South Korea is a popular destination for tourists in South Asia. The country boasts a wealth of attractions and landscapes, as well as a rich cultural and historical heritage. It is also an economic hub with enormous potential. You can visit this country on holiday or for business without first undergoing the 7-day quarantine. You can benefit from this privilege if you make a Q-Code registration after your vaccination.
What is a Q-Code?
The Q-code is an electronic system that allows travellers to South Korea to obtain a passport number. quarantine exemption. It has a number of advantages and is used in a specific way.
The benefits
The aim of the Q-code is toreduce audit times the quarantine conditions required to enter the country. Similarly, the introduction of Q-code registration is a breath of fresh air for foreign immigrants. It enables these types of travellers to enter this East Asian country by completing a number of formalities. straightforward formalities.
How to use it
At the end of the registration process, the computer system generates a QR code. It's a printable document. You can also keep a digital version on your mobile phone. It must be presented to airline representatives before your departure to South Korea.
Similarly, when you land, you must display it again to the quarantine officer for entry control in this South Asian country. If you follow the whole procedure, the Q-code allows you to enter South Korea immediately. You are therefore exempt from the mandatory 7-day quarantine.
The procedure for obtaining the Q-code
By registering with the Q-code system, you can claim your QR code for registration. To obtain it, you need to proceed in stages. First you need to accept the terms and conditions for issuing this document. You can consult them on the website of the organisation responsible for registration. Next, enter your e-mail address and give the following details information contained in your passport.
You must also indicate certain useful information relating to your visit and your stay in South Korea. Then upload the negative result of your PCR test and your vaccination certificate. Complete the procedure by certifying your travel details and by generating your QR code.
The Q-code comes into force
The Q-code will come into force on two dates. It should be remembered, however, that this registration concerns guests vaccinated on or off Korean soil. You can therefore use this electronic document from 21 March 2022.
The travellers concerned must have their vaccination status previously transcribed in South Korea. This registration must appear in the Vaccination Certification Directory, also known by the acronym COOV. For visitors who are not registered in the South Korean directory, the Q-code will come into force on 1st April 2022.
Criteria for recognising fully vaccinated travellers
The Q-code allows immediate entry into South Korea without quarantine only for fully vaccinated travellers. Recipients of this status must have received at least one dose of the Janssen vaccine. The injection must be given between 14 and 180 days before the traveller enters the country.
Also, visitors who have been inoculated two vaccines of another nature may also benefit from this exemption. In this case, the last vaccination must have taken place between 14ᵉ and 180ᵉ days before the traveller's arrival.
The vaccines concerned in this case are :
- Oxford-AstraZeneca,
- Covaxin,
- the Moderna,
- CoronaVAc,
- Pfizer-BioNTech,
- Sinopharm BIBP.
To this already long list can be added injections of Medicago and Novavax.
Where can I register for the Q-code?
You can register on the Q-code server on the website of the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The address is : cov19ent.kdca.go.kr. By visiting this platform, you can easily register your quarantine exemption.
The PCR test and the Q-code system
It should be emphasised that registration with the Q-code system is not a barrier to PCR testing. The PCR test is vital for obtaining exemption. A negative result less than 48 hours before travel must be entered in the Q-code system.
Q-code validity period
At the end of the registration process, the Q-code system generates the QR code. This is the virtual but printable document that grants you authorisation for exemption from quarantine in South Korea. It expires at the legal end of your trip. If you wish to obtain this exemption again, you must repeat the procedure.
The Q-code and K-ETA registration
Certain visitors to South Korea from Europe are granted an exceptional exemption from the requirement to pay a visa. Short-stay visa. It is the K-ETA registration that gives access to this country without a visa. Around fifty countries on the Old Continent, including France, are covered by this measure. Holding this precious pass does not, however, exempt you from Q-code registration. Otherwise, you are subject to the same quarantine rules as other visitors to South Korea.