Visa requirements for South Korean citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens ofSouth Korea.
As of 2025, South Korean citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 190 countries and territories, ranking theSouth Korean passport 2nd in the world according to theHenley Passport Index.[1]
As of 2025, the passports of South Korea,Andorra,Brunei,Chile,Israel andPalau are the only ones to provide visa-free access to allG8 countries, and the passports of South Korea, Andorra,Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina,Brazil, Chile,Hong Kong, Israel, Palau andUruguay are the only ones to provide visa free access to all European countries.[a] In addition, the South Korean passport provides visa-free access to the largest area of the world.
The South Korean government has banned travel to several countries to ensure the safety of its citizens. Neither consular assistance nor protections will be provided to people traveling to those countries with theSouth Korean passport, unless they have been given special authorization before traveling.
As of October 16, 2025, due to safety concerns, the South Korean government bans its citizens from traveling to Boko San District, Bavet City, and Poipet City inKampot Province.[46][47]
Visa on Arrival is only granted at Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai airport.
South Korean citizens can also apply for e-Visa online for 30 days.
e-Visa holders must arrive via 32 designated airports[Note 2] or 5 designated seaports.[Note 3][119]
An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year.[120]
Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa.[121]
As of June 17, 2025, due to safety concerns, the Korean government issued an exit advisory for all regions of Iran to Koreans residing in each region.[126]
Since 2004, it has been recommended to refrain from entering Iraq due to the danger of Al Qaeda, and since August 7, 2007, penalties have been introduced for Koreans entering Iraq.
Separately, according to Iraqi policy, visitors can enter Iraq with visa on arrival and e-Visa.
Visa can be obtained upon arrival, it will cost a total of 40 JOD, obtainable at most international ports of entry and land border crossings. (exceptKing Hussein/Allenby Bridge)
Nationals of either Koreas seeking to visit the other must submit the North/South Korea visitation verification certificate and the Departure card to the Immigration Officer at the immigration port and go through immigration inspection. Also, nationals of South Korea must seek governmental authorization before departure.[145]
Granted free of charge atBeirut International Airport or any other port of entry if there is no Israeli visa or stamp in the passport, and in possession of a phone number & address to be visited in Lebanon, and a non-refundable onward or round trip ticket.
As of 7 August 2024, due to safety concerns, the South Korean government bans its citizens from visiting within 4km from the Israeli border. And from 12 October 2024, the South Korean government expanded the ban to theSouth Governorate, and theNabatieh Governorate.[155]
As of November 4, 2025, due to safety concerns and threats byAl-Qaeda in the country, the South Korean government has imposed a ban on its citizens traveling to Mali.[171][172]
Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to theTrans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[200] Such travellers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.[199]
As of November 8, 2025, due to safety concerns, the South Korean government has imposed a ban on its citizens traveling to Niger, with the exception ofNiamey.[203][204]
As of June 30, 2025, foreigners entering Russia without a visa must pre-register in the ruID mobile app and receive a digital code at least 72 hours before entry. However, this is currently optional and not mandatory.
As of 8 March 2022, due to safety concerns, the South Korean government bans its citizens from visiting within 30km from the Ukrainian border. And as of November 21, 2024, the ban was expanded to include the entireKursk Oblast region.[232][233]
Since 2006, due to safety concerns, South Koreans have been requested to refrain from entering Somalia, and since August 7, 2007, Koreans entering Somalia are subject to punishment.
ESTA is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance.[295]
ESTA is also required when entering the country by cruise ship or land.[296]
Visa required for nationals of VWP countries who have travelled or been present in Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen at any time on or after 1 March 2011 (with limited exceptions), or those who have travelled or being present in Cuba at any time on or after 12 January 2021, or nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.
Special permit required (4 days:EUR 25 forOrthodox visitors, EUR 35 for non-Orthodox visitors, EUR 18 for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.[309][310]
Permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours[320] and permit issued by theNorwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.[321]
To enter South Ossetia, visitors must have a multiple-entry visa forRussia and register their stay with the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 3 days.[326][327]
All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside ofKhartoum must obtain a travel permit.
As of 29 April 2023, the South Korean government bans its citizens from visiting Sudan during2023 Sudan conflict. The travel ban also includes visitingDarfur.
With the exception of the capitalMalé, tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.[352]
Special permission required for south part ofJoint Security Area, is only group visitors over 30 to less 45 people and aged 10 years and over, and another areas are restricted.
From January 1, 2014 to present, the South Korean government, due to safety concerns, has banned its citizens and permanent residents from visitingAfghanistan,Haiti,Iraq,Somalia,Sudan,Syria,Ukraine,Yemen and other regions for safety reasons.[420] These measures are being extended every 6 months.
Also, South Korean citizens are basically not allowed to visit North Korea except when special authorizations are granted by the Ministry of Unification on a limited basis (e.g. workers and businessmen visiting or commuting to / fromKaesong Industrial Complex).[421] Yet 8 people on 6 occasions, fromLim Su-kyung in 1989 toRo Su-hui in 2012, who visited one or more banned countries without prior authorization and returned to South Korea viaPanmunjom,[422] were sentenced to imprisonment of up to 10 years.[423]
Many countries have entry restrictions on foreigners that go beyond the common requirement of having either a validvisa or a visa exemption. Such restrictions may be health related or impose additional documentation requirements on certain classes of people for diplomatic or political purposes.
Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.[426] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.
Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[429][430]
Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.
However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens[431][432] or even accept passports that have already expired (butnot been cancelled).[433]
Some countries, such as Japan,[434] Ireland and the United Kingdom,[435] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.
In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,[436] Bhutan, Botswana,British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,[437] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,[438] Philippines,[439] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.[440]
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.
Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand.Similarly, theEEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, allEuropean Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.
Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.
Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives[441] and South Africa.
Countries of theSchengen area require non-EU passports to be less than 10 years old upon entry.[442] A number of holders of British passports, which until September 2018 could be issued with a validity period of up to 10 years and nine months if the previous passport was not expired, were unable to travel to the EU subsequent toBrexit due to this restriction.[443]
Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,[444] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have acriminal record, while others impose restrictionsdepending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.
The government of a country can declare a diplomatpersona non grata, banning them from entering the country or expelling them if they have already entered. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreignerpersona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.[445]
Kuwait,[446] Lebanon,[447] Libya,[448] and Yemen[449] do not allow entry to people withpassport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.
To circumvent thisArab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports atBen Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017[update]) stamped atErez when passing into and out ofGaza.[citation needed]
Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.
Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, befingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than golandside.[450]
Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,[451][452] Argentina,[453] Brunei, Cambodia,[454] China,[455] Ethiopia,[456] Ghana, Guinea,[457] India, Japan,[458][459] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),[460] Malaysia upon entry and departure,[461] Mongolia, Saudi Arabia,[462] Singapore, South Korea,[463] Taiwan, Thailand,[464] Uganda,[465] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implementexit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its own legislation),[466][467][468] intends to implementfacial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.[469]
Together with fingerprint and face recognition,iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by theInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use ine-passports[470] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.[471][472]
Consular protection of South Korean citizens abroad
South Korea and North Korea each set the territorial scope intheir respective constitutions to coverthe entire Korean Peninsula.
So the two Koreas regard each other's territory as part of their own territory and do not recognize the sovereignty of the other side as a country. For this reason, embassies based on the premise of establishing diplomatic relations betweenforeign countries cannot be mutually established.
Inter-Korean exchange relations are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of each government, but the Ministry of Unification on the South Korean side and the Workers' Party of Korea on the North Korean side.
^"eGate".customs.govt.nz. New Zealand Customs Service.
^ab"Paying the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy".immigration.govt.nz. Immigration New Zealand.Many tourists, people on working holidays, and some students and workers coming to New Zealand must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $35.
^"Information about: Australian Resident Visa".immigration.govt.nz. Immigration New Zealand.Australian citizens and permanent residents can visit, work and live in New Zealand. You do not need a visa before you travel to New Zealand.
^Baker, Vicky (20 June 2013)."Passport expiry dates and blank pages: what are the rules?".The Guardian. Retrieved13 January 2024.The number of remaining blank pages a passport should have is also an issue. Some travellers have reported arriving with one or less than one full page left and waiting for hours at immigration, until an official reluctantly grants them entry. The FCO lists no hard and fast rules because, in many cases, there aren't any.
^"Yellow Fever".Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). African Union. Retrieved23 August 2021.African countries that requires (sic) Yellow Fever vaccination certificate: Countries that require vaccination for all travellers older that 9 months or 1 year: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'lvoire, DRC, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Niger, Togo.
^"Fièvre jaune" (in French). 2 September 2018. Retrieved27 August 2019.
^"Yellow Fever".Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). African Union. Retrieved23 August 2021.African countries that requires Yellow Fever vaccination certificate: Countries that requires (sic) vaccination for travellers from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission or transit for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
^"Visitor Visa".travel.state.gov. US Department of State. Retrieved13 January 2024.Passport valid for travel to the United States – Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States (unless exempt by country-specific agreements). Each individual who needs a visa must submit a separate application, including any family members listed in your passport.
^"Countries whose citizens are allowed to enter Turkey with their expired passports".Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Republic of Turkey. Archived fromthe original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved6 July 2018.Countries whose citizens are allowed to enter Turkey with their expired passports: 1. Germany – Passports expired within the last year / ID's expired within the last year, 2. Belgium - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 3. France - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 4. Spain - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 5. Switzerland - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 6. Luxemburg - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 7. Portugal - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 8. Bulgaria – Valid ordinary passport
^"Frequently Asked Questions".Embassy of Japan in Malaysia. Retrieved13 January 2024.Q: Do I need at least 6 months passport validity in order to enter Japan? A: Japan does not have any regulations relating to passport validity, so long as your passport will be valid until after you leave Japan.
^"Entering the UK".Gov.UK. Retrieved17 March 2021.You're not from an EEA country: you must have a valid passport to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay.
^Calder, Simon (24 April 2017)."Airline lobbying for a relaxation of draconian rules for London-Auckland travellers".The Independent.Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved7 July 2018.Travellers heading west from the UK to New Zealand may soon be able to avoid the onerous requirement to clear US border control during the refuelling stop at Los Angeles airport (LAX). Unlike almost every other country in the world, the US insists on a full immigration check even for passengers who simply intend to re-board their plane to continue onwards to a foreign destination. Air New Zealand, which flies daily from Heathrow via Los Angeles to Auckland, says there are currently "strict requirements for travellers" in transit at LAX. Through passengers to Auckland on flight NZ1 or Heathrow on NZ2 must apply in advance for an ESTA (online visa) even though they have no intention of staying in the US. They also have to undergo screening by the Transportation Security Administration.
^"China to Start Fingerprinting Foreign Visitors".Air Canada. 31 January 2019. Retrieved7 July 2018.Effective 27 April 2018, border control authorities at all of China's ports of entry, including its airports, will start collecting the fingerprints of all foreign visitors aged between 14 and 70. Diplomatic passport holders and beneficiaries of reciprocal agreements are exempted..
^"Immigration & Visas FAQs".Kenya Airports Authority. Retrieved6 May 2019.Will visitors still have their digital photo and fingerprints taken at the immigration desk on arrival? Yes, the need to have photos and fingerprints taken upon arrival is to authenticate that the person who applied for the Visa is the same person at the port of entry
^Brown, Theresa Cardinal (9 May 2016)."Biometric Entry-Exit Update: CBP Developing Land Border Process".Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved25 April 2019.While a requirement for a biometric entry-exit system has been in law for over a decade, it is not yet a reality. Many reasons for the long gestating development have been documented in BPC's 2014 report Entry-Exit System: Progress, Challenges, and Outlook, including the technological, operational, and cost challenges of creating exit systems and infrastructure where none exist today. However, many critics, especially in Congress, simply accused the Department of Homeland security of dragging its feet... the major operational, logistical, and technical challenge in implementing exit capability at our ports has been the land borders. Unlike airports and seaports, the land border environment is not physically controlled, there is no means to get advance information on who is arriving, and the sheer volume of travel—both vehicular and pedestrian—creates challenges in any system to not further exacerbate delays. While biometric exit for land vehicular traffic is still in the "what if" stage, CBP is moving ahead and piloting systems and technology to use with the large population of pedestrian crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
^Lipton, Eric (21 May 2013)."U.S. Quietly Monitors Foreigners' Departures at the Canadian Border".The New York Times. Retrieved25 April 2019.Long demanded by lawmakers in Congress, it is considered a critical step to developing a coherent program to curb illegal immigration, as historically about 30 percent to 40 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States arrived on tourist visas or other legal means and then never left, according to estimates by Homeland Security officials.
^Lipton, Eric (15 December 2006)."Administration to Drop Effort to Track if Visitors Leave".The New York Times. Retrieved25 April 2019.Efforts to determine whether visitors actually leave have faltered. Departure monitoring would help officials hunt for foreigners who have not left, if necessary. Domestic security officials say, however, it would be too expensive to conduct fingerprint or facial recognition scans for land departures.
^"Iris Scanner Could Replace Emirates ID In UAE".SimplyDXB. 11 June 2017. Retrieved7 July 2018.The breach of privacy is probably the biggest threat to the biometric technique of iris recognition. Secondly, a device error can false reject or false accept the identity which can also have some heinous consequences. Lastly, the method isn't the most cost-effective one. It is complex and therefore expensive. Furthermore, the maintenance of devices and data can also be relatively burdensome. However, thanks to the oil money and spending ability of Dubai, they are economically equipped to effectively embrace this system.
1British Overseas Territories.2 These countries span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.3 Partially recognized.4Unincorporated territory of the United States.5 Part of the Kingdom of Denmark.6Egypt spans the boundary between Africa and Asia.7 Unrecognized state.
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
North Korea
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Abkhazia
Mount Athos
Crimea
Northern Cyprus
UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus
Faroe Islands
Gibraltar
Guernsey
Isle of Man
Jersey
Kosovo
South Ossetia
Transnistria
British Indian Ocean Territory
Ascension Island
Saint Helena
Tristan da Cunha
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Somaliland
Hong Kong
Macao
Palestine
Taiwan
Anguilla
Aruba
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Curaçao
Greenland
Montserrat
Puerto Rico
Sint Maarten
Turks and Caicos Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
American Samoa
Cook Islands
French Polynesia
Guam
New Caledonia
Niue
Northern Mariana Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Galápagos
Falkland Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
