Check the rules for your passport
Start with the official visa-free eligibility list. 116 countries and regions may enter for a short tourism or business visit with no visa, and each row carries its own allowance. Sixty-five rows say 90 days; thirty-six say 30; one, Lesotho, says 60. Eleven are written in months rather than days — Belgium, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Surinam and Switzerland at three months, Canada at six — and three, Kazakhstan, Portugal and Russia, are a run of days inside a 180-day window. Use the allowance listed for your passport; “How long can I stay in Korea without a visa?” walks through each kind.
Being on the list means a visa may not be required for the permitted visit; you must still check K-ETA and arrival-declaration requirements. Immigration makes the final admission decision. If your passport is not eligible for the proposed visa-free visit, check visa requirements with a Korean embassy or consulate before travelling.
Check travel authorisation and arrival forms separately
K-ETA means Korea Electronic Travel Authorization. Eligible visa-free visitors need this approval before boarding unless they qualify for an exemption. The current nationality-based temporary exemption runs through 31 December 2026 in Korean time; check whether it covers your passport and arrival date (“Do I need K-ETA travel authorisation?”). An arrival declaration is also required unless you meet one of its separate exemptions, including valid K-ETA used for visa-free entry (“The e-Arrival Card: Korea's online arrival form”). Neither is a visa, and neither replaces one.
What visa-free does not cover
Visa-free entry is for a short visit: sightseeing, business meetings, seeing family. The K-ETA eligibility page defines its applicants as people "wishing to enter the Republic of Korea without a visa", but that does not authorise every activity a visitor might wish to undertake. The Korea Visa Portal, run by the Ministry of Justice, lists the categories by purpose: the short-term general visa (단기일반, C-3-1), employment visas (the E series), study (D-2), marriage-based immigration (F-6), investment (D-8), and the overseas-Korean categories (H-2, F-4). If you plan to study, work or move to Korea, check the category and status that fit your circumstances. Visa-free eligibility for tourism does not settle those requirements.
Not on the list: where to apply
Check the application procedure with the Korean embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, using the Korea Visa Portal, whose Visa Navigator matches your situation to a category and which also tracks an application once it is in. Application methods, required documents, fees and processing times depend on the visa and the responsible mission. Check that mission’s instructions before committing to travel arrangements.
