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South Korea has introduced the e-arrival card, a digital system designed to streamline the entry process for international travelers. This initiative aims to enhance efficiency at immigration checkpoints by allowing visitors to submit their arrival information online up to 72 hours before arrival. To facilitate the transition to the digital system, both paper and electronic arrival cards will be accepted until the end of 2025. Let’s look at the user process of this new e-arrival card in Korea and how it can benefit you.
Guidelines for the new e-arrival card in Korea
1. Who is required to submit the e-arrival card in Korea?
The e-arrival card is mandatory for most foreign visitors, including tourists and business travelers. You can expect it to be the same group of foreign travelers as before the e-arrival card was introduced. However, certain individuals are exempt from this requirement:
- Registered Residents: Individuals residing in South Korea, such as holders of a Permanent Resident Card or Overseas Korean Resident Card.
- K-ETA Holders: Travelers possessing a valid Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA).
- Airline Crew Members: Personnel working with airlines operating flights to and from South Korea.
Travelers can submit the e-arrival card individually or on behalf of a group using a PC or mobile device.
2. Submitting the e-arrival card in Korea (individual)
Go to www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr and check available dates for entry declaration. Submit your form starting from 3 days before arrival, based on Korea Standard Time. Children under 14 must have a guardian submit the form.
Choose the form from the individual section, where you will find the required fields listed below:
- Passport upload: Upload a passport image, including the MRZ (Machine-Readable Zone) area. Ensure the scanned information matches your passport; if not, edit it.
- Travel information: Select your arrival method, entry date, flight or ship number. If auto-fill doesn’t work, manually enter previous departure details.
- Entry purpose & accommodation: Choose your visit purpose and provide accommodation details (address, phone number).
- Occupation: Select or manually enter your occupation.
For individual declarations, you can submit for up to 9 people by adding additional travelers. For more than 9 travelers, you may use the group declaration function instead.
Once submitted, your e-arrival card in Korea will be valid for 72 hours.
3. Submitting the e-arrival card in Korea (group)
Go to www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr and check the available dates for entry declaration. Submit your form starting from 3 days before arrival, based on Korea Standard Time.
Choose the form from the group section, where you will find the required fields listed below:
- Declarant’s email address: Enter twice.
- Arrival and departure details: Select your means of arrival, entry date, and flight or ship number. If necessary, manually enter the previous departure country and city.
- Entry purpose and accommodation: Choose the purpose of entry (e.g., tourism, business) and provide stay details like the accommodation address and phone number.
- Group information: Enter the number of people in your group (from 2 to 1,000). For convenience, submit 100 or fewer people at once. Apply common information to all group members.
- Upload passport photos: Make sure to upload the passport bio page for each group member. Ensure the MRZ area is visible. The system will scan the passports, and you’ll be prompted to confirm successful uploads.
- Select a representative: Choose a representative from the group to receive the e-arrival card issuance numbers via email, or when you write the e-mail addresses for each declarant, they will also be able to receive their issuance number for their e-arrival card.
Like the individual submission, the group e-arrival card in Korea will be valid for 72 hours.
4. Additional information on the new e-arrival card in Korea
- You can submit the form up to 3 days prior to your arrival in Korea. If you do not arrive within 72 hours, the e-arrival card will become invalid, and you will need to complete and submit a new one.
- The e-arrival card service is free of charge.
- Once submitted, your declaration will be processed as provided, and no additional approval is needed.
- There is no need to carry a printed or electronic copy of your e-arrival card for entry inspection.
5. How does the new e-arrival card in Korea benefit travelers?
The new e-arrival card in Korea offers significant benefits by allowing travelers to submit their information online before arrival, reducing the time spent at immigration checkpoints. For travelers, the system is highly convenient, accessible via mobile devices, and allows them to complete the form at their own pace before departure.
It also eliminates the need for paper-based forms, making the process more eco-friendly and efficient. Pre-declaring information ensures greater accuracy and prevents delays during immigration, especially for group travel, enabling travelers to submit declarations for multiple people at once and saving time for families or tour groups.
Starting in January 2026, only the electronic e-arrival card in Korea will be accepted. If you have more questions about this new service, click here for more information. Also, don’t forget to keep following the Go! Go! Hanguk blog and don’t hesitate to contact us about living and studying in Korea.
