Entry & Exit Requirements for South Korea

South Korea is a charming, quiet and mysterious country. Tourists to South Korea will find that this modern country that hosted the 88th Summer Olympics still retains the essence of ancient eastern civilization - ancient palaces, magnificent ancient gates and quiet temple. Before arriving at South Korea, you may not quite sure about some things. For example, what are South Korea entry and exit formalities or South Korea entry and exit requirements? What's the policy of the customs of South Korea? These are all you concern before traveling to South Korea. Here you can get the answer.


Korean Passport

Entry formalities for South Korea

1. Documents for entry in South Korea

a. Application for Immigration - All foreigners are required to complete (except for foreigners who are passport and ID card holder)

b. Item declaration form - 1 form per person/1 family can be filled in 1 piece.

c. Quarantine report - passengers or flight attendants from infected areas such as cholera, yellow fever, plague, etc.
 

Arrival Card
 

2. Entry requirements for South Korea

From January 2012, all foreigners who are 17 years of age or older must provide fingerprints and facial information at the entry checkpoint of national airport or port to enter South Korea. The information collected will be used to prevent crimes committed at home and abroad and to ensure the order. However, foreigners under the age of 17 and overseas government personnel, international agencies and their families, as well as foreigners invited by the head of the Korean Central Government may be exempted from the procedure.


Visa Application
 

a. Requirements for luggage

Under normal circumstances, passengers holding first-class ticket can carry two pieces of 10 kg of hand luggage. Passengers in business class and economy class can carry one piece of 5 kg of hand luggage. The length, width and height of each hand baggage should not exceed 56 (22 inches) * 45 cm (18 inches) * 25 cm (10 inches) respectively, and the sum of the three sides should not exceed 115 cm.
 

b. Prohibited items in the airplane

Mobile phones, radios, remote control toys, toy guns, wireless transceivers, portable TV sets and other wireless receiving, remote control machines, etc. are prohibited items in the airplane.
 

c. Prohibited varieties of items for entry in South Korea

Oranges, mangoes, coconuts, cherries, apples, grapes, walnuts and fruits, soil or plants with soil, etc. are prohibited items for entry in South Korea.

Exit process for South Korea

1. Tax refund form + check-in and consignment (parallel, time is about 30 minutes).
2. Through the security check (requires a minimum of 30 minutes).
3. Receive duty-free goods (queue to get the collar number + queue to pick up the goods, taking about 20 minutes).
4. Prepare to board the plane.

Exit Card

Policy of customs of South Korea

1. Foreigner entry checkpoint

The checkpoint of immigration of South Korea is divided into a national immigration check desk and a foreign immigration check desk. When checking, the prepared materials must be presented to the reviewer, including a valid passport (the crew is required to present the passport and crew identification) and the entry registration card. If the passport expires, the type of visa and the purpose of the visit are inconsistent, the entry will be denied.

When accepting the immigration review, you should adjust your mobile phone to the vibration mode and remove the hat and sunglasses in advance. After passing through the review desk, you can collect your baggage after passing through the metal detector door of customs, and then select the customs passage. When there is no declared item, take the tax-free passage, and take the customs inspection passage when there is a product declared.
 

2. Custom declaration

Customs declaration is based on the principle of a written declaration, but the carry-on baggage carried by tourists can be declared orally. Tourists through the Incheon International Airport in South Korea are free to choose a general tourist tax or a duty-free customs counter.

If the value of the items brought by the tourists does not exceed $600 dollars, and the foreign currency does not exceed $10,000 dollars, they can be handled by the simple counter without tax. Guns, gunpowder, drugs, animals and plants, obstacles to public safety, counterfeit currency or securities, counterfeit goods, radio equipment, etc. are not included. Violators who use simplified counter-smuggling will increase their criminal liability.
 

South Korean Customs Declaration Form
 

3. Safety quarantine

When carrying animals and plants, you need to provide the quarantine certificate of the corresponding department. Imports of most fruits, vegetables, walnuts and soiled plants are prohibited. If you carry a plant that is not declared, you will be fined.
 

4. What are the duty-free goods

Carry-on clothes, jewelry, cosmetics and daily necessities, 200 cigarettes, 1 bottle of alcohol (1,000 ml), 2 ounces of perfume and products worth less than $400 (excluding smoke and alcohol) are duty-free goods.
 

5. Tips 

South Korean antiques and important cultural relics must be approved by the Cultural Assets Appraisal Office before they can leave the country.