Whether a Korea layover needs K-ETA or an arrival card depends first on whether you will stay in the transfer area or go through immigration, so our suggested order is to decide that first and then check your passport on the official pages.
Last checked: November 10, 2026
We read the K-ETA and e-Arrival Card websites, Korea’s HiKorea immigration portal, notices from a Korean consulate and a Korean embassy, and Incheon Airport’s English pages. We have not made a connection through Korea, applied for K-ETA, filed an arrival card or joined a transit tour. The airport pages we read are for Incheon, and we did not read transfer pages for Gimpo or Gimhae.
Key takeaways
- The K-ETA FAQ lists transfer passengers as exempt, but one who must enter Korea, for example to reclaim baggage, needs approval; it lists other exemptions too, so check whether K-ETA applies to you.
- For a transfer within 24 hours without entering Korea, the e-Arrival Card FAQ says no card is required, and it gives separate filing instructions for a same-day layover that goes through immigration.
- Incheon Airport’s Transit Tour page asks for a layover of 24 hours or less and says K-ETA is needed unless your country or region is temporarily exempt, which is not the only exemption.
- HiKorea describes two visa-free transit programs with narrow conditions, so our suggestion is to read its conditions before relying on either.
In this guide
- Stay in the transfer area or go through immigration
- If you stay in the transfer area
- If you go through immigration to leave the airport
- Bags and when collecting them means entering
- Visa-free transit programs
- Incheon Transit Tour and K-Stopover
- FAQ
- Sources and what we checked
Stay in the transfer area or go through immigration
The K-ETA FAQ lists transfer passengers among those eligible for the application exemption. It then says a transfer passenger must get K-ETA approval to enter Korea because of an itinerary change, a change of destination or to reclaim baggage. The same list exempts other groups, such as visa holders and travelers aged 17 or younger or 65 or older on entry, so check whether K-ETA applies to you. The e-Arrival Card FAQ asks about transferring within 24 hours without entering Korea, and answers that passengers just transiting through Korea are not required to fill out the card. Neither FAQ entry shows a date, so our suggestion is to treat “will I go through immigration?” as the deciding question.
If you stay in the transfer area
Incheon Airport’s Terminal 1 transfer page lists two steps for changing planes inside that terminal: security screening, then boarding. For travelers without a boarding pass, the transfer page says this varies by airline and that a boarding pass can be issued at the transfer desk near the gate.
The K-ETA and arrival card pages we read speak only about those two documents, and we found no official statement there about visa rules for staying airside. So our suggestion is to ask your airline, or a Korean embassy, if your passport normally needs a visa for Korea.
If you go through immigration to leave the airport
Our reading is that going through immigration, for example to join a tour, means you are entering Korea. Incheon Airport’s Transit Tour page says travelers from visa-exempt countries need a K-ETA unless their country or region is temporarily exempt, which is not the only exemption.
A Ministry of Justice notice dated December 23, 2025 on the K-ETA site extends the temporary exemption until December 31, 2026 (KST). It covers the countries and regions already exempt, without listing them in the notice. The K-ETA notice list showed no later extension on the day we checked, so our suggestion is to check that list again if your trip falls after December 31, 2026. For who needs K-ETA and how to apply, see our K-ETA guide.
The arrival card is a separate step. Its FAQ describes a system for foreigners entering Korea, and its guide lists citizens of temporarily exempt countries among those who submit it. The same guide lists people who have received K-ETA approval among those excluded, but says those entering with a visa must still complete the e-Arrival Card.
For a same-day layover that goes through immigration, the FAQ says to enter the same date for entry and departure. It says that choosing the Same-day Transit button skips the stay entry. If the dates differ, it says to enter the airport’s address, and it lists addresses for Incheon, Gimpo, Daegu, Gimhae and Jeju airports. For errors on the form, see our arrival card troubleshooting guide.
Incheon Airport’s bus page asks passengers who book transport out of the airport to consider the time needed for immigration after arrival, which it puts at 1–2 hours. So if your layover is only a few hours, our suggestion is to count that time before you plan anything outside the airport. For the trip into the city, see our Incheon to Seoul guide and our luggage storage guide.
Bags and when collecting them means entering
The K-ETA FAQ names reclaiming baggage as a case where a transfer passenger may need K-ETA approval, and the arrival card FAQ gives collecting baggage as an example of a layover that goes through immigration. We found no Incheon Airport page on whether bags are checked through, and none comparing one booking with separate tickets. So our suggestion is to ask your airline at the first check-in whether your bags go to the final stop, especially if you bought the tickets separately.
Visa-free transit programs
HiKorea describes two visa-free entry programs for transit passengers. Its headings show they resumed in 2023, and we found no end date on the page we read.
The first, for third-country transit passengers, is for nationals of countries that need a visa to enter Korea. HiKorea ties it to a visa, including permanent residency, for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or at least one of 32 European countries, and to a trip through Korea to or from those places. HiKorea requires a verifiable visa sticker in the passport for the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and the listed European countries, with an exception for a UK eVisa whose validity can be confirmed through the UK government websites it specifies; Australian visas must be verifiable through VEVO. Its conditions include a confirmed onward flight within 30 days, no more than 3 days in the previous transit country, and no Korean visa refusal in the past year. The stay status is Tourist/Transit (B-2) for 30 days.
The second, for general transfer passengers at Incheon Airport, is for foreigners transferring to their home country or a third country who join the airport’s approved Transit Tourism Program. HiKorea says they need a flight ticket departing within 72 hours after entry, must stay in the metropolitan area, must agree to the operation of transit tour guides, and can be denied entry if judged a risk of not following the program. The stay status is Tourist/Transit (B-2) for up to 3 days. HiKorea writes that both programs exclude nationals of 23 countries that are not granted visa-free entry to Jeju.
A notice dated July 21, 2026 from the Korean consulate in San Francisco repeats the first program. It says the office makes no individual eligibility decisions and recommends getting a proper entry visa if travel is not urgent. Its condition list is shorter than HiKorea’s, so our suggestion is to read HiKorea’s full list. A December 30, 2025 notice from the Korean embassy in Canada says the program does not cover a trip only to Korea and back, which needs a visa.
Incheon Transit Tour and K-Stopover
Incheon Airport’s Transit Tour page says you can join without a visa if you meet one of three sets of requirements: visa-free passengers, third-country transit passengers or general transit passengers. It states that your layover must be 24 hours or less, and that you need your passport and boarding passes for both your arrival and departure flights. It adds that seats are first come, first served, that programs may change without notice, and that the Ministry of Justice does not allow two entries during a single visit. The Terminal 1 registration desk is on the first floor after immigration.
The page we read gave no tour times or prices, so we are not listing any. HiKorea’s general transfer program requires a flight departing within 72 hours after entry, and the airport separately limits its tour to layovers of 24 hours or less. The pages we read do not show how the two fit together, so our suggestion is to confirm both for your itinerary.
For longer stops, the airport’s K-Stopover page describes packages with accommodation, transport and lounge access for stopovers of 24 to 72 hours. It says services are available as long as there is no problem entering Korea. The K-Stopover page we read does not mention K-ETA, so our suggestion is to check your K-ETA status before booking.
FAQ
Do I need K-ETA if I only change planes in Korea?
The K-ETA FAQ lists transfer passengers as exempt, but one who must enter Korea, for example to reclaim baggage, needs approval. Other groups, such as visa holders, are exempt separately, so check whether K-ETA applies to you.
Do I need an arrival card for a layover?
For a transfer within 24 hours without entering Korea, the e-Arrival Card FAQ says no card is required. It gives separate filing instructions for a same-day layover that goes through immigration.
Can I leave the airport on a short layover?
Our reading is that going through immigration means entering Korea, so the K-ETA and arrival card sections above apply. For its Transit Tour, Incheon Airport asks for a layover of 24 hours or less and says K-ETA is needed unless your country or region is temporarily exempt, which is not the only exemption.
Is there a visa-free transit program?
HiKorea describes two, one for third-country transit passengers and one for general transfer passengers at Incheon Airport, each with narrow conditions.
Sources and what we checked
We read the K-ETA site’s FAQ, extension notice and notice list. From the e-Arrival Card site we read its first and third FAQ pages and its guide to who submits. For immigration rules we read HiKorea’s visa-free entry page, the San Francisco consulate’s notice and the notice from the Korean embassy in Canada. From Incheon Airport we read the Transit Tour, K-Stopover, Terminal 1 transfer and bus pages. We read every page directly, without logging in or entering anything. Official wording, our advice and unresolved points are separated throughout.