K-ETA South Korea 2027: what to plan for

What is official as of 17 October 2026

The K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) is the electronic travel authorisation you apply for on the official portal, k-eta.go.kr. For travellers from 22 jurisdictions, France included, it is not required during the exemption period. The Korean Ministry of Justice extended this waiver by one year: its notice, published on 23 December 2025, sets it from 1 January to 31 December 2026, Korean time. The Korean embassy in Guam repeated the same deadline on 29 December 2025, and VisitKorea’s French page gives the same date.

Seoul, your first point of entry

Valid passport 90 days maximum Free arrival card

During the exemption period, the arrival document is the electronic arrival card (e-Arrival Card). According to the Ministry of Justice, in March 2026 the paper card was still accepted alongside it (see below). You fill it in on the official portal up to three days before arrival, at no cost. According to diplomatie.gouv.fr, updated on 15 September 2026, it becomes invalid if you do not enter within 72 hours of submitting it. A valid K-ETA exempts you from this card.

What to check before you travel

• A passport that is still valid: according to diplomatie.gouv.fr, it is the document required during the exemption.
• A stay of 90 days maximum without a visa for French nationals.
• An arrival card submitted in the three days before your flight.
• A K-ETA you already hold, valid until the end of its validity period according to VisitKorea.

Pixidia tip: note the date you checked each official page. The rules in this area change at the end of the year, and a dated screenshot will stop you relying on an old guide.

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Source: diplomatie.gouv.fr, travel advice on entry and stay; k-eta.go.kr notice of 23 December 2025; Visasnews, checked on 17 October 2026.

End of the exemption: the date in Seoul time

The notice sets the end at 31 December 2026, Korean time, without giving a minute: the exemption ends at the end of the day on 31 December in Seoul, which is 4 p.m. Paris time the same day at the latest. It is not midnight in France: the eight-hour time difference brings the deadline forward. Many guides give the date alone, without the time. This detail matters for a flight landing in Seoul late on 31 December. The notice does not say how a last-minute entry is handled: do not plan an arrival close to this limit without checking the case on the portal.

The scope covers 22 jurisdictions. The Spanish embassy’s notice, published on 23 December 2025, repeats this list, France included. EIG, a law firm that commented on the ministry’s notice on 12 January 2026, describes the same scope. A press extract, not exhaustive and not checked against its source page, cites among others Australia, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. Some guides cite a much higher number of countries: no official notice we read confirms it. Keep the 22 jurisdictions in mind, then check your own case against the full list on k-eta.go.kr.

To understand where this date comes from, look at the history. A notice published on 29 March 2023 set an exemption from 1 April 2023 to 31 December 2024, for the same 22 jurisdictions, with a fee of 10,000 KRW for a voluntary application. The 2026 period was announced by the Ministry of Justice at the end of 2025. According to Korea Daily, the plan had been presented as early as September 2025 at a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, with no official announcement at the time. That precedent guarantees nothing for 2027.

For 2027: three possible outcomes, no official decision

None of the notices we read on 17 October 2026, from the Ministry of Justice, k-eta.go.kr or the embassies, provides for an extension or a change beyond 31 December 2026. Searches in English and Korean carried out on 17 October 2026 turned up no announcement for 2027.

What is circulating, however, are travel articles. Two press sites, in July 2026 (NRmagazine and StampedNomad), present the return of the K-ETA on 1 January 2027 as settled, relying on unofficial sources. Another outlet, in an extract we read, says the official information available does not confirm this return. A lead about an extension « until the end of next year », relayed by a search engine, could not be checked against the source it cites.

Sources: k-eta.go.kr notice of 23 December 2025 and diplomatie.gouv.fr; scenario reported by NRmagazine (27 July 2026), unofficial sources, checked on 17 October 2026.

Two cases matter for your planning. If an extension is published, you travel as you do today, with a valid passport and the arrival card. If nothing is published, apply for the K-ETA on the official portal before boarding, with processing of up to 72 hours. An issued K-ETA stays valid until its expiry date, which you will find on your confirmation.

A flight that spans 1 January 2027, arriving in late December and returning the following year, is not settled by the sources we read. The entry date is the first thing to check on the portal, before buying any non-refundable ticket.

Procedure, step by step

The steps below come from official pages. Uncertain points are flagged: confirm them on the portal before you leave.

1. Check your status on the arrival date. French nationality, a stay of under 90 days, exemption active on the day of entry (diplomatie.gouv.fr). A British or US passport follows the same steps only if your country is on the list of 22 exempt jurisdictions: check it on the official portal rather than in a copied list.
2. Check your passport. A valid passport is enough during the exemption. The exact validity rule beyond your return date was not found on an official page: confirm it with the French embassy in Korea before you leave.
3. Fill in the electronic arrival card on e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Check the address on diplomatie.gouv.fr before you enter your details. It is free, to be submitted in the three days before arrival, and entry must follow within 72 hours. A holder of a valid K-ETA is exempt.
4. Apply for a K-ETA only on the official portal. The official notices we read allow a voluntary application during the exemption, for 10,000 KRW. A specialist article claims the opposite for exempt nationals: this contradiction is not settled, so check k-eta.go.kr before you pay anything.
5. If the exemption is not renewed for 2027, apply for the K-ETA before departure. The stated processing time is up to 72 hours: do not leave it until the last minute.
6. Keep proof. Save your K-ETA application number or confirmation, and your arrival card confirmation. This common-sense advice does not come from an official source.
7. Bring your documents to check-in. An unverified press extract says some airlines check the K-ETA at check-in, with a risk of being refused boarding. This is not an official rule: we could not read the source.

Two common questions remain without a documented answer on the pages we read: what happens if your passport expires before your return, and what to do if you forgot the arrival card? Confirm them with the French embassy in Korea or on the portal before you leave.

Budget: what the formalities really cost

During the exemption, the arrival card is free and the K-ETA is not required. The only possible cost is a voluntary application: 10,000 KRW, non-refundable, according to the Korean embassy notices published in 2023 and December 2025. The amount in your own currency depends on the day’s exchange rate, which we did not check for this article: convert it at the moment you pay.

Unofficial middlemen also offer to apply on your behalf for a fee, and some search results flag scams. We did not check their prices. The official portal remains the only address to remember for a direct application at 10,000 KRW. This article does not cover the flight, accommodation or transport.

If you travel in 2027 and the K-ETA becomes compulsory again, budget for the 10,000 KRW application fee, plus a few days’ margin for issue, as processing can take up to 72 hours.

Depending on your profile: first time, transit, family

First time in Korea. Focus on the arrival card, the formality most likely to surprise you. Fill it in at home, in the three-day window before your flight. To plan your first days, our comparison of day trips from Seoul helps you choose the outing that suits your pace.

Travelling with a connection. A stopover in Seoul raises a question the official pages we read do not settle: do you need a K-ETA for a transit? Ask your airline and check the portal before you book, rather than assuming.

Family travel. Each traveller presents their own passport. Check that everyone has their own arrival card and that each passport’s validity covers the stay. If your stay falls during Chuseok, Korea’s big family holiday, read Chuseok 2026 in Korea: travelling when the country stops before you book your transport.

Tight budget. The electronic arrival card is free. A voluntary K-ETA application is an optional choice, at 10,000 KRW.

Stay spanning 1 January 2027. The sources we read do not say which rule applies to a stay that runs past 31 December 2026 when entry came before. Ask the authorities before you leave, and do not rely on a secondary opinion.

What other guides don’t tell you

The points below are checked against an official source or a published notice. Some mainstream guides leave them out, or get them wrong.

• The official list covers 22 jurisdictions. The Korean embassy notices and EIG’s analysis of 12 January 2026 agree, while some guides cite a much higher figure with no source. MOFA notice, Spanish embassy (published 23 December 2025, checked on 17 October 2026).
• The paper card has not been scrapped. According to the Ministry of Justice, as relayed by Visasnews, paper and electronic cards are both accepted until an official announcement of withdrawal. Visasnews (published 13 March 2026, checked on 17 October 2026).
• The end time matters. The notice sets the end at 31 December 2026, Seoul time, with no exact minute: end of day on 31 December in Seoul, which is 4 p.m. Paris time at the latest. k-eta.go.kr notice (published 23 December 2025, checked on 17 October 2026).
• The electronic card has an entry deadline. You can fill it in up to three days before arrival, but it becomes invalid if you do not enter within 72 hours of submitting it. diplomatie.gouv.fr (updated 15 September 2026, checked on 17 October 2026).
• The K-ETA’s return in 2027 has not been announced. Two press sites, in July 2026 (NRmagazine and StampedNomad), present it as settled, with no Korean notice dated after December 2025 to back it up. None of the notices we read on k-eta.go.kr or in the embassy notices mentions 2027 (checked on 17 October 2026).
• Older validity and application-time rules are out of date. A Korean embassy page in Qatar, dated 30 March 2022, gives figures that no longer apply. Do not rely on it, even though it still ranks well in search (checked on 17 October 2026).

Practical information: keep with you

Keep an offline copy of your K-ETA confirmation and your arrival card. The eSIM and insurance offers were not assessed for this article.