Korea Electronic Arrival Card (e-Arrival Card): Guide to Declaring the South Korea Electronic Entry Card
What is the e-Arrival Card?
The e-Arrival Card (South Korea Electronic Entry Card) is an ONLINE declaration form that completely replaces the traditional paper form. You can declare in advance online, and at the airport you only need to scan your passport and you're done!
Basic Information:
- ✅ 100% Free
- ⏰ Declaration within 72 hours (3 days) before arriving in South Korea
- 📱 Can be completed on a phone or computer
- 🚫 No need to print, no need to carry papers
- 📧 Receive confirmation number via email
- Can re-declare if you made a mistake
⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE: e-Arrival Card is DIFFERENT from K-ETA!
- K-ETA = Electronic travel permit (has a fee, complete 24 hours in advance)
- e-Arrival Card = Entry declaration (free, complete within 72 hours)
- If you need K-ETA, you must complete BOTH!
📝 Prepare Before Declaring
You need to have ready:
-
Valid Passport
- Valid for at least 6 months
- Take a photo of the information page (page with photo) on your phone in advance
-
Email Address
- Your regular email that you can check
-
Flight Information
- Date of arrival in South Korea
- Flight number (Example: VN411, KE658)
- Date of departure (if you don't have it yet, you can enter an estimated date)
-
Hotel Address
- Complete address of where you will stay
- Hotel phone number (remember to include +82 code)
-
Current Occupation
📱 Step 1: Access the Official Website
Go to: https://www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr
Select English (top right corner)
Click "Declaration"
✍️ Step 2: Agree to Terms and Enter Email
Follow in order:
- Check ✓ the "Agree to all" box (Agree to all)
- The system will automatically check the 3 boxes below
- Enter email twice:
- Email: abc@gmail.com
- Confirm email: abc@gmail.com (enter the same)
- There will be green text "Email matches" - that's OK
- Click the green "Confirm" button
⚠️ Note: Children under 14 years old must have an adult declare on their behalf
🛂 Step 3: Enter Passport Information
IF TRAVELING WITH A FAMILY GROUP OF UNDER 9 PEOPLE, YOU CAN DECLARE TOGETHER IN THIS STEP
Method 1: Upload Photo (Faster)
- Click the "Passport" button
- Click "Upload file"
- Select passport photo (must include the <<< line at the bottom)
- The system will automatically read and fill in the information
Method 2: Type Manually (If upload doesn't work)
Fill in this information:
- Surname (Last name): NGUYEN
- Given name (First name): VAN AN
- Date of birth (Date of birth): Select Year/Month/Day
- Country/region (Nationality): Select Vietnam
- Passport number (Passport number): N1234567
- Sex (Gender): Male / Female
- Passport expiration date: Select expiration date
🔴 IMPORTANT:
- Information must EXACTLY match the passport
- Don't confuse Last name and First name
- Check the date of birth carefully (don't confuse day/month)
✈️ Step 4: Flight Information
A. Arrival Flight
- Means of arrival: Click the AIR button (airplane)
- Date of arrival: Select arrival date Example: 07/02/2026
- Flight number: Enter the number Example: VN411 (must be correct!)
- Previous departure place:
- Select Country: Vietnam
- Select City: Hanoi (or Ho Chi Minh City)
B. Departure Flight
- Means of departure: Click AIR
- Date of departure: Select departure date Example: 14/02/2026
- Flight number: (Can be left blank if not yet booked)
💡 Tip: If you don't have a return flight yet, entering an estimated date is OK. However, immigration officers may ask and may not allow entry (Example for trips to JEJU VISA-FREE SOUTH KOREA)!
🏨 Step 5: Purpose and Place of Stay
A. Purpose of entry (Purpose)
Choose from the dropdown:
- Tourism (individual) - Individual tourism (most common choice)
- Business - Business trip
- Visit - Visit family/friends
- Studies - Studies
B. Accommodation Information ⚠️ MANDATORY
How to fill in the address:
- Click the "ENG" button (English is easier)
- Enter hotel address in 2 BOXES:
- Upper box: Basic address (street, district)
- Lower box: Hotel name, additional details
Example:
- Box 1: 123 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Box 2: Lotte Hotel, Room 501
- Contact Information: Enter phone number
- Format: +82-2-1234-5678
- Remember to include +82 at the beginning (South Korea country code)
💡 If staying at multiple places: Enter the first hotel address or main accommodation
Remember to check if the address that appears is correct, sometimes it gets mixed up between provinces
💼 Step 6: Occupation
Select occupation from the dropdown:
- Office worker (Office employee)
- Self-employed (Self-employed)
- Student (Student)
- Teacher (Teacher)
- Others (Other)
✅ Step 7: Review and Submit
Before submitting:
- ✓ Double-check passport information
- ✓ Verify flight numbers are correct
- ✓ Check hotel address is complete
- ✓ Verify phone number has +82
- ✓ Have you added family members traveling with you (if declaring as a group)
Then:
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page
- Click the green "Submit" button
- Take a screenshot of the confirmation page
- Check email → Receive Issue number confirmation
- ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Save this email! (But no need to print it)
🛬 At South Korea Airport
When entering:
- Line up at the Immigration counter
- Hand your passport to the officer
- NO NEED to provide a printed e-Arrival Card
- The information is already automatically linked to your passport!
- Officer scans passport → OK
Easy, isn't it! 😊
💡 Helpful Tips to Avoid Trouble When Entering South Korea
Before you go:
- Take a photo of your passport and save it
- Screenshot hotel information
- Check the flight number on your ticket
- Complete it when you have good WiFi (to avoid errors)
About email:
- Use the email you normally check
- Check both Spam/Junk folders
- Forward the confirmation email to yourself for backup in case you don't have Internet
- Buy a SIM or eSIM in advance if possible
At the airport:
- Keep your phone battery full (in case you need to check the number)
- Prepare your hotel address in Korean in advance (for the taxi)
