K-ETA Waiver for Japan 2026: Why You Still Need Korea's e-Arrival Card

Bottom line: Japanese passport holders can enter South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism, and through December 31, 2026 they don't even need to apply for a K-ETA (or pay its fee). But K-ETA being waived does not mean the e-Arrival Card is waived too — you still have to fill it out separately at e-arrivalcard.go.kr starting 3 days before arrival.

If you didn't know: Justice Ministry guidance says the e-Arrival Card requirement is waived only for people holding a valid K-ETA, registered foreign residents, and flight crew. Japan is currently on the list of countries exempted from even applying for K-ETA, which means Japanese travelers don't hold an actual K-ETA — so they don't qualify for that exemption either. Skip the e-Arrival Card (or the paper form) and you risk delays at immigration. There are also private agency sites that charge a fee to file your K-ETA or arrival card for you — since K-ETA itself is free (0 won) during the current waiver, any agency fee you pay is pure loss.

Korea and Japan have run a reciprocal visa-waiver arrangement since the 1990s; it was suspended during the pandemic and resumed in October 2022, and that framework still holds today. Separately, since 2023 the Justice Ministry has temporarily waived the K-ETA application requirement for nationals of Japan and 21 other countries/regions, and that waiver has now been extended through the end of 2026. The catch: waiving K-ETA means you don't have to apply for one — it doesn't mean you skip pre-arrival reporting altogether. The ministry's own notice defines the e-Arrival Card exemption narrowly: registered foreign residents, holders of a valid K-ETA, and crew. Japanese travelers, who are exempt from applying for K-ETA in the first place, don't hold one and so fall outside that exemption.

Journey stage: First hour · Verified 2026-11-07