- Entry Restrictions
The following travelers are currently permitted to enter South Korea:
- Nationals of South Korea;
- Holders of short-term visas issued by South Korea, except for single- and multiple-entry short-term visas (C-1 and C-3) issued on or before April 5;
- Holders of valid APEC Business Travel Card;
- Travelers entering South Korea for short-term visit under a visa waiver arrangement, except for the countries for which the visa waiver/free entry arrangement has been temporarily suspended.
- Holders of long-term visas/alien registration cards issued by South Korea, provided they possess a valid re-entry permit
- Travelers coming to South Korea from Japan under the Korea-Japan Business Track;
- Passengers in transit with a confirmed onward flight leaving within 24 hours after arrival, except for:
- Nationals of Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Yemen
- Nationals of Mongolia coming from or travelling to Mongolia;
- Nationals of Thailand travelling to Thailand (unless they hold a Certificate of Entry)
All visa waiver/exemption arrangements for South Korea have been temporarily suspended until further notice, with the exception of APEC Business Travel Card holders.
Holders of a long-term visa must secure a re-entry permit before leaving Korea. Long-term visa holders leaving South Korea without a re-entry permit will have their visa and Alien Registration Card cancelled and will need to obtain a new long-term visa before they can return to South Korea.
Upon their return to Korea, long-stay visas holders possessing a re-entry permit are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result issued within 48 hours prior to the departure to South Korea, except for holder of A-1, A-3, F-4 or long-term visa holders in other categories who left South Korea before 1 June 2020.
All travelers, except Korean nationals, who have visited Russia, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Nepal within the last 14 days prior to their arrival in South Korea are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result issued in Korean or English within 48 hours (72 hours for travelers who visited Russia) prior to their departure. The test results must have been issued from one the medical facilities on the approved list.
All travelers to South Korea must download the COVID-19 self-diagnosis app on their smartphones prior to departure.
Travelers must complete a Health Condition Report Form and an Agreement to Facility Quarantine Form and present the same to the quarantine desk upon arrival.
2. Quarantine/Self-Isolation Requirements
All travelers coming to South Korea from overseas, including foreign nationals, are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period, with the exception of holders of a self-isolation exemption certificate issued prior to departure to South Korea. Korean nationals, the family members of Korean nationals, and holders of long-term Korean visas may serve the 14-day quarantine period at their registered residence in South Korea. Holders of short-term visas must serve their quarantine period at a government-designated facility at their own expense. While in quarantine, travelers must take a COVID-19 test within 3 days after arrival in South Korea.
Holders of self-isolation exemption certificates must take a COVID-19 test at the time of arrival in South Korea and must quarantine at a government-designated facility until the test result is released (usually within 1-2 days).
Please note that this page is updated on an ongoing basis, but COVID-19 related restrictions and policies are subject to frequent and sudden change, often with little to no advance notice to the public. Therefore, to ensure that you have the latest updates, we recommend that you reach out to T&S at emea@tandslaw.com for additional information.
