The South Korean Government has announced that all foreign visitors to the country, including Malaysians, are required to fill out and submit an e-Arrival card up to 72 hours before arriving in the country, based on Korean Standard Time.
The requirement was enforced yesterday (24 February), with South Korea doing away with the paper arrival form system, though visitors can still use the paper arrival form until December 2025.
All foreign tourists to South Korea are now required to submit an e-Arrival card
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According to the Visit Korea official website, visitors can submit the e-Arrival card online up to 3 days before entering the country. There is no fee required for the service.
Should they fail to enter South Korea within 72 hours after submission of the e-Arrival card, the card will no longer be valid, hence they will need to resubmit it again.
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Moreover, visitors can also download a PDF file of their submitted form, though this is not a requirement for entry inspection.
For visitors under 14 years old, a family member or another person must complete the declaration form on their behalf. The form can also be submitted on behalf of adults and for multiple people at once.
The form can be submitted via the official South Korea e-Arrival card website here, which gives further information about the new online system.
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You need to fill out the e-Arrival card every time you visit South Korea
According to the website, foreign visitors need a valid passport and a correct email address to use the e-Arrival card system. They also need to fill out the expected date of arrival, expected flight number, scheduled date of departure, and place of stay.
If you’re staying at multiple addresses during your stay in the country, you need to enter the representative place where you’ll be staying and if you have no representative place, you need to enter the first place you’ll be staying in South Korea into the system.
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Moreover, foreign travellers also need to submit an e-Arrival card every time they enter South Korea.
If you’re going to South Korea in a group, you can submit just one e-Arrival card as a group, with up to 1,000 people in a group. However, the arrival date and flight number or ship name must be the same.
Currently, the mobile website for the e-Arrival card only allows for up to 9 people to in a single declaration. Groups with more than 10 people need to use the PC version of the website. There are no mobile apps for the e-Arrival card.
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So, what do you guys think of South Korea’s new e-Arrival card requirement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
