K-ETA Exemption Extended Through December 31, 2026

What this means for travelers

If your country or region is currently exempt from K-ETA, that exemption now covers travel through December 31, 2026. You do not need to apply for a K-ETA during this period. If you choose to apply anyway, you will be charged the application fee, which is non-refundable, and you'll see a pop-up message when scanning your passport during the application process. One benefit of applying is that you won't need to submit an arrival card. If approved, your K-ETA remains valid until its expiration date.

What Changed

The Ministry of Justice has extended the K-ETA exemption by 1 more year.
The exemption period runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026.

Who Is Eligible

Countries/regions currently exempt from K-ETA are subject to this extension.

If You Choose to Apply Anyway

Exempt travelers who still apply for K-ETA will be charged the application fee.
During the application, exempt travelers get a pop-up message when scanning their passport information page.
Applying for K-ETA means not having to submit an arrival card.
The application fee paid is non-refundable.

After Approval

Once obtained, a K-ETA can be used until its expiration date.

Sources

Korea Immigration Service (K-ETA) — Notice on Extension of K-ETA Temporary Exemption (official notice from the publishing body, collected Tue 4 Aug 2026 (KST))

One source. Everything above rests on Korea Immigration Service (K-ETA) alone. We have not found a second, independent account of it, so treat the detail as that organisation states it and check the original before you rely on it.

11 structured facts in this article were checked against the sources above. See our fact-check policy.