Do you need a K-ETA? Entering Korea for a concert (as of October 2026)

K-ETA is the online authorisation that visa-free travellers normally get before flying to Korea. A notice on the Ministry of Justice's K-ETA site says the temporary exemption has been extended by a year, from 1 January to 31 December 2026 (KST). It covers the same 22 countries and regions as since 1 April 2023. Per the Korean Embassy in Japan: Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau in Asia; the US (including Guam) and Canada; the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and Austria in Europe; and Australia and New Zealand.

As of 15 October 2026 there is no official word on what happens after 2026. If you travel around the new year, check the notices on the K-ETA site before you go.

Separately, anyone aged 17 or under or 65 or over on the day of entry is always exempt from K-ETA.

Foreigners without a valid K-ETA must submit an arrival card, and that includes people from the exempt countries. The electronic e-Arrival card started on 24 February 2025; you can use either it or the paper card.

• The e-Arrival card is free and can be filed on the official site from 3 days before arrival (KST).
• If you file it online, you don't fill in a paper card.
• It lapses 72 hours after submission or once you pass immigration.

If you would rather skip the arrival card, you can still apply for a K-ETA voluntarily: the K-ETA site says K-ETA holders don't need to fill in the arrival card.

• The fee is 10,000 won (about US$7–8).
• Processing usually takes up to 72 hours but can take longer, so apply early.
• It is valid for three years from approval, or until your passport expires if that comes first.
• A new passport means a new K-ETA application.

Check that you are on the official K-ETA site (k-eta.go.kr) when you apply.

• Q-CODE (advance quarantine information) applies to people who stayed in or passed through areas the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency lists for priority quarantine, among others. Japan and Taiwan are not on the list in force from October 2026, so a direct trip from either normally needs no Q-CODE. Check the list if you are coming from elsewhere.
• Fingerprints and a face photo are taken at entry (Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
• Foreigners must carry their passport at all times (Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs). You will need it for the ID check at the concert anyway.
• Cash worth more than US$10,000 must be declared.

We found no Korea-specific minimum passport validity in official sources. Taiwan's consular bureau notes that many countries expect six months or more, so travelling with plenty of validity left is the safe choice.