South Korea Entry Rules
It's time to try kimchi, tteokbokki, and rock out at a BTS concert! Yes, Russians don't need a visa for Korea, but not everyone knows about it. In this Kupi.com article, we tell you how to get to the K-pop capital, what you need to fill out an electronic entry permit, and what documents to take with you.
Do you need a visa for Korea?
Since April 1, 2022, Russian tourists can enter South Korea without a visa. The only nuance is that for the trip, you will have to fill out an online K-ETA application, which is also approved by the Korean side. So, in general, the visa-free regime with Korea is not quite the same as the easy visa-free travel with Serbia or Turkey. Sometimes the application is not approved, and then you have to get a regular visa, but we will tell you more about that below.
Without a visa, you can stay in the republic for up to 60 days and no more than 90 days within a six-month period.
How to get to South Korea from Russia
You can fly to South Korea from Russia with layovers. The most popular cities for transfers are Almaty, Doha, Dushanbe, Dubai. The cost of a ticket Moscow — Seoul on the Kupi.com website with a layover in Doha (round trip) is 92,745 rubles. There are no direct flights.
What documents do travelers need to enter South Korea?
Mandatory
• Foreign passport valid for more than six months from the date of entry into South Korea.
• Migration card. It is issued directly on the plane.
• Customs declaration. This is a mandatory item: you will have to fill out a declaration even if you are not carrying items that need to be declared.
• Round-trip tickets to South Korea, to confirm your intention to leave the country when your trip ends.
• Entry permit. To do this, you need to fill out the online K-ETA form (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization). The application must be submitted at least 72 hours before boarding the plane, but to avoid stress while it is being reviewed, it is better to fill everything out in advance. It is advisable to do this two to three months before departure and immediately after purchasing tickets to South Korea, so that in case of refusal, you can apply for a visa at the embassy. The application can be approved within a day or within several days.
The main advantage of K-ETA is that you fill out the application once, but you can enter multiple times with the obtained permit within two years: essentially, it's a Korean multiple-entry visa. The downside is that it's paid.
K-ETA does not guarantee that you will definitely enter South Korea: the final decision will be made by a border control officer.
Important rule: if you have changed your full name, citizenship, or passport details, you will have to obtain a K-ETA again.
An electronic entry permit (K-ETA) is not required if you are transiting through Korea.
Recommended
• QR code. It is not mandatory to obtain it, but it speeds up the border crossing process. We will tell you more about it below.
• Medical insurance. Medical treatment for foreigners in South Korea is paid — it's better to be safe than sorry.
• Proof of solvency. This can be a bank statement, a paid hotel reservation for the entire trip, a foreign card, or a large amount of cash.
Coronavirus restrictions
As of October 1, 2022, PCR test results for COVID-19 or vaccination certificates are not required for entry into South Korea. The exception is Russians and other foreigners arriving from China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
Travelers are advised to enter information about their vaccinations and COVID status on a special website, and then obtain a QR code before flying to Korea to speed up the entry process. If you do not get a QR, you may have to fill out paper forms at the airport upon arrival as part of the quarantine inspection.
Tips for filling out K-ETA
• The K-ETA online form is filled out on this website.
• To pay the fee (~$10) for K-ETA, you will need a foreign card — cards issued in the Russian Federation ("Mir", Visa, Mastercard) are not accepted.
• You will be asked to attach a photo of yourself on a white background, sized within 700 × 700 pixels. Your face must be clearly visible.
• You will also need to take a high-quality photo of the main spread of your foreign passport.
• The application form includes questions about your income level, your job, and the number of countries you have visited. An unpleasant detail: if you have unofficial employment or work as a freelancer, you may encounter problems with K-ETA approval.
If you did not receive an entry permit for Korea
Such cases are not uncommon: why people are denied an electronic permit is not precisely known. But even if your K-ETA was denied (according to the rules, you are currently allowed to re-apply, but no more than three times within 180 days), you can apply for a regular tourist visa through the embassy. Such cases are described on the Vinsky forum. There you can also find detailed recommendations on how to obtain a visa for Korea.
• You can apply for a tourist visa in Moscow, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, St. Petersburg.
• The list of documents required for visa processing can be found here.
Contacts and addresses of South Korean representative offices in Russia:
Embassy of South Korea in Moscow
Moscow, Plyushchikha St., 56, bldg. 1
Phone: +7 (495) 783-27-27
Website: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ru-ru/index.do
Embassy of South Korea in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Nekrasova St., 32
Phone: +7 (812) 448-19-09, +7 (812) 448-15-00, +7 (812) 448-96-68
Website: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ru-stpetersburg-ru/index.do
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk
Irkutsk, Gagarina Blvd., 44
Phone: +7 (3952) 250-301
Website: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ru-irkutsk-ru/index.do
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Vladivostok
Vladivostok, Pologaya St., 19
Phone: +7 (423) 240-22-22, +7 (423) 240-28-64, +7 (423) 240-27-79, +7 (423) 240-06-15, +7 (423) 240-26-14, +7 (423) 240-01-30.
https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ru-vladivostok-ru/index.do
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