Use www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr for Korea's official e-Arrival Card. HiKorea, Korea's official immigration portal, warns that the e-Arrival Card fee is free and that any site asking for payment information is not the official service. Do not pay a third-party site just to submit basic arrival information.
Korea's online arrival process has created a simple but expensive trap for travelers: search results and ads can make fake or paid helper sites look official. The safest rule is boring and clear: type the official address yourself, check the domain carefully, and never enter card details for the e-Arrival Card.
This guide is for travelers who are preparing to enter Korea and want to avoid paying for the wrong site. It is not a visa guide, and it does not replace K-ETA, visa, passport, or airline checks.
What is the official Korea e-Arrival Card website?
The official website is www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. HiKorea lists that exact address in its public warning about fake e-Arrival Card websites.
Before entering any personal information, check these three things:
1. The address ends in e-arrivalcard.go.kr.
2. The page does not ask you to pay an e-Arrival Card fee.
3. You reached the page by typing the address directly, not by clicking a random ad or message link.
The domain matters because copycat sites often use similar words, official-looking colors, or "Korea arrival" phrasing. Similar is not enough. For a government arrival form, the exact official domain is the safest filter.
How much should the Korea e-Arrival Card cost?
The official e-Arrival Card fee is ₩0. HiKorea says the service is free and that a site asking for payment information is not the official service.
That means you should stop if a site asks for:
- A processing fee
- A service fee
- A card number for the e-Arrival Card
- A payment page before submission
- An "express" or "urgent" paid option
This does not mean every Korea travel document is free. K-ETA, visa applications, airline tickets, SIM cards, insurance, and airport transport can still cost money. The specific point here is narrower: the official e-Arrival Card itself should not require payment.
Is the e-Arrival Card the same as K-ETA?
No. Treat the e-Arrival Card as an arrival-information step, not as permission to travel, work, study, or stay long-term in Korea.
K-ETA, visas, residence status, passport validity, and airline boarding checks are separate. If your passport or trip type requires K-ETA or a visa, submitting arrival information does not remove that requirement.
The easiest way to avoid mixing them up is to ask two separate questions:
1. Can I enter Korea with my passport and trip purpose?
2. Do I need to submit arrival information before or at entry?
The first question is about immigration eligibility. The second is about arrival processing. Do not let a paid helper site blur those two together.
What should you do if a site asks for payment?
Close the page and go back to the official domain: www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Do not test the payment page, do not upload more passport images, and do not assume a site is official because it appears near the top of search results.
If you already entered payment details on a suspicious site, contact your card issuer quickly and monitor the card. If you entered passport details, keep a record of the site and the time of submission in case you need to explain what happened later.
For official immigration questions, HiKorea also lists the Immigration Contact Center number 1345 in Korea, with overseas contact numbers shown on the HiKorea site.
What should you prepare before using the official form?
Have your passport and flight or accommodation details ready before opening the form. The exact fields can change, so use the live official form as the source of truth instead of copying instructions from an old blog post.
For most travelers, the practical checklist is:
- Passport information
- Arrival flight or transport details
- Korea stay address, such as hotel or accommodation
- Contact details you can access while traveling
- Correct spelling that matches your passport
Do not rush this step from an airport Wi-Fi login page or a taxi queue. A slow two-minute check is better than submitting wrong passport or arrival information on a lookalike site.
Trip Budget Calculator
Trip Budget Calculator — The e-Arrival Card should cost ₩0; use the calculator for the real costs that do matter, like airport transport, SIM service, food, hotels, and daily spending in Korea.
Frequently asked questions
Is Korea's e-Arrival Card free?
Yes. HiKorea warns that the official e-Arrival Card service is free and that any site requesting payment information is not official.
What is the official Korea e-Arrival Card website?
The official site is www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr. Type the address directly and check the spelling before entering passport or travel details.
Should I pay an agency to submit the e-Arrival Card?
For normal travelers, do not pay a site just to submit the e-Arrival Card. The official service is free, so a payment request is a warning sign.
Does the e-Arrival Card replace K-ETA or a visa?
No. The e-Arrival Card is separate from K-ETA, visa, passport, and residence-status requirements. Check your entry eligibility separately before you fly.