South Korea K ETA and Visa 2026: Exempt List, KRW 10,000 Fee, C 3 Visa

South Korea has two ways in for short visits. If your nationality can enter Korea without a visa, you get a K ETA online before you fly, or you use the temporary exemption if your country is on that list. If your nationality needs a visa, the K ETA is not for you and you apply for a visa at a Korean embassy or through the official Korean visa portal.

Our comparison of ESTA, eTA, NZeTA and K ETA puts the K ETA next to the other travel permissions. This guide goes into the Korean rules in detail.

Korea first paused the K ETA for 22 countries and regions in April 2023 and has extended the pause each year. The latest extension, announced by Korean embassies on 29 December 2025, runs from 1 January to 31 December 2026 (Korea time).

The 22 are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States (including Guam).

Travellers from these places can still apply for a K ETA and pay the fee. The benefit is that you do not need to fill in an arrival card. Korean embassies have said that Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and BNO passport holders must still get a K ETA, so check the rule for your exact passport.

On 4 November 2026 we found no official notice about 2027. If you travel on or after 1 January 2027, check the notices on the official K ETA website a few weeks before you fly.

• Apply with the passport you will travel with. A new passport needs a new K ETA.
• Upload a clear face photo. The official FAQ explains photo rules, including photos with a hijab.
• If your job or address changes after approval, you can update travel information on the K ETA site.
• A K ETA is not a visa and does not allow work. The immigration officer at the airport still decides on entry.

Azerbaijani citizens with ordinary passports need a visa for South Korea. For tourism, short business trips, events and medical trips the embassy issues a short term C 3 visa. It is single entry by default; ask for double entry when you apply if you need it. If you travel with friends or family who live in Korea, the embassy asks for a C 3 1 visa with their invitation and guarantee letters.

Book an appointment by email (azeremb@mofa.go.kr) at least 5 working days in advance. Write your full name, date of birth, purpose of the trip, planned entry date and the date and time you want to apply. You must hand in the documents yourself.

The embassy does not accept damaged or stained dollar notes, or notes with stamps on them. Processing is 2 to 3 working days for short term visas and 5 for long term visas, not counting the day you apply and non working days.

Business visitors add a notarised invitation and guarantee letter and the company registration of the Korean host. The embassy may ask for more papers. The embassy is at ISR Plaza, 14th floor, 69 Nizami Street, Baku; it receives visa applications Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. See our embassies page for other missions.

• Passport valid for more than 6 months.
• Visa application form, from the embassy website.
• One colour photo, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, white background, taken in the last 6 months. Printed out photos are not accepted.
• Round trip flight booking and hotel confirmation.
• A travel plan in English. There is no fixed format, but it must be detailed.
• Proof of your job, for example an employment certificate printed from the e gov portal.
• A bank certificate covering 6 months with at least USD 3,000.
• Documents not in English or Korean need a notarised translation. Documents from a third country need an apostille or embassy legalisation; see our apostille guide.
• For stays over 90 days, a TB test certificate from a hospital the embassy names.

Your nationality decides. A French or Japanese citizen working in Baku follows the exempt list; a Kazakh or Russian citizen checks whether they need a K ETA; a Pakistani or Indian citizen needs a Korean visa. People who are not Azerbaijani citizens should ask the embassy in Baku whether it accepts their application, and bring their Azerbaijani residence permit.

Use the visa that matches your trip. The embassy warns that people who work on a tourist visa can be refused visas later or turned back at the border. For other destinations, see travel from Azerbaijan, travel from Pakistan and travel from India.