Korea E-Arrival Card 2026: Free Official Site vs. the Fake Site Scam Taking 110,000 Won

Bottom line: The e-arrival card you must submit before entering Korea is free on the official Ministry of Justice site, www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Do not pay a "Korea e-arrival" agency site that shows up in Baidu ads — it is not a government service.

If you didn't know: In March 2026, Chinese travelers paid these fake sites 232 yuan (about 50,000 won) for standard processing and 510 yuan (about 110,000 won) for "express" processing. The same procedure costs 0 won on the official site. Click "express" on a scam site and you simply lose up to 110,000 won.

The Korean Embassy in Beijing said at its regular briefing on March 9, 2026 that after receiving a complaint from a Chinese national on March 4, it had identified two fake sites hosted on the Chinese portal Baidu. The sites used a Korean flag image and large text reading phrases like "Korea E-Entry" and "Korea Travel Support" to look official, with a disclaimer in small print at the very bottom stating they had no relation to the Korean government or the embassy. They even offered Chinese- and English-language service, making them harder to tell apart from the real site. The embassy sent official letters asking China's Cyberspace Administration, the Ministry of Public Security's National Immigration Administration, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take down the sites and investigate, and it posted warnings on its own website and WeChat account.

The e-arrival card does not replace a visa or K-ETA electronic travel authorization — it is a separate, additional step. China is not among the 22 countries and territories, including Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States, covered by the temporary K-ETA exemption, so Chinese nationals should check their visa requirements separately through HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr), the official portal of Korea's immigration authority. If you go through the official channel for both the e-arrival card and your visa, there is no extra fee to pay.

This article is a summary of official information, not legal, medical or financial advice.

Journey stage: Before you go · Verified 2026-10-25 · Source Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Beijing (as reported by The Korea Economic Daily, 2026-03-10) and the official e-arrival card website of the Ministry of Justice