Since September 2021, nationals of the European Union - among others - have been required to obtain a K-ETA permit before travelling to South Korea. In fact, this is the name of the South Korean travel authorisation for those wishing to make a short stay of less than 3 months while being exempt from the visa requirement. What information do I need to apply for a K-ETA in South Korea?
What is K-ETA?
In September 2021, South Korea introduced the request for authorisation to enter South Korea. This authorisation request is important, especially for visa-exempt travellers who wish to visit South Korea for tourism or business. This is nothing other than the ETA permit. It should be noted that the ETA for South Korea is called the K-ETAwhich means, Korean Electronic Travel Authorization.
The K-ETA authorisation is very easy to obtain and less costly than a traditional visa on the passport, especially for specific types of travel that meet certain conditions. In addition, the K-ETA allows you to stay in South Korea for a period of up to 90 daysThe length of stay varies from country to country.
It will also be valid for 2 years if your passport is also valid for 2 years. The application costs KRW 10,000 in consular fees (7 €), excluding any intermediary fees. Please note that you must apply at least 24 hours before your flight.
How do I obtain K-ETA authorisation for South Korea?
You can apply for a K-ETA permit to travel to Korea entirely online. However, to obtain this authorisation, several steps are required. Firstly, you must :
- preparation of documents,
- entering the form,
- payment of fees,
- waiting for the processing time,
- receipt of the document by e-mail.
These different stages are necessary to obtain K-ETA authorisation.
What information do I need to provide to obtain a K-ETA?
To obtain K-ETA authorisation in South Korea, you must provide the following information:
Details of your valid passport
With regard to your Valid passportTo apply for a passport, you must state your nationality, surname, first names and gender. You must also give your date of birth, place of birth, passport number, passport expiry date and date of issue.
Personal data
This concerns your home address, e-mail address, telephone number and other personal information on your national card. This information is of vital importance for your ETA application.
Information about the business
At this level, you are called upon to say what you do for a living, in other words your current profession. You must state whether or not you are unemployed, retired or just a student.
Information about your future trip
This involves giving the name and address of the first hotel where you will be staying, i.e. the address plus postcode, town and telephone number of your hotel. You should also give the reason for your stay. Say whether it is for tourism, business, a sporting event, an exhibition or training.
Once you have provided all this information when filling in the form, you will then download scan your passport and a recent passport photo. You must pay a processing fee. You can also follow the progress of your application directly on the ministerial online portal.
Once your K-ETA electronic travel authorisation has been validated, it will be sent to you electronically.
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