What is the  Korea e-Arrival Card?

The Korea e-Arrival Card is the online version of Korea’s paper arrival card. It is free, filed on the Ministry of Justice’s portal in the 3 days before you arrive, arrival day included, and it is neither a visa nor a K-ETA. The paper card is still accepted at the counter, so filing online ahead is a choice.

Is the e-Arrival Card the same as the paper arrival card?

Korea’s online arrival card, filed on the government’s own portal. Its official name is the Korea Electronic Arrival Card and the portal shows it under the short name e-Arrival Card.

  • It holds the same validity as the paper arrival card
  • You file one or the other: travelers “can choose to submit either the paper or electronic declaration form”
  • It is a separate system from the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA)

Who files the e-Arrival Card, and who is excluded?

Required

  • Korean VISA holders
  • K-ETA exempt individuals
  • Active service members according to the US-ROK Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
  • UN passport holders
  • APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders
  • Seafarers

Not required

  • Citizens of the Republic of Korea
  • Holders of a Korean Residence Card (including Permanent Resident Card or Overseas Korean Resident Card)
  • K-ETA holders
  • Group (electronic) visa holders
  • Foreign flight attendants of aircraft entering Korea

Both lists are the portal’s own. The two K-ETA lines are not a contradiction: a valid K-ETA takes you off the list, while being excused from the K-ETA puts you on it. You can be excused by a temporary exemption for your country, by age (under 17 or over 65 in the portal’s words, 17 and under or 65 and over in Korean embassy notices), or by a diplomatic or service passport. A K-ETA holder who enters on a visa files one as well. We leave out a sixth exclusion the portal still shows, visa-free group tours at Yangyang and Muan, because the dates it names have passed.

When can I file the e-Arrival Card?

3 days

Those three days include your arrival day, counted in Korea time. The portal’s own example: arriving on the 31st, you can file on the 29th, 30th, or 31st.

A submission lasts 72 hours, and it is used up once you pass through immigration. Didn’t file in time? You can still file any time before the counter, or fill in a paper arrival card there.

What is the official e-Arrival Card website?

www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr

If the address bar does not say www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr, you are not on the government’s e-Arrival Card site. It is run by Korea’s Ministry of Justice, and its notices and FAQ have English versions.

There is no official mobile app; filing happens on the portal itself. Questions go to earrivalcard@korea.kr or the Immigration Contact Center on 1345 (+82-2-1345 from abroad).

How do I fill in the e-Arrival Card?

Step-by-step guide to the Korea e-Arrival Card

Is the e-Arrival Card free?

Yes. The portal charges nothing. The K-ETA it gets mistaken for costs 10,000 won and this card does not.

Can I correct my e-Arrival Card after filing it?

Purpose, stay details, or departure date
Correct them on the portal
Arrival date
Correctable within 3 days from your first submission
A detail you filed was inaccurate
Keep your issue number handy because the inspector may ask to see it
Lost your issue number
Look it up in Check/Edit by email verification and you don’t need to file again

Never pay a third party to “fix” it.

FAQ

What’s the difference between the e-Arrival Card and the K-ETA?
They are separate systems. The K-ETA is a travel authorization that nationals of visa-free countries apply for before traveling: it costs 10,000 won, is generally valid for three years, and, in the K-ETA portal’s words, “K-ETA is NOT a visa.” The e-Arrival Card is the free online version of the paper arrival card, filed for each entry.
I have a K-ETA. Do I still file the e-Arrival Card?
Not while it’s valid: the portal says “A K-ETA holder with remaining validity is not subject to e-Arrival Card.” In the same answer it asks K-ETA holders to update their purpose of entry, place of stay and other details on the K-ETA website, and to check them again once 10 days have passed since the K-ETA was first approved. The exception is entering Korea on a visa. Then you file one even if you also hold a K-ETA.
Which nationalities don’t need a K-ETA right now?
Korea extended its temporary K-ETA exemption for the countries and regions already exempt until 31 December 2026 (Korea time), but its notice doesn’t list them. Travelers it covers file the arrival card instead. To check your nationality, use the Navigator on www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr or the notices of the Korean embassy in your country.
Where is my QR code?
There isn’t one: the portal doesn’t issue QR codes. Each person gets an issue number, emailed to the representative and to any declarant who gave an email, plus a PDF you can save or print right after submitting. You don’t need to show either at the counter. The portal warns that mail to Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, and QQ.com can arrive late or not at all, so save the PDF; to look it up later, use Check/Edit.
What goes in the Contact Information box?
The box asks you to “Enter your contact number in Korea”, and it’s required. It keeps digits only: dashes, spaces, and “+” are removed. The portal doesn’t say what to enter if you have no Korean number; its inquiry channels are earrivalcard@korea.kr and the Immigration Contact Center on 1345 (+82-2-1345 from abroad).
Transiting without a hotel?
If you stay in the transit area without entering Korea, you don’t file one. Sometimes you go through immigration on a same-day transit, to collect your bags for example. Then the portal says to give the airport’s address as your place of stay. Its FAQ lists them for Incheon Airport T1 and T2, Gimpo, Daegu, Gimhae, and Jeju.
Can one filing cover my whole family?
Yes, up to 9 people on the Individual form, which works on a computer or a phone. The Group/Travel Agency form takes 2 to 1,000 people but only on a computer, and all of them need the same arrival date and the same flight number or ship name. All the issue numbers go to the representative’s email. On the representative’s age the portal says two things: its agreement box asks for someone “14 years old or older”, while its how-to page says “a person aged 14 or younger cannot be a representative declarant”.
No return flight booked yet?
Enter an approximate departure date: the date is required, but the departure flight number isn’t.
Staying in more than one place?
Give the main place you’ll stay, or the first one.
How do I avoid a fake e-Arrival Card website?
The portal itself warns: “Please be aware of websites with similar names, as they may request personal information or payment of fees.”
Arriving by ship?
The form covers it: choose SEA as your means of arrival and enter the ship’s name instead of a flight number. Departure offers the same choice.
How current is this?
We last checked this guide against the official sources on 19 Sep 2026. The last change we recorded on the official e-Arrival Card portal was 2 Sep 2026.

What are my options before arriving in Korea?

If the portal’s exclusion list doesn’t cover you, file the e-Arrival Card for free on www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr in the 3 days before you arrive, arrival day included, or fill in the paper arrival card at the counter.

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