passport holders can visit South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days.

Do UK passport holders need a visa for South Korea?

No. UK passport holders can visit South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days.

Do Canada passport holders need a visa for South Korea?

No. Canada passport holders can visit South Korea visa-free for up to 180 days.

Do Australia passport holders need a visa for South Korea?

No. Australia passport holders can visit South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days.

Do India passport holders need a visa for South Korea?

Yes. India passport holders need a visa for South Korea, arranged before travel through an embassy, consulate or official visa center.

How long can you stay in South Korea without a visa?

Most visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days, and some passports get up to 180 days. The limit depends on your passport, so check yours above.

Does South Korea have an ETA or e-visa?

K-ETA (KRW 10,000): Visa-exempt nationals not on the temporary exemption list (e.g. Brazil, Mexico, UAE, South Africa). Apply only on the official government site.

How many passports need a visa for South Korea?

88 passports need a visa arranged before travel, and 0 can apply for an e-visa online. Look up your passport above for the exact rule.

Visa requirements for every destination

Tourist visits only. Requirements come from a dataset compiled in October 2025, with changes since then checked against official government sources on 2026-10-31. Rules change, so confirm with South Korea's official site before you book and again before you fly.