Before You Go to Korea: The Checklist
Last checked: October 2026
Do these before you fly and your first day in Korea will be easy. Each item links to the details. Still choosing dates? See Korea by month.
- Entry
- K-ETA or e-Arrival Card
- Cash
- Some won for T-money
- Maps
- Naver Map, not Google
- Plugs
- Type C/F, 220V
1. Entry: K-ETA and the e-Arrival Card
- K-ETA is an online travel authorization for visitors from visa-free countries. Travelers from 22 countries and territories on the temporary exemption list, including the US, Japan, the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and 11 EU countries (such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), don't need one until December 31, 2026. Other EU countries, including Ireland, Portugal, Greece, and Czechia, are not on the list. Check your country before you fly, or you may be refused boarding.
- e-Arrival Card: foreigners entering Korea fill in an arrival card. You can do it online at e-arrivalcard.go.kr from 3 days before you land. It's free. If you hold a valid K-ETA, you don't need to submit one.
- Use the official .go.kr sites. The e-Arrival Card is free, so don't pay a lookalike site.
- Flying straight to Jeju? Jeju has its own visa-free rules. See Getting to Jeju.
2. Money
- Cards work almost everywhere, but you need Korean won in cash to buy and top up a T-money card, and for some market stalls.
- Change a little money or use an ATM at the airport on arrival. At Incheon Terminal 1, a 24-hour exchange counter is near Arrival Hall B.
- No tipping, anywhere. Prices include tax.
- When a card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose won.
Details: T-money: cash or card? and which transit card to get.
3. Phone and internet
- Buy an eSIM before you fly, or pick up a SIM or pocket Wi-Fi at the airport. At Incheon Terminal 1, KT, SK Telecom, and LG U+ have counters in the arrivals hall, some open 24 hours near Arrival Hall F.
- You'll want data from the moment you land, for maps and translation.
4. Apps to install
| App | For | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Naver Map or Kakao Map | Directions, subway exits, live bus times | Google Maps directions are limited in Korea |
| A translator (Papago or Google Translate) | Menus and signs | Both translate from the camera |
| k.ride | Taxis in English with a foreign card | From Kakao Mobility |
| Baemin | Food delivery | Takes foreign cards and has English |
| CatchTable Global | Restaurant reservations | English, foreign cards |
| Korail+ | KTX trains | Books trains from Seoul Station and Suseo |
Since June 2026, Naver also lets foreigners verify with a passport to make bookings and payments in its apps.
5. Power plugs
Korea uses 220V with round two-pin plugs (types C and F), the same as most of Europe. Bring an adapter if your plugs are different, and check your devices accept 220V.
6. Shopping tax refund
- Look for shops with a "Tax Free" sign. Spend at least 15,000 won in one receipt and you can get the VAT back.
- Many shops take the tax off at the counter for purchases under 1,000,000 won. Bring your passport.
7. Save these numbers
| 112 | Police |
| 119 | Fire and ambulance |
| 1330 | Korea Travel Hotline, 24 hours, with English interpreters |
8. Learn three phrases
안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo, hello), 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida, thank you), and 이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo, this one, please) will get you a long way. For the rest, show the phrase cards.