Travelling to South Korea
In short
0 of the 20 passports we cover can visit South Korea without a visa. Find yours below, or check your whole trip.
Entry requirements by nationality
Find your passport — tap it for documents, conditions and the source.
electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required · up to 180 days per visit
electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required · up to 90 days per visit
What you can bring
Tap an item for the limits, conditions and official source.
- CannabisprohibitedKorea Customs lists cannabinol, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as cannabis ingredients under the Narcotics Control Act; bringing them in is punishable by life imprisonment or at least 5 years.
- Cashallowed, declaration may be requiredDeclare cash, cheques or other means of payment worth USD 10,000 or more, in any currency.
- CBDprohibitedKorea Customs lists cannabidiol (CBD) with cannabinol and THC as cannabis ingredients under the Narcotics Control Act; bringing them in is punishable by life imprisonment or at least 5 years.
- Controlled medicationdepends on specificsAnyone entering Korea with medicine containing a controlled substance needs a permit from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before arrival, whatever their nationality.
- Dextromethorphandepends on specificsCough and cold medicines with dextromethorphan are controlled in Korea. Bring them only with prior approval from Korea's drug safety ministry.
- Dronesdepends on specificsDrones under 250g are exempt from registration.
- E-cigarettesallowed, within limits"e-cigarette/liquid nicotine 20ml (Nicotine percentage less than 1%)" — quoted directly from the Korea Customs Service's own English-language duty-free allowance page.
- Fresh produceprohibitedFresh fruit and vegetables, cut flowers, seeds, saplings, bulbs, roots, and dried/fresh agricultural or medicinal-herb products are all barred from entry.
- Meat & dairyprohibitedMeat and poultry (beef, pork, lamb, chicken and processed forms like ham, sausage and jerky) and dairy (milk, cheese, butter) are barred from entry — even an in-flight meal containing these can't be carried off the plane.
- Prescription medicationallowed, within limits"The medicines are allowed with a maximum of 6 bottles or three months' supply." Travelers must show proof the medicines are for personal use — a prescription, medical certificate or pharmacy label on the packaging — and may also be asked for a receipt or other proof of lawful purchase.
Medicines named in South Korea's rules
From the blog
Recent changes to South Korea's rules
- 2026-10-25Medication travel planner, with permit 'apply by' dates
- 2026-10-19Korea: controlled-medicine penalties and cough medicines with DXM
- 2026-10-19Replace or withdraw rows cited to news, firm and consultancy pages
- 2026-10-18Re-check September medication rows against their sources
- 2026-10-17Strict cleanup: remove press/blog-sourced figures from row notes
Checked against official sources on 2026-09-02. Official source