Visitors entering the Republic of Korea (ROK) must hold a valid passport and visa to enter the country.
Nationals of visa waiver or visa-free countries may enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes only. For any other purposes, such as employment or education, proper visas are required.
Nationals of non-visa waiver countries must apply for visas at the nearest Korean embassy or consulate prior to entering the ROK.

Countries with Visa Waiver Agreement with Korea

Continent	Countries
Asia	Malaysia (90 days), Bangladesh (90 days), Singapore (90 days), United Arab Emirates (general), Israel (90 days), Kazakhstan (30 days), Thailand (90 days), Turkey (90 days), Pakistan (90 days)
Americas	Guatemala (90 days), Grenada (90 days), Nicaragua (90 days), Dominican Republic (90 days), Commonwealth of Dominica (90 days), Mexico (90 days), Barbados (90 days), Bahamas (90 days), Venezuela (90 days), Brazil (90 days), Saint Lucia (90 days),SaintVincent and the Grenadines (90 days), Suriname (90 days), Haiti (90 days), Antigua and Barbuda (90 days), El Salvador (90 days), Jamaica (90 days), Costa Rica (90 days), Colombia (90 days), Trinidad and Tobago (90 days), Panama (90 days),Peru(90 days)
Europe	Greece (90 days), Netherlands (90 days), Norway (90 days), Denmark (90 days), Germany (90 days), Latvia (90 days), Russia (60 days), Romania (90 days), Luxembourg (90 days), Lithuania (90 days), Liechtenstein (90 days), Malta (90 days), Belgium(90days), Bulgaria(90 days), Sweden (90 days), Switzerland (90 days), Spain (90 days), Slovakia (90 days), Iceland (90 days), Ireland (90 days), Estonia (90 days), U.K. (90 days), Austria (90 days), Italy (90 days), Czech Republic (90 days),Portugal(60 days), Poland (90 days), France (90 days), Finland (90 days), Hungary (90 days)
Africa	Liberia (90 days), Lesotho (90 days), Morocco (90 days), Tunisia (30 days)
Oceania	New Zealand (90 days)

The list was last updated in May, 2019. Please check the latest information at the Korean Embassy or Consulate of your residence before visiting Korea.

Immigrations and Customs

Once disembarking from your plane, follow the signs to get to immigrations. Non-resident foreigners must fill out an Arrival card like pictured below.

After going through immigrations and baggage claim, you must pass through the customs checkpoint before exiting the terminal. You must present your customs declaration form even if you have nothing to declare. If traveling with family, you may filloutone card for the entire family.

Smart Entry Service (SES)

Smart Entry Service (SES)

Instead of going through immigration with a live agent, participants of the SES program can go through immigrations through automatic gates in just 12 seconds.Find out more at www.ses.go.kr

Duty-free items cannot exceed 1 bottle of alcohol (1 liter), 10 cartons of cigarettes, and 60ml of perfume. You must be at least 19 years of age to purchase alcohol and cigarettes in ROK. Overall, duties and taxes are not required on goods worth up to a total of US$400. Also, if you are entering the country with more than US$10,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) in cash, this must be declared.

For further information about customs related matters, please refer to Korea Customs Service website and about immigration related matters, please visit Immigration Office website.