The government of South Korea has announced that it will finally launch its long-gestating Electronic Travel Authorization for foreign citizens, named K-ETA. This makes South Korea the first country in the world to launch an ETA during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
The groundwork for implementing an Electronic Travel Authorization was first laid after the South Korean National Assembly passed a revision of the country’s Immigration Law in January 2020. However, after months of preparing the online system, it now seems that all visa waiver foreign nationals will be able to apply online for the K-ETA from September 2021.
Why South Korea is implementing an ETA
The primary aim for the introduction of the K-ETA is to facilitate entry to South Korea for visa-exempt foreign citizens. It removes the need for visa waiver citizens to complete a disembarkation card upon arrival.
However, it will also complement the current coronavirus restrictions in South Korea. The K-ETA will allow the South Korean government to pre-screen travelers for COVID-19 symptoms and any potential contact with the virus before they are granted authorization to travel to the country.
K-ETA is not a visa. It is an electronic travel authorization/ online visa waiver that is only available for foreign citizens currently permitted visa-free entry to South Korea.
The launch of the travel authorization is not only expected to boost tourism back to its pre-pandemic levels but also to promote further growth.
When the Electronic Travel Authorization for South Korea Will Launch
The K-ETA program is first being launched on a trial basis from May 2021. The ETA will not initially be mandatory for the first few months. It will be optional for a few visa-exempt nationalities and priority travelers as part of a trial run. During this period it will not be necessary to pay a fee to be issued an ETA.
The K-ETA for South Korea will fully come into effect from September 2021. Once the program is fully live, it will become mandatory for all visa-exempt travelers to have an approved Electronic Travel Authorization to board a flight to the country, and to pay a small processing fee online in order to obtain it.
The process of applying for the K-ETA has been designed to be as simple and straightforward as possible. The application form can be submitted on the online web portal within a few minutes.
Applicants simply need to fill in basic personal information such as their name, date of birth, nationality, and the details of their passport. They will also have to provide details of any criminal history and contact/symptoms with infectious diseases such as COVID-19 before submitting the form.
The government of South Korea has also announced that it will be possible to apply for the K-ETA through an application on a mobile device once the system is fully operational.
Countries eligible to apply for the South Korean ETA
South Korea has confirmed that all citizens of select visa-free nationalities can apply for the K-ETA online during the trial period from May. These countries include Albania, Andorra, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, Slovenia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.
Additionally, the government has stated that priority travelers from the other visa waiver countries for which entry is currently prohibited will also be able to obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization during the trial run. This includes business visitors.
By September 2021, it will be compulsory for all travelers from the more than 100 countries in the South Korean visa waiver program to apply online for the K-ETA. By this time, it is expected that the COVID-19 vaccination drive in South Korea will be well underway and foreign travel restrictions will be significantly eased.
Benefits of the K-ETA for South Korea
In addition to allowing the government to pre-screen travelers for any signs of coronavirus in advance and contain the spread of new variants of COVID-19 in the country, the K-ETA is also expected to facilitate tourist entry to the country and restart the flagging tourism economy.
Before the coronavirus situation evolved into a global pandemic, the tourism economy of South Korea was one of the fastest-growing in the world. In 2019, the country saw large increases in the number of tourist arrivals over previous years from traditionally strong markets such as China, but also from a number of visa-exempt countries for South Korea such as Japan and the United States.
The launch of the travel authorization is not only expected to boost tourism back to its pre-pandemic levels but also to promote further growth. The fact that travelers will be able to gain expedited entry to the country by presenting an approved K-ETA and avoid waiting in long immigration queues is projected to be a big incentive for foreign tourists.
Additionally, a K-ETA application will be quickly processed, usually within 24 hours. Once approved, it is valid for 2 years from the date of approval and permits multiple entries to South Korea for tourism or business purposes during its validity. This means that holders of the K-ETA will not have to submit a new application before every trip to the country and gain hassle-free entry to South Korea at the border.
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