(Korea Journey 2026) Information to E-Arrival and SeS Automated Clearance in Korea + Airport Self-Service Tax Refund

South Korea is a well-liked vacationer and purchasing vacation spot for Hong Kong residents. Mercury hours will clarify the appliance course of for South Korea’s digital entry system, SeS automated clearance, and airport self-service tax refund, making certain a easy and uninterrupted journey from entry to exit.

South Korea’s new digital entry laws

Beginning January 1, 2026, South Korea will totally implement digital entry procedures, changing paper entry playing cards. All vacationers shall be required to submit their entry purposes on-line inside 72 hours of arriving in South Korea.

Tutorial on making use of for the South Korean digital entry declaration card

Required paperwork

1. Legitimate passport
2. Flight quantity
3. Lodging tackle in South Korea
4. E-mail tackle

South Korea E-Arrival Declaration Card Utility Steps

1. Click on “Declare” below “Private Digital Entry Declaration” on the Digital Entry Declaration Card Webpage inside 72 hours of arrival
2. Conform to all phrases of assortment and use of non-public knowledge, fill within the e mail tackle and click on “Affirm”; candidates below the age of 14 should have their dad and mom or guardians fill within the kind on their behalf.
3. Add a photograph of your passport’s private data web page and journey data, together with arrival and departure flight particulars, goal of entry, lodging tackle, and occupation, and submit an utility kind.

After submitting the appliance, candidates can instantly obtain the PDF file or save a screenshot of the arrival card for reference. There isn’t any ready interval for approval or any charges concerned. If there are any adjustments to the data, they should be reported on the Net web page earlier than immigration. Upon arrival in South Korea, merely scan your passport for entry; no utility kind is required.

Exempt from declaration

The next people are exempt from submitting an digital arrival card:

1. Holding a Korean Alien Registration Card (resembling a everlasting resident card or work visa).
2. Passengers holding a sound Okay-ETA (Digital Journey Authorization).
3. Passengers utilizing the SES digital clearance system
4. Airline crew members

SeS Automated Customs Clearance Utility Tutorial

When coming into South Korea, you can even apply for the “Korea E-Channel” SeS (Good Entry Service) to enter via automated gates that learn your passport. Hong Kong SAR passport holders can apply for it totally free at designated places within the airport. After finishing the appliance, they are going to be exempt from submitting an digital arrival card.

SeS Automated Customs Clearance Utility Eligibility

• Holders of visa-free chip passports
• Should be 17 years of age or older
• The Passport should be legitimate for not less than 6 months.
• No prison report in South Korea

SeS Self-Service Immigration Utility Steps

1. On the utility middle, take a ready quantity as instructed by the employees and wait to be known as.
2. File your fingerprints and take photographs as required by employees.
3. Fill in your telephone quantity (Hong Kong telephone numbers are acceptable).

The method takes about 5 minutes, however vacationers who plan to use at immigration ought to enable extra time to keep away from delays affecting their immigration preparations.

SeS Self-Service Immigration Utility Location

Incheon Airport T1
Location: In entrance of Part H of the departure constructing on the third flooring
Service hours: 07:00-18:00

Busan Gimhae Worldwide Airport
Location: 2nd Flooring, Departure Affairs Part
Service hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00

Jeju Worldwide Airport
Location: In entrance of the VIP lounge on the third flooring
Service hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00

Along with main airports, you possibly can examine the opposite places all through the Hello Korea Official Web site.

SES validity interval

The SeS is legitimate till the passport expires, and a brand new utility should be submitted after the passport is renewed.

South Korea Tax Refund | Two Methods to Get a Tax Refund

Even when vacationers journey to totally different areas of South Korea, they will apply for a tax refund collectively so long as they meet the eligibility necessities. Along with counter providers, self-service tax refund machines can be found for vacationers at common vacationer locations, massive malls, and airports in South Korea, the place they will select to obtain a refund in money or by bank card.

South Korea Tax Refund | Obligation Free VS. Tax Refund

In South Korea, most shops supply tax-free or tax-refund choices. When purchasing, it is best to take note of whether or not the worth charged by the service provider is tax-free.

South Korea Tax Refund | South Korea Tax Refund Eligibility

These eligible for a tax refund should meet the next circumstances:

• Staying in South Korea for not more than 6 months
• Departure inside 3 months of buy
• Spend 15,000 Korean Gained or extra in a single transaction at collaborating shops to obtain a tax refund.
• Maintain a tax refund kind from the shop that claims “TAXFREE”.
• When departing the nation, deliver your tax refund receipts, purchasing receipts, and unopened and unused tax-inclusive items.

South Korea Tax Refund | Airport Self-Service Tax Refund Machine Quantity Restrict

Though there is no such thing as a restrict to the quantity you possibly can spend for a tax refund in South Korea, the self-service tax refund machines have a most refund quantity. In case you exceed this restrict, you will have to go to the customs counter to course of your refund.

• A single tax refund exceeding 75,000 Korean received

• It’s essential go to the customs tax refund counter to course of it; the products have to be inspected and stamped by customs earlier than they are often checked in as baggage.

• For single tax refunds of lower than 75,000 Korean received

• Tax refunds may be processed at self-service kiosks, and baggage may be checked in instantly throughout check-in.

South Korea Tax Refund | Airport Self-Service Tax Refund Machine Procedures

1. Separate your baggage in keeping with the quantity of tax refund.

The self-service tax refund machine can solely course of receipts with a single refund quantity of lower than 75,000 Korean received. For quantities exceeding this, you will have to go to the counter and endure customs inspection.

2. Proceed to the self-service machine to scan your passport and tax refund kind.

First, choose your language, then scan your passport’s data web page on the self-service machine, and at last scan all of your tax refund types. Eligible types will show an “O” within the “Customs Affirmation” subject; if an “X” seems, it’s essential to deliver the unopened and unused bought items to the customs declaration counter for processing. If the types can’t be scanned, you could have already acquired your refund.

3. Accumulate your refund after leaving the nation as instructed.

Passengers can select to obtain fee by bank card or money, and should proceed to the tax refund counter or machine after departure to gather the money or refund to their card, as displayed on the machine.

4. Examine-in and baggage drop-off

Baggage for which a tax refund was efficiently processed on the self-service machine may be checked in instantly through the check-in course of.

South Korea Tax Refund | Location of Self-Service Tax Refund Machines at Incheon Airport

Incheon Airport – Terminal 1

• Earlier than leaving the nation

• Subsequent to counters B, E, J, and L on the third flooring

• After leaving the nation

• The duty-free space is positioned on the third flooring close to gate 28, subsequent to the central pharmacy on the third flooring of the terminal constructing.
• Enterprise hours: 24 hours
• Contact quantity: 032-743-1009

Incheon Airport – Terminal 2

• Earlier than leaving the nation

• Close to the check-in counters D/E on the third flooring

• After leaving the nation

• The duty-free space is on the third flooring, reverse gate 250, close to gate 253.
• Enterprise hours: 24 hours
• Contact quantity: 032-743-0647

*Data is for reference solely. The precise location of the machine is topic to vary. Please examine the situation on the Incheon Airport web site.

South Korea Tax Refund | Vital Notes on South Korea Tax Refund

1. Permit time

As a result of massive variety of folks processing tax refunds and boarding, please enable extra time on the airport to finish the tax refund procedures and examine your baggage, in order to not miss your flight on account of lengthy queues or not have time to course of the tax refund.

2. Accumulate all tax refund paperwork and course of them in a single go.

Receipts that meet the tax refund standards can have the phrase “TAXFREE” on them. When purchasing, vacationers can hold all their tax refund receipts in a single place for handy processing and to avoid wasting time.

3. Don’t open or use tax-refunded items.

Items eligible for tax refunds in South Korea can’t be opened or used inside the nation. Customs may also conduct random checks on duty-free items. Vacationers have to hold the tax-refund items secure till they’ve accomplished the tax refund procedures and left the nation earlier than they can be utilized.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

If my passport has beforehand been registered with a SeS (Safety Standing) card, do I have to fill out an digital entry declaration card when coming into South Korea?

No. Profitable candidates for SeS are exempt from filling out the digital entry declaration card. Nevertheless, upon renewing their passports, they might want to reapply for SeS or fill out the digital entry declaration card to enter the nation.

Can I open and use the products that I’ve acquired a tax refund for in South Korea inside the nation?

No. Items eligible for tax refunds in South Korea should be unpacked and used solely after departure from the nation.

Can South Korean tax refunds be mixed into one calculation?

In South Korea, tax refunds are calculated based mostly on every buy. So long as the tax refund necessities are met on the identical receipt, even when a number of purchases are made at totally different shops, a tax refund may be processed collectively.