Will K-ETA be required again from January 1, 2027?

Not decided yet. The official waiver for 22 countries and regions runs until December 31, 2026 (Korea time). As of October 22, 2026, the Ministry of Justice had not published any notice about 2027 on the official K-ETA website. If no extension is announced, the normal rule returns and nationals of those 22 places need a K-ETA to fly to Korea.

When will Korea announce whether the K-ETA waiver is extended?

There is no fixed date. The last two extensions came late in the year: the extension to the end of 2025 was announced in December 2024, and the official K-ETA notice extending it to the end of 2026 was posted on December 23, 2025. Silence in October does not mean the waiver will end.

My flight leaves on December 31 but lands in Korea on January 1. Do I need a K-ETA?

Plan as if you do. The waiver period is defined in Korea Standard Time, and K-ETA is checked for entry into Korea, so a flight that lands on or after January 1, 2027 (KST) should be treated as a 2027 arrival. Unless an extension has been announced by then, apply for a K-ETA at least 72 hours before departure.

Is it worth getting a K-ETA now even though I'm exempt?

It can be. A K-ETA costs ₩10,000, is valid for three years, and lets you skip the e-Arrival Card on every entry. The fee is not refunded if the waiver is later extended, so it pays off mainly if you visit often or your trip falls in early 2027.

K-ETA in 2027: Does Korea's Waiver End on January 1?

The short answer (as of October 22, 2026)

Korea's temporary K-ETA waiver for 22 countries and regions (including the US, UK, Japan, Australia and much of Western Europe) officially ends on December 31, 2026, Korea time.
No decision on 2027 has been published on the official K-ETA website. The last two extensions were only announced in December, so the silence is normal, not a signal either way.
If you will land in Korea on or after January 1, 2027, the safe move is a K-ETA from the official site: ₩10,000, usually approved within 72 hours, valid three years.

If you are from one of the 22 waiver countries and planning a winter trip, you have probably seen confident headlines saying K-ETA “comes back on January 1, 2027.” Others say it will “obviously be extended again.” Neither claim comes from the Korean government.

This guide separates what is official from what is not, and gives you a plan that works whichever way the decision goes. It builds on our K-ETA rules by nationality and our Korea entry guide.

Dec 31

Last day of the current K-ETA waiver, 2026 (KST)

Countries and regions covered by the waiver

₩10,000

K-ETA fee (about US$7–8), valid for 3 years

72hrs

Typical K-ETA processing time, per the official site

When exactly does the K-ETA waiver end?

On December 31, 2026, in Korea Standard Time. The Ministry of Justice notice on the official K-ETA website, dated December 23, 2025, set the current period as “January 1, 2026 (Thu) to December 31, 2026 (Thu) (KST).” It applies to the same countries that were already covered, and it is a temporary measure to support tourism, not a permanent change to the rules.

The waiver has been renewed one year at a time since 2023. Here is how each round played out:

🗓️ K-ETA waiver timeline, 2023–2026

Date	What happened
Apr 1, 2023	Temporary waiver starts for 22 countries and regions, tied to the Visit Korea Year 2023–2024 campaign
Dec 11, 2024	Extension to Dec 31, 2025 announced, 20 days before the old end date
Sep 25, 2025	At the 10th National Tourism Strategy Meeting, the government says it will extend the waiver to Dec 2026
Dec 23, 2025	Official notice posted on k-eta.go.kr: waiver runs Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Oct 22, 2026	No 2027 notice on the K-ETA website, and no government statement found

The pattern to remember: the official notices arrived on December 11, 2024 and December 23, 2025. In December 2025, Korean-American media reported confusion among travellers because the notice had still not appeared about twelve days before the deadline. Expect the 2027 answer, if there is one, to come late again.

Has Korea announced anything for 2027?

No. As of October 22, 2026, the notices section of the official K-ETA website (k-eta.go.kr) shows no 2027 announcement, and we found no statement from the Ministry of Justice or the national tourism strategy meetings about 2027.

What you will find instead are travel blogs and visa-service sites stating that K-ETA “returns on January 1, 2027” as settled fact. Read those as one scenario, not news. The honest position is that two outcomes are possible:

🔀 The two possible outcomes for 2027

Scenario	What it means for travellers from the 22 places
Waiver extended again	Nothing changes: enter with your passport and file the free e-Arrival Card
Waiver not extended	From Jan 1, 2027 (KST), you need an approved K-ETA before boarding a flight to Korea

Why the waiver exists at all

K-ETA itself is permanent. It is Korea's online pre-travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, similar to the US ESTA. The government suspended it for 22 places in 2023 to make Korea easier to visit, and has renewed that suspension every year since. Ending it would restore the default rule, not create a new one.

Who would need a K-ETA if the waiver ends?

Nationals of the 22 waiver countries and regions: Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, the United States (including Guam), Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand.

Travellers from other visa-free countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Ireland or Switzerland, already need a K-ETA today, so nothing changes for them.

Some people never need a K-ETA, waiver or not. According to the official K-ETA FAQ, these include:

travellers who are 17 or younger, or 65 or older, on the date they enter Korea
holders of a valid Korean visa or Korean alien registration card
transit passengers who do not pass through immigration
airline and ship crew, cruise passengers, and holders of an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC)
holders of diplomatic, official or UN passports

What should I do if my trip crosses New Year?

Look at the date and time you land in Korea, in Korean time. K-ETA is checked by the airline before you board a flight to Korea and applies to entering the country. Leaving Korea does not involve K-ETA at all.

🧳 Your trip, and what to do

Your trip	Do you need a K-ETA?	What we’d do
Land in Korea on or before Dec 31, 2026 (KST), leave in January	No, you enter under the 2026 waiver	Just file the free e-Arrival Card
Land on or after Jan 1, 2027 (KST)	Only if no extension is announced	Watch k-eta.go.kr in December, or apply now to be safe
Depart Dec 31 at home, land Jan 1 in Korea (common on transpacific flights)	Treat it as a 2027 arrival	Apply at least 72 hours before departure
Several trips to Korea in the next three years	Possibly, from 2027	A K-ETA now covers all of them for three years
Travelling with children under 18 or parents 65+	Not for them	Only the adults aged 18–64 need to decide

A low-risk plan for January travel

Book flights and hotels as usual. K-ETA is fast and cheap, so there is no reason to delay a trip over it.
Set a reminder for mid-December to check the notices on k-eta.go.kr.
If nothing is announced by about a week before you fly, apply. It costs ₩10,000 and usually takes under 72 hours.
If you are nervous or fly on short notice, simply apply now. The approval is valid for three years.

Should I just apply for a K-ETA now?

You can, even while you are exempt. The December 2025 notice says exempt nationals may apply voluntarily, pay the fee, and receive the usual benefits. Weigh it like this:

Apply now	Wait for the decision
₩10,000 once, valid for three years (or until your passport expires, if sooner)	Free if the waiver is extended again
No e-Arrival Card on any entry while it is valid	You file the e-Arrival Card each time (free, from 3 days before arrival)
No last-minute stress if the waiver ends	You may have to apply in a hurry in late December
Fee is not refunded if the waiver is later extended	Nothing spent
A new passport means a new application	No issue

The e-Arrival Card is the other half of this picture. According to the official e-Arrival Card site, it is free, can be filed from three days before arrival, and lapses 72 hours after you submit it or once you pass immigration, so it has to be filed again for every trip. People who hold an approved K-ETA are on the official list of those who do not need to file it.

Only use the official site

Apply only at www.k-eta.go.kr or in the official K-ETA app. The official site itself warns about look-alike "agency" and "express" sites that charge large fees. The real fee is ₩10,000 (about US$7–8), and there is no paid fast track.

Sources

Ministry of Justice, K-ETA official website — "Notice of extension of the K-ETA temporary exemption period" (2025-12-23): period Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2026 (KST), voluntary applications, no refunds — k-eta.go.kr
K-ETA official website — fee (₩10,000), processing time (usually within 72 hours), warning about unofficial agencies, notices list checked 2026-10-22 — k-eta.go.kr
K-ETA official FAQ, Q57 "Who is exempt from K-ETA?" (2026-06-11) — k-eta.go.kr
Ministry of Justice, e-Arrival Card official website — guide and list of who must file (free, 3 days before arrival, 72-hour validity, K-ETA holders excluded) — e-arrivalcard.go.kr
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the USA, K-ETA exemption extension notice (2025-12-29) — mofa.go.kr
EY Tax News, "Korea extends temporary Electronic Travel Authorization exemption until 31 December 2025" (2024-12-18), citing the December 11, 2024 announcement — taxnews.ey.com
The Fact, report on the 10th National Tourism Strategy Meeting (2025-09-25) — news.tf.co.kr
Korea Daily, "K-ETA waiver about to end, no notice causes confusion" (2025-12-18) — koreadaily.com