Korea e-Arrival Card 2026: Official Site and When to File

The Korea e-Arrival Card is the free online version of Korea's arrival card, and US citizens must submit it unless they hold a valid K-ETA. You can file it from 3 days before you land, on the official site, www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. This page covers who files, the site, the fields, the paper card, the K-ETA question and what happens at the Incheon desk. For the full list of entry steps (visa-free stay, K-ETA in 2027, customs), see our South Korea entry requirements guide.

We re-read the official site, its guides, FAQ and notices on 4 November 2026. Where an official page did not answer, we say "not confirmed".

The short answer

Note: The e-Arrival Card Guide says foreigners can file the card online before immigration in place of the paper form, that filing opens 3 days before arrival based on Korean Standard Time, and that it is free (read 4 Nov 2026)

So the card is free, online, and opens 3 days before you land.

When can I fill out the Korea e-Arrival Card?

You can file from 3 days before arrival, counted in Korean Standard Time, up to the moment you reach the immigration desk. The official FAQ gives an example: for an arrival on 31 January, you can file from 29 January to 31 January.

Hours: Filing window: from 3 days before arrival (KST) until immigration inspection. The card lapses 72 hours after you submit it, even if you have not entered Korea (official guide and FAQ Q21, read 4 Nov 2026)

Count the 3 days in Korean time, not your home time zone. Korea is ahead of every US time zone, so the window can open on a different US calendar day than you expect.

If you forget, you can still file after landing. FAQ Q10 says you can fill out the e-Arrival Card or a paper card before immigration.

So file in the 3 days before you land, Korean time, and not earlier.

What is the official Korea e-Arrival Card website?

The official address is www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. It is run by the Korea Immigration Service of the Ministry of Justice, and the site carries the Ministry's name in its footer. The home page offers 7 languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Russian.

Note: The site's notice "e-Arrival card is free of charge" says to beware of websites with similar names that may ask for personal information or fees, and names www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr as the only official site (notice posted 21 Feb 2025, pinned on the notice board, read 4 Nov 2026)

On 4 November 2026 the home page still showed a pop-up that offers to send you to a "K-EAC update site". The guide pages do not mention this step, and we could not confirm where the pop-up leads. File only on www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr itself.

Type the address yourself rather than clicking an ad, and never pay for the card.

Do US citizens need the Korea e-Arrival Card?

Yes, unless they hold a valid K-ETA. The US is one of the countries the Ministry of Justice has temporarily exempted from K-ETA from 1 January to 31 December 2026 (KST), per the Korean Embassy in the USA notice of 29 December 2025. The official guide lists people exempt from K-ETA among those who must file the card.

The Individuals Subject to Declaration Guide splits people into two groups.

Note: The guide adds that someone who holds a K-ETA but enters on a visa must still file. FAQ Q23 says a passenger in transit for up to 24 hours who does not enter Korea does not file, but must file if they go through immigration to collect bags or check in (read 4 Nov 2026)

If you hold a K-ETA, check that it is still valid on the day you land. FAQ Q13 asks K-ETA holders to update their purpose of entry and place of stay on the K-ETA site.

So a US citizen with no K-ETA files the card on every trip in 2026.

Korea e-Arrival Card vs K-ETA: which one do I need?

FAQ Q12 says the two are separate systems with different targets and methods. You need one or the other, not both, unless you hold a K-ETA and enter on a visa.

Price: K-ETA: ₩10,000, about US$7 to 8, usually reviewed within 72 hours, apply only at k-eta.go.kr or its app (K-ETA application page, read 4 Nov 2026). The embassy notice says exempt travelers may still apply to skip the arrival card, and the fee is not refunded

So a US visitor in 2026 can skip K-ETA and file the free card instead.

How do I fill out the e-Arrival Card, step by step?

Booking: www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Choose "Individual" for 1 to 9 people, or "Group" for 2 to 1,000 people. The site has an English version. The guide lists five steps: terms and email, passport, travel itinerary, check, submit

What to have in hand, per the official guide:

1. A valid passport.

2. A valid email address.

3. The date of entry and the entry flight number.

4. Where you will stay in Korea.

5. The date of departure. The departure flight number is optional.

Then follow these steps.

1. Open www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr and choose English. A phone browser works.

2. Agree to the terms and enter your email address. FAQ Q19 says a child under 14 cannot be the person who files or the group representative.

3. Enter your passport details. You can photograph the passport page and let the site read it, then check what it read. If your birth date is partly unknown in the passport (for example 1999 XX XX), FAQ Q30 says to type it as 1999.00.00.

4. Enter your trip details: arrival date and flight number, purpose of entry, occupation and where you will stay.

5. Check everything and submit. You get an issue number as a PDF and by email.

Note: A verification number step started on 6 May 2026, per the notice "User Authentication Procedure for e-Arrival Card Submission" (posted 29 Apr 2026, read 4 Nov 2026). The notice does not say how the code is sent or how long it lasts

Fields the site collects

Note: Required in the site's privacy notice: email, nationality, gender, name, date of birth, passport number, passport expiry date, occupation, residence information, purpose of entry, date of entry, and entry flight number. Optional: departure flight number, previous departure place, next destination, visa information and a DoD ID number for USFK (agreement page, e-arrivalcard.go.kr, read 15 Oct 2026)

The address field

FAQ Q22 says to enter your main place of stay in Korea. With no main place, enter where you will stay first. A hotel is enough.

For a same-day layover where you must clear immigration, for example to collect bags, FAQ Q2 gives airport addresses. For Incheon Terminal 1 it lists "272 Gonghang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon (22382)". For Terminal 2 it lists "446 Je2terminal-daero, Jung-gu, Incheon (22382)".

If your departure date is not fixed, FAQ Q24 says to enter an approximate date. It warns that having no departure plan may count against you at immigration, depending on why you are visiting.

So have your passport, flight number and first hotel address ready, and the form takes one sitting.

Can I use a paper arrival card instead?

Yes. The official guide says the e-Arrival Card has the same effect as the paper card, and FAQ Q8 says you do not need a paper card once you file online. FAQ Q10 says that if you did not submit before landing, you can fill out the e-Arrival Card or a paper card before immigration.

We did not find an official page that says where paper cards are handed out at Incheon. That is not confirmed. A phone with signal in the immigration hall is the easier route, and the site works in a mobile browser.

So paper still works, but filing online before you fly saves a step at the airport.

What if the e-Arrival Card website is not working?

These are the problems the site's own notices and FAQ cover:

• The site is paused. The site posts maintenance notices. Recent ones paused the service on 31 August 2026 from 10:00 to 16:00, on 8 October 2026 from 18:00 to 02:30 the next day, and on 3 November 2026 from 01:30 to 03:30 (all KST). If you hit a pause, you can still file after you land, before immigration.

• Emails do not arrive. A notice posted on 13 March 2026 says some Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com and QQ.com users get the card email late or not at all. It suggests using another email address, or saving a copy of the card as soon as you get it.

• Wrong data. FAQ Q29 says you can change your address, purpose of entry or occupation before immigration, using the issue number or email verification. The official guide says the arrival date can only be changed within 3 days of the first submission.

• Lost issue number. FAQ Q11 says you do not need to file again if your data was right, because the officer can see the submitted form.

Note: Help: email earrivalcard@korea.kr (Korean and English only), or the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 in Korea, +82-2-1345 or +82-2-6908-1345 from abroad, weekdays 09:00 to 22:00. After 18:00 the line serves Korean, English and Chinese only (notice "e-Arrival card inquiry", read 4 Nov 2026)

So most problems can be fixed before immigration, as long as you filed on the official site.

What happens at the Incheon immigration desk?

At Incheon, Korean citizens and foreign visitors use separate lines. Per the Incheon Airport arrival immigration page, foreign visitors show their passport and arrival card, and those aged 17 or older give fingerprints and face data.

Getting there: Incheon arrival immigration: blue line for Korean nationals, red line for foreign nationals. Priority lanes serve, among others, children under 7, people aged 70 and over, pregnant women and people with reduced mobility (airport.kr, read 4 Nov 2026)

Note: Immigration offices: Terminal 1 +82-32-740-7391 to 7394, Terminal 2 +82-32-740-7361 to 7364; Immigration Contact Center 1345 (airport.kr, read 4 Nov 2026)

FAQ Q20 says the e-Arrival Card does not give you the automated immigration gates. Those need a separate, earlier registration of your passport and biometric data.

The card is separate from customs. After immigration and bags, customs is its own step, covered in our Korea customs allowances guide.

So with the card filed, the desk step is your passport, fingerprints and a face photo.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 4 November 2026:

• The e-Arrival Card home page: filing from 3 days before arrival, no fee, 7 languages, individual (1 to 9) and group (2 to 1,000) filing, and the "K-EAC" pop-up.

• The e-Arrival Card Guide: free, 72-hour lapse, correction rules, required items, same effect as the paper card.

• The Individuals Subject to Declaration Guide: who files and who does not, including K-ETA country citizens aged 17 or under or aged 65 or over.

• The FAQ board, questions Q1 to Q30.

• The notice board: the free-of-charge notice, the inquiry notice, the email delay notice of 13 March 2026, the verification notice of 29 April 2026 and the pause notices for 31 August, 8 October and 3 November 2026.

• The K-ETA application page: ₩10,000, usually within 72 hours, newest notice dated 3 November 2026.

• The Korean Embassy in the USA notice of 29 December 2025: the 2026 K-ETA exemption period, fee not refunded.

• The Incheon Airport arrival immigration page: fingerprints from age 17, lines, priority lanes, office phone numbers.

Read on 15 October 2026: the site's privacy and terms agreement page (the field list).

Not confirmed: where paper cards are handed out, how the verification code is sent, where the "K-EAC" pop-up leads, and how long a K-ETA stays valid. travel.state.gov blocked our reader on 4 November 2026, so we did not use the US State Department page. The site's header clock shows a 2024 date, so rely on the notices' dates, not the clock.

The rules can change by government notice. Check the live site in the week you fly.