Korea e-Arrival Card: How To Fill It In Step By Step

The Korea e-Arrival Card is a free online form at e-arrivalcard.go.kr that most visa free and visa holding visitors file from three days before landing (Korea time). It takes about 5 to 10 minutes: passport photo, flight, purpose of visit, where you’re staying, done. If you hold a valid K-ETA, you skip it.

Sunbae Says: Do it the evening before your flight, at home, on decent Wi-Fi. Not at the gate, and never on a website that asks for money. The real one ends in .go.kr and costs exactly zero won.

Who Needs The e-Arrival Card

Picture it: you’re balancing a backpack on one knee, photographing your passport under corridor lights while your whole flight overtakes you. Don’t be that person.

The official list of who must declare is short. You file if you are:

• A citizen of a country on the temporary K-ETA exemption (US, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan and the rest of the 22, through 31 Dec 2026) and you have no K-ETA
• A traveller from a K-ETA country who is 17 or under, or 65 or over, and so never needed a K-ETA
• Entering on a Korean visa (even if you also hold a K-ETA)

You do not file if you hold a valid K-ETA and enter on it, a Korean residence card (including permanent resident and overseas Korean resident cards), or you’re airline crew. Transit passengers who never pass immigration don’t file either, per the official FAQ.

The trap most guides miss: kids and grandparents from exempt countries. They don’t need a K-ETA, so families assume they need nothing. They still need the arrival card.

New to all this? My Start Here hub lists every pre flight job in order.

When To Submit

The official e-Arrival guide says you can file from three days before arrival, counted in Korean Standard Time: arrival day, the day before, or two days before. It lapses 72 hours after you submit, or once you’ve cleared immigration. Every trip needs a fresh one.

Flying from North America? Count back in Korea time, not your time. Land Saturday morning in Seoul, and your window opened Thursday Korea time, which is still Wednesday morning in Vancouver.

Heads Up: The official site is offline from 18:00 Thursday 8 Oct to 02:30 Friday 9 Oct 2026 (Korea time) for system work, per its notices page, and the window may shift. Landing 9 to 11 Oct? File before 6pm KST on 8 Oct, or after 02:30 on 9 Oct.

Your Options, With My Take

Option	Best For	Cost	Time	My Take
Online, at home, the night before	Almost everyone	Free	5 to 10 min	My pick. Calm, inside the window, time to redo a blurry photo.
Online at the departure gate	Last minute planners	Free	10 min plus stress	Works, but boarding calls and 5% battery breed typos.
Online after landing, before immigration	People who forgot	Free	10 to 15 min	Legal and fine. You’ll just be the one in the corridor.
Paper card at the airport	No phone, dead battery	Free	5 min	Still accepted in 2026, but slower and not something to plan around.
A K-ETA instead	Repeat visitors, trips into 2027	10,000 won	Apply at least 72 hours ahead	Worth it if you’ll be back within three years.

What You Need Before You Start

The official checklist is a valid passport, a working email address, your arrival date and flight number, and where you’re staying. A departure date is asked for; the departure flight number is optional. If you haven’t booked a way out, the FAQ says an approximate date is fine, though officers may ask about your plans.

Two things the official checklist doesn’t spell out: the form asks your occupation, and you’ll want the full address of your first night’s stay, ideally in Korean too (copy it from your booking or the map apps in my travel app guide). If you’re staying at several places, the FAQ says enter your main one, or the first.

How To Fill It In, Step By Step

The official process guide has five steps. Here they are with what actually trips people up.

1. Open the real site. Type e-arrivalcard.go.kr yourself rather than clicking an ad. It works on phone or laptop, there’s no app, and it runs in seven languages including English.
2. Agree to the terms and enter your email twice. This is the lead filer’s email. A child under 14 can’t be the lead filer.
3. Add passports. Photograph the photo page flat, no glare, with the two lines of machine readable text sharp and fully in frame. If the scan fails, you can type the details in by hand.
4. Add your trip. Arrival date, flight number, departure date, purpose (tourism for most readers), accommodation, contact details and occupation.
5. Check, verify, submit. Since 6 May 2026 there’s a verification code step before submission. You then get an issue number and can save the whole thing as a PDF.

Save that PDF straight away. The site itself warns that confirmation emails can be delayed or lost for Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail and QQ users. You don’t have to show anything at the desk, but the issue number is how you edit later.

Made a mistake? Before immigration you can change your address, purpose or departure details using the issue number or email check. The arrival date can only be changed within three days of your first submission; otherwise, just file a new one.

[AFFILIATE: Klook eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi for arrival]

Heads Up: Lookalike sites copy the flag and the wording, then charge a “processing fee”. In March 2026 Korea’s embassy in Beijing warned about fake sites on Baidu asking 232 to 510 yuan (about 50,000 to 110,000 won) to file, Hankyung reported (in Korean). The real form is free. If a page wants your card number, close the tab.

Families And Kids

On a phone, one submission covers up to 9 people. On a PC, a group submission covers up to 1,000, as long as everyone shares the same arrival date and flight. For a family of four, the phone version is plenty.

The law says the traveller fills in their own card, but the FAQ allows someone else to file when the traveller can’t, which covers your kids. Lay every passport out on the table before you start; the photo step is where tired parents lose patience. More family logistics in Seoul With Kids In Late Autumn And Winter.

Where To Do It At The Airport

Forgot? You’re not stuck. The official FAQ says that even if you didn’t file before landing, you can fill in the e-Arrival Card or a paper card before immigration. When VisasNews asked the Ministry of Justice in March 2026, the ministry said paper and electronic cards run in parallel until it announces otherwise, and that tablets and QR codes linking to the official site are provided in arrival areas.

Here’s the practical drill. Once the crew says phones are fine, connect to the airport’s free Wi-Fi on the walk from the gate, and use the corridor before the immigration hall to file on your phone. Incheon T1, T2, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju all work the same way; the form doesn’t care which airport you land at.

[SUNBAE FIELD TEST: walk the Incheon T1 and T2 arrival corridors and note exactly where the e-Arrival tablets and QR code posters stand, whether paper cards are still stacked near the desks, and whether airlines still hand them out on board]

Once you’re through, you’ll want a transit card before the train; which transit card tourists need now explains why your first airport ride runs on T-money.

Worth It Or Skip It

Skip It: any site, agency or “fast track” that charges you. Korea doesn’t sell a faster arrival card. The government site, in its own notice, warns about similarly named sites asking for personal details or fees.

Worth It: a K-ETA instead, if you’ll visit Korea again within three years or your trip runs into 2027. It costs 10,000 won, lasts three years, and the official K-ETA guide says approved holders are exempt from the arrival card. The 22 country exemption ends 31 Dec 2026 and nothing about 2027 had been announced as of 4 Oct. My K-ETA 2027 guide has the decision in full.

Pick Your Version

If It’s Your First Time: File the night before you fly, save the PDF, screenshot the issue number. One less thing between you and your first convenience store coffee.

If You’re Bringing Kids: Do the whole family in one phone submission, passports laid out first. Remember the under 17 rule: your kids need this card even though they don’t need a K-ETA.

If You’re Travelling Solo: File the evening before and send the PDF to someone at home along with your hotel address. My Solo In Seoul guide covers the rest.

If You’re Here For A Reset: If you’re coming for a health checkup on a visa, note the twist: visa holders file the card even if they also hold a K-ETA.

Sunbae’s Picks

My pick for timing: the evening before departure, at home. Inside the window, room to fix mistakes.

My pick for email: a non Gmail address if you have one, given the site’s own warning. If not, save the PDF on the spot.

I’d skip filing at the gate. Gate Wi-Fi, a boarding call and a dying phone are how typos happen.

If you’ll be back within three years, I’d buy the K-ETA once and forget arrival cards altogether.

After 24 years here, my rule is simple: every form that can be done at home gets done at home. Then pack properly with my autumn and winter packing guide.

Offers Worth Knowing

The e-Arrival Card is free, full stop. The official K-ETA is 10,000 won for three years of trips and replaces the arrival card. After you land, Seoul’s 1 to 7 day tourist transit passes are the next real saving.

[AFFILIATE: Klook AREX (blue) airport rail ticket]

Behind The Scenes

Paper never officially died. Plenty of English guides say paper cards ended on 31 Dec 2025, because that was the plan VisitKorea announced. But the Ministry of Justice’s own Korean explainer (in Korean) frames the e-card as an online way to submit the same card, and the ministry told VisasNews both run in parallel until a formal announcement. What it means for you: file online, but nobody gets turned away for forgetting.

The form quietly changed this year. In March 2026 the government said it would drop the “previous departure point” and “next destination” questions after a diplomatic row with Taiwan over how it was labelled, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported (in Korean). If an older guide shows fields you don’t see, that’s why.

The officer already has your card. The FAQ is clear: if your details are right, the inspector sees your submission without you showing anything. The issue number matters only if something doesn’t match.

What’s Changing In 2026

More people are landing alongside you. Korea drew 10.71 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, up 21%, and arrivals through regional airports jumped 42.5% year on year in June, Korea JoongAng Daily reports. My read: busier halls everywhere, so filing ahead is the cheapest queue skip there is.

Security tightened. The verification code step arrived on 6 May 2026, aimed at making sure a real person submits each card. Expect one extra screen, not a headache.

2027 is the wild card. If the K-ETA exemption ends on 31 Dec, travellers from those 22 countries will need a K-ETA to board, and a K-ETA replaces the arrival card. Visiting over New Year? Read K-ETA 2027 now, not on the 30th.

What If I Forget?

Breathe. File on your phone on the walk to immigration, or ask for a paper card. You won’t be refused entry for not filing in advance. You’ll just add ten minutes to a long day. If you want the rest of the arrival etiquette, from queue manners to the escalator, my unwritten rules of Korea cover it.

Word Of The Stop

입국신고서 (ipguk singoseo): arrival card. “Ipguk” means entering the country, and you’ll see 입국 on every arrivals sign. The online version is 전자입국신고 (jeonja ipguk singo), “electronic arrival report”.

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Map And Directions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Korea e-Arrival Card Free?

Yes. The official site, e-arrivalcard.go.kr, charges nothing. Any site asking for payment is a third party, and some are outright scams.

How Many Days Before My Flight Can I Submit It?

From three days before arrival, counted in Korean Standard Time: arrival day, the day before or two days before. It’s valid for 72 hours after you submit.

Do I Need The e-Arrival Card If I Have A K-ETA?

No, if you enter on that valid K-ETA. If you enter on a visa, you file the card even with a K-ETA.

Do Children Need An e-Arrival Card?

Yes. Kids from K-ETA countries don’t need a K-ETA if they’re 17 or under, but they do need the arrival card. A parent files for them, up to 9 people per phone submission.

Are Paper Arrival Cards Still Used In 2026?

Yes, as a fallback. The official FAQ says you can fill in an e-Arrival Card or a paper card before immigration, and the Ministry of Justice says both run in parallel until it announces otherwise.

Next Stop

• K-ETA 2027: whether to swap the arrival card for a three year K-ETA.
• Seoul In Late October: the best fortnight to arrive this autumn, with Korea In November 2026 and Korea In December 2026 for later trips.
• What’s On: the events calendar for the weeks you’re here.

Resources

• e-arrivalcard.go.kr: the only official site to file, check and edit your card.
• k-eta.go.kr: the official K-ETA site, 10,000 won, if you’d rather skip arrival cards for three years.
• Immigration Contact Center 1345: +82-2-1345 from abroad, weekdays 09:00 to 22:00, English available.
• earrivalcard@korea.kr: official email for e-Arrival questions, answered in Korean and English.
• 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 from abroad, for general travel help once you land.
• Naver Map or KakaoMap: copy your hotel’s Korean address for the form.

How I Checked This

On 4 Oct 2026 I rechecked every rule against the official e-Arrival guide, target list, process guide, FAQ and notices (including the 8 to 9 Oct outage, the 6 May verification step and the email warning), the Ministry of Justice’s Korean page, and the official K-ETA guide. Paper card status rests on the official FAQ and the ministry’s statement to VisasNews. I could not confirm whether the Taiwan related field changes are live, or where exactly each airport’s tablets stand.

Sources

• e-Arrival Card official site
• e-Arrival Card guide: free, 3 day window, 72 hours, 9 or 1,000 people, editing rules
• Individuals subject to declaration: under 17 and over 65, K-ETA holders on visas
• Declaration procedure: five steps, under 14 rule, PDF and issue number
• Official FAQ: paper or e-card before immigration, transit, addresses, departure dates
• Official notices: 8 to 9 Oct 2026 outage, verification code from 6 May 2026, email delays, free of charge, contact details
• Ministry of Justice: 전자입국신고서 explainer (in Korean)
• K-ETA official application guide: fee, validity, arrival card exemption
• VisitKorea: e-Arrival Card launch notice and original paper card timeline
• VisasNews: Ministry of Justice confirms paper and e-cards in parallel, tablets and QR codes at airports (13 Mar 2026)
• Hankyung: fake e-Arrival sites charging up to 510 yuan (in Korean)
• Kyunghyang Shinmun: departure and destination fields to be dropped (in Korean)
• Munhwa Ilbo: 2025 launch and parallel paper period (in Korean)
• Korea JoongAng Daily: 10.71 million visitors, regional airports up 42.5% in June
• Go! Go! Hanguk: field walkthrough (updated Aug 2026)
• Korvia: paper backup and fee site warnings

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Written by your sunbae. 24 years living in Seoul, former Korean TV and radio presenter, university professor, and two decades behind the decks in the city’s clubs. Every fact here is checked against official sources and, wherever possible, on the ground.

Beep Check: verified 4 Oct 2026. Rules, prices and dates change; confirm with the official source before you travel.