Do I need a visa for Korea? Visa-free countries, how long you can stay, and how it ties to K-ETA
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
Korean law lets a foreigner enter without a visa only in four listed cases, one of them being a national of a country that has a visa-waiver agreement with Korea. The K-ETA site publishes the passports that can enter visa-free and apply for K-ETA: 116 nationalities and regions, each with a printed stay limit ("90 Days" for 65 of them, 30 days for 36, "03 Months" for 10, and "06 Months" for Canada). Look your passport up in the table below, then check K-ETA: the same passports are the ones eligible to apply for it, and a temporary waiver runs until 2026-12-31.
Read on 2026-10-19 from the K-ETA "eligible countries and targets" page (list as shown, no date printed), the Immigration Act Article 7 as shown on the National Law Information Center ("[시행 2026. 10. 2.] [법률 제21857호, 2026. 8. 4., 타법개정]"), the Korea Visa Portal entry-procedure page and the K-ETA notice dated 2025-12-23. Not legal advice; confirm with immigration (1345).
What the law says
- Default rule: Article 7(1): a foreigner entering Korea must hold a valid passport and a visa issued by the Minister of Justice.
- Exception for waiver countries: Article 7(2) item 2: a national of a country that has a visa-waiver agreement with Korea may enter without a visa if exempt under that agreement. The same paragraph lists three other cases: people who hold, or are exempt from, a re-entry permit and return within it (see re-entry permit exemption); people granted a separate entry permit for international goodwill, tourism or Korea's interests; and people returning on a refugee travel document within its validity.
- Suspension: Article 7(3): where public order or the national interest requires, the Minister of Justice may temporarily suspend the application of a visa-waiver agreement. So the table is a snapshot, not a guarantee.
The Korea Visa Portal's "entry procedure" guide repeats the same four exceptions. It also says a visa holder whose purpose of visit does not match the visa issued may be refused entry; it does not say this about visa-free entrants.
Search the list
Type a country name in English or Korean. The data is the K-ETA site's "eligible countries" table, sorted here by English name. The English names are our translation of the Korean labels; the stay text is copied exactly as printed (including "03 Months" and the spelling "30Days" for San Marino). Five British categories are shown by their Korean label only, because we did not want to guess the English term.
| Country or region (English) | As printed (Korean) | Stay as printed on the K-ETA list |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | 알바니아 | 30 Days |
| Andorra | 안도라 | 30 Days |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 앤티가바부다 | 90 Days |
| Argentina | 아르헨티나 | 90 Days |
| Australia | 호주 | 90 Days |
| Austria | 오스트리아 | 90 Days |
| Bahamas | 바하마 | 90 Days |
| Bahrain | 바레인 | 30 Days |
| Barbados | 바베이도스 | 90 Days |
| Belgium | 벨기에 | 03 Months |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 보스니아-헤르체고비나 | 30 Days |
| Botswana | 보츠와나 | 90 Days |
| Brazil | 브라질 | 90 Days |
| British category (Korean label only) | 영국보호민 | 30 Days |
| British category (Korean label only) | 영국속국민 | 30 Days |
| British category (Korean label only) | 영국외지민 | 30 Days |
| British category (Korean label only) | 영국외지시민 | 30 Days |
| British category (Korean label only) | 영국해외영토시민 | 30 Days |
| Brunei | 브루나이 | 30 Days |
| Bulgaria | 불가리아 | 90 Days |
| Canada | 캐나다 | 06 Months |
| Chile | 칠레 | 90 Days |
| Colombia | 콜롬비아 | 90 Days |
| Costa Rica | 코스타리카 | 90 Days |
| Croatia | 크로아티아 | 90 Days |
| Cyprus | 사이프러스 | 30 Days |
| Czech Republic | 체코 | 90 Days |
| Denmark | 덴마크 | 90 Days |
| Dominica | 도미니카연방 | 90 Days |
| Dominican Republic | 도미니카공화국 | 90 Days |
| Ecuador | 에콰도르 | 90 Days |
| El Salvador | 엘살바도르 | 90 Days |
| Estonia | 에스토니아 | 90 Days |
| Eswatini | 에스와티니 | 30 Days |
| Fiji | 피지 | 30 Days |
| Finland | 핀란드 | 90 Days |
| France | 프랑스 | 90 Days |
| Germany | 독일 | 90 Days |
| Greece | 그리스 | 03 Months |
| Grenada | 그레나다 | 90 Days |
| Guatemala | 과테말라 | 90 Days |
| Guyana | 가이아나 | 30 Days |
| Haiti | 아이티 | 90 Days |
| Holy See | 교황청 | 30 Days |
| Honduras | 온두라스 | 30 Days |
| Hong Kong | 홍콩 | 90 Days |
| Hungary | 헝가리 | 90 Days |
| Iceland | 아이슬란드 | 90 Days |
| Ireland | 아일랜드 | 90 Days |
| Israel | 이스라엘 | 90 Days |
| Italy | 이탈리아 | 90 Days |
| Jamaica | 자메이카 | 90 Days |
| Japan | 일본 | 90 Days |
| Kazakhstan | 카자흐스탄 | 30 days in a row, not exceeding 60 days within 180 days |
| Kiribati | 키리바시 | 30 Days |
| Kuwait | 쿠웨이트 | 90 Days |
| Latvia | 라트비아 | 90 Days |
| Lesotho | 레소토 | 60 Days |
| Liechtenstein | 리히텐슈타인 | 03 Months |
| Lithuania | 리투아니아 | 90 Days |
| Luxembourg | 룩셈부르크 | 03 Months |
| Macau | 마카오 | 90 Days |
| Malaysia | 말레이시아 | 03 Months |
| Malta | 몰타 | 90 Days |
| Marshall Islands | 마셜제도 | 30 Days |
| Mauritius | 모리셔스 | 30 Days |
| Mexico | 멕시코 | 03 Months |
| Micronesia | 마이크로네시아연방 | 30 Days |
| Monaco | 모나코 | 30 Days |
| Montenegro | 몬테네그로 | 30 Days |
| Morocco | 모로코 | 90 Days |
| Nauru | 나우루 | 30 Days |
| Netherlands | 네덜란드 | 03 Months |
| New Caledonia | 뉴칼레도니아 | 30 Days |
| New Zealand | 뉴질랜드 | 03 Months |
| Nicaragua | 니카라과 | 90 Days |
| Norway | 노르웨이 | 90 Days |
| Oman | 오만 | 30 Days |
| Palau | 팔라우 | 30 Days |
| Panama | 파나마 | 90 Days |
| Paraguay | 파라과이 | 30 Days |
| Peru | 페루 | 90 Days |
| Poland | 폴란드 | 90 Days |
| Portugal | 포르투갈 | 90 days in a row, not exceeding 90 days within 180 days |
| Qatar | 카타르 | 90 Days |
| Romania | 루마니아 | 90 Days |
| Russia | 러시아 | 60 days in a row, not exceeding 90 days within 180 days |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 세인트키츠네비스 | 90 Days |
| Saint Lucia | 세인트루시아 | 90 Days |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 세인트빈센트그레나딘 | 90 Days |
| Samoa | 사모아 | 30 Days |
| San Marino | 산마리노 | 30Days |
| Saudi Arabia | 사우디아라비아 | 30 Days |
| Serbia | 세르비아 | 90 Days |
| Seychelles | 세이셸 | 30 Days |
| Singapore | 싱가포르 | 90 Days |
| Slovakia | 슬로바키아 | 90 Days |
| Slovenia | 슬로베니아 | 90 Days |
| Solomon Islands | 솔로몬제도 | 30 Days |
| South Africa | 남아프리카공화국 | 30 Days |
| Spain | 스페인 | 90 Days |
| Suriname | 수리남 | 03 Months |
| Sweden | 스웨덴 | 90 Days |
| Switzerland | 스위스 | 03 Months |
| Taiwan | 대만 | 90 Days |
| Thailand | 태국 | 90 Days |
| Tonga | 통가 | 30 Days |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 트리니다드토바고 | 90 Days |
| Tunisia | 튀니지 | 30 Days |
| Turkiye | 튀르키예 | 90 Days |
| Tuvalu | 투발루 | 30 Days |
| United Arab Emirates | 아랍에미리트 | 90 Days |
| United Kingdom | 영국 | 90 Days |
| United States | 미국 | 90 Days |
| Uruguay | 우루과이 | 90 Days |
| Venezuela | 베네수엘라 | 90 Days |
What the table does not cover: diplomatic and official passports, other exempt groups, and any waiver country not printed on this K-ETA page. It does not tell you whether you must file a K-ETA today (see the temporary waiver below).
What visa-free allows, per the K-ETA page
The K-ETA applicant description is a foreigner who wants to enter Korea without a visa, for a short stay for tourism, visiting relatives, attending an event or conference, or business, with profit-making activity not allowed.
- Stays over 90 days: the Visa Portal says a foreigner who stays more than 90 days from the date of entry must complete foreigner registration within 90 days of entry (see registration and the residence card).
- Arrival card: a valid K-ETA exempts you from the paper arrival card; see the e-Arrival Card for who still files.
How this relates to K-ETA
K-ETA is the pre-travel authorisation for people entering visa-free; fee, validity and exempt groups are on our K-ETA page. A notice dated 2025-12-23 says the temporary K-ETA waiver was extended from 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (KST) for the countries already covered. The notice does not print the country list; the application site shows a "K-ETA exemption" pop-up if your passport is covered. Even then you may still apply, and the fee is charged.
Where the pages differ
| Item | What is printed | What we show |
|---|---|---|
| Stay length format | "90 Days", "30 Days", "30Days", "60 Days", "03 Months", "06 Months", and three entries with longer wording | Copied as printed. "03 Months" and "90 Days" are not converted into each other, because the page does not say how months are counted. |
| Russia, Kazakhstan, Portugal | "60 days in a row, not exceeding 90 days within 180 days"; "30 days in a row, not exceeding 60 days within 180 days"; "90 days in a row, not exceeding 90 days within 180 days" | Shown exactly as printed; read the full wording before planning a longer trip. |
| What the list is | The K-ETA page lists passports that can apply for K-ETA; the law speaks of "visa-waiver agreement" countries | We treat the K-ETA list as the official published list of visa-free nationalities and say so. The law and the list are different documents. |
If your country is not in the table, or you plan to work, study or stay beyond the printed limit, you need a visa or another permission; ask the Foreigner Information Center (1345). For what registration and extensions cost, see the immigration fee table. This page summarises public texts and is not legal advice.
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- K-ETA — eligible countries and applicants — the 116-entry country list with printed stay limits, applicant description (no profit-making activity); no date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- K-ETA — application guide — valid K-ETA exempts the arrival card (checked 2026-10-19)
- K-ETA notice — extension of the temporary K-ETA waiver — notice dated 2025-12-23: waiver extended 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (KST) (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Immigration Act, Article 7 — visa required by default; exception for visa-waiver agreement countries; suspension power; in force 2026-10-02 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Korea Visa Portal (Ministry of Justice) — entry procedure — the four visa-free exceptions, foreigner registration within 90 days of entry for stays over 90 days; no date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
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