South Korea to Grant K-ETA to 3 More Countries for Seoul Festa 2022

South Korea has reopened K-ETA online application for additional three countries, including Macau, Taiwan, and Japan, in August 2022. 

Citizens of these 3 countries may use the online system to obtain the South Korean Electronic Travel Authorization and visit South Korea visa-free until the end of this month. 

The decision to open the K-ETA application for nationals of these three countries was aimed at attracting more visitors to the Seoul Festa taking place this month in South Korea. 

Countries eligible for K-ETA in August 2022

In August 2022, nationals of 107 countries may benefit from the online application and get K-ETA to travel visa-free to South Korea. 

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the K-ETA was planned to be available for applicants from 112 countries qualifying for visa-exempt entry to South Korea.

Nevertheless, due to the pandemic, the country has suspended visa waivers. As the situation has started to improve, the South Korean authorities have lifted some of the coronavirus restrictions at the same time, making available K-ETA online applications to applicants from 104 countries by the end of July 2022. 

This month, the country enabled applications for three more nationalities who may wish to participate in the Seoul Festa taking place this August. The temporary K-ETA eligible countries include the following:

• Japan
• Macau
• Taiwan

Rules of temporary K-ETA for 3 nationalities

Travelers from Japan, Macau, and Taiwan may temporarily apply for the South Korea K-ETA. The visa waiver for these three nationalities will be available only for a limited period of time. The application is available from 4 August and will be closed at the end of August. Japanese, Macau, and Taiwanese nationals will not be permitted to benefit from the K-ETA application from September 1, 2022. Nevertheless, the permanent opening of K-ETA for these nationalities is expected to take place in the near future. 

Holders of temporary K-ETA  will be allowed to enter South Korea multiple times in August, while its validity ends at the beginning of September 2022. However, if a Japanese, Taiwanese, or Macau citizen holding a valid K-ETA enters South Korea in August, they may stay in the country for up to 3 months. When leaving the country after August, it is not possible to re-enter with the same K-ETA.

Travelers need to apply online by filling out the short application form. The online visa waiver will be delivered to them via email. 

Seoul Festa 2022

The Seoul Festa 2022 will begin on August 10 and will last until August 14. The event will be organized across the entire capital. Among the planned attractions, participants can enjoy K-Pop concerts, electric car grand prix, culture-hopping, an EDM festival, and many more. 

The country expects to boost tourism in August by attracting many foreign visitors to the Seoul Festa. Since the South Korean authorities expect great interest from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Macau tourists, they decided to open a K-ETA application to enable them visa-free access to the country in August 2022.