What it is, and who files it
The e-Arrival Card (전자입국신고서) is Korea’s free online arrival declaration. Check the official eligibility guide to see whether a declaration is required for your entry. It has its own exemptions, separate from exemption from applying for K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization). Follow the current filing guide for the online and paper options.
The portal’s fee notice confirms that submission is free. Use the official service rather than a paid intermediary.
When the window opens, and when it shuts
The portal's FAQ is precise: filing uses the three-day window shown by the portal, in Korean time, and can be done "any time after arrival, as long as it is before undergoing immigration inspection". Submit before immigration inspection. The filing window does not give you three days after landing to complete the form.
If you arrive without submitting, complete the declaration before immigration inspection. Follow the current official instructions for using the online or paper form. Use the eligible dates displayed on the portal: its example for a January 31 arrival permits filing January 29–31. A submission expires 72 hours after filing, so check its validity if your flight is delayed.
What it asks for
Prepare your passport, travel details, accommodation address and a contact number in Korea. The form can read information from an image of your passport’s identity page; check the extracted details before submitting. Use the address-lookup instructions to enter your accommodation’s road address (도로명주소). The hotel's switchboard number is accepted; you do not need a number of your own. The address is on the booking confirmation, and “Filling in the e-Arrival Card, field by field” walks every line, including the form's own address lookup. A transit passenger who must clear immigration with no hotel enters the airport's own address instead, which the same FAQ supplies.
Who does not file
Holders of a valid K-ETA used for visa-free entry and holders of a valid Korean residence card are among the exempt categories. Being exempt from applying for K-ETA is a separate status. Check the official declaration guide for the full conditions; someone entering with a visa still needs a declaration even if they also hold K-ETA.
Nothing to print
The confirmation carries an issue number and can be saved as a PDF, but no print-out is required: immigration retrieves the filing when it scans your passport. Keep the confirmation details in case you need to retrieve or edit the submission.
Check the current official instructions
The official guide describes the online declaration and its relationship to the paper arrival card. Follow the current instructions for your entry. Earlier notices about a universal January 2026 electronic-only mandate do not establish that every visitor must file online.
