Plan your trip

For tourism, passports from Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Argentina need no visa for short stays. Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru have visa waiver agreements with Korea. The official K-ETA table allows up to 90 days (for Mexico, the table says 3 months). You cannot work on this type of entry. Verified in October 2026.

Before boarding you need a K-ETA, an electronic travel authorization. Apply only at k-eta.go.kr or in its official app, and be wary of sites that charge extra to do it for you. It costs 10,000 won (about 7 to 8 US dollars) plus an online payment fee of about 3%, and it is not refunded even if denied. It is valid for 3 years, or until your passport expires if that comes first, and covers multiple entries. Results usually arrive within 72 hours but can take longer, so apply early.

You do not need a K-ETA if, on the day you enter, you are 17 or younger, or 65 or older. Anyone who turns 18 on the arrival day does need one.

Korea keeps a temporary K-ETA exemption for some countries until December 31, 2026. The list published by VisitKorea has 22 countries and territories: the United States, Canada and others in Asia, Europe and Oceania; none are in Latin America. But these lists change: Colombia, for example, was exempt in 2024 and 2025, so if you hold a Colombian passport, check your case. Do not rely on blogs. Start the application at k-eta.go.kr and scan your passport: if your country is exempt, the site tells you right there. Verified in October 2026.

If you enter without a K-ETA (because of age or an exemption), you must hand in an arrival card. You can fill it in free online at e-arrivalcard.go.kr from 3 days before arrival, Korea time, or on paper. With an approved K-ETA you do not need an arrival card.

Health: since October 1, 2026, Brazil is on Korea's priority quarantine list because of human bird flu cases. Anyone who stayed in or transited through Brazil must declare their health status on arrival, through Q-CODE (qcode.kdca.go.kr) or the health questionnaire, even without symptoms. Q-CODE opens 7 days before arrival. If you arrive with a fever, cough or other symptoms, tell the quarantine officers. This list changes every quarter. Verified in October 2026.

T-money is a reloadable card for subways, city and intercity buses, trains and taxis with a card reader, almost everywhere in the country. Buy and top it up at convenience stores such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and at subway machines. Top up with cash, the safest option, since many foreign cards do not work for this. Switching between bus and subway within the time limit gets you a transfer discount.

Spend your balance before you leave. Small amounts can be refunded at convenience stores; over 50,000 won only at Tmoney Town, near Exit 10 of Seoul Station.

KTX is the high-speed train. Seoul to Busan takes approx. 2.5 hours, a little more or less depending on stops. Tickets usually go on sale one month ahead at 7:00 on korail.com (with an English version), in the Korail app and at stations. If you will ride a lot, look at the Korail Pass for foreigners: 2 to 5 days, used within 10 days. It is not valid on SRT trains or the subway. Verified in October 2026.

Express buses, 고속버스 (gosokbeoseu), run straight along the expressway. Intercity buses, 시외버스 (sioebeoseu), stop in more towns. In Seoul they leave from different terminals depending on the destination, so check first. Buy at kobus.co.kr (express), txbus.t-money.co.kr or bustago.or.kr (intercity), or at the terminal. There is no restroom on board, but long routes stop at rest areas, 휴게소 (hyugeso).

According to VisitKorea, Google Maps turn-by-turn (GPS) navigation does not work in Korea, though this may change. That is why most people use Naver Map or Kakao Map. Naver Map comes in English, Japanese and Chinese; Kakao Map in English. Both plan routes on foot, by subway, by bus and by car. Verified in October 2026.

For when you lose signal: save your lodging address written in Korean and show it to the taxi driver. Screenshot your routes before heading out and carry a power bank. Free public Wi-Fi is available at airports and at subway and train stations. At the main airports you can buy a SIM card (USIM) or rent a pocket Wi-Fi router. An eSIM is bought online and set up with a QR code; check first that your phone supports it.

For taxis there are Kakao T and k.ride; k.ride is designed for foreign visitors and translates your chat with the driver. On the VisitKorea website you can call the 1330 helpline free over Wi-Fi, or use its chat without downloading anything.

The currency is the won (원, won). Notes come in 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 won, and coins in 10, 50, 100 and 500.

International credit cards are accepted almost everywhere: hotels, department stores and most shops. Still, carry some cash for markets, street stalls and topping up T-money. Exchange money at banks (usually 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays) or at authorized exchange offices.

Tax refund: if you have been in Korea for under 6 months, you get part of the tax back at shops showing a Tax Free or Tax Refund sign, when one receipt totals 15,000 won or more. Show your passport when paying. Many shops take it off on the spot if each payment is under 1 million won and the trip total stays within 5 million; otherwise you claim it at the airport. Keep your receipts, do not use the items before leaving, and leave the country within 3 months of purchase. Verified in October 2026.

Korea runs on 220 V at 60 Hz. Sockets take two round pins, types C and F, as in much of Europe.

Check your charger label. If it says 100-240V, you only need a plug adapter. If your device runs only on 110 or 127 V, like some hair straighteners or dryers, you need a voltage converter; without one it can burn out.

Forgot your adapter? Ask at the hotel front desk; they are also sold at airports, shops and convenience stores.

Police: 112. Fire, ambulance and rescue: 119. If you do not speak Korean, calmly say “English” and wait: 112 has English and Chinese interpreters around the clock.

The 1330 Korea Travel Helpline gives tourist information and interpretation, and takes complaints. In Korea dial 1330; from abroad, +82-2-1330. It answers in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese 24 hours a day, and in Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian during the day (approx. 8:00 to 19:00). There is no Spanish or Portuguese, so English is your best bet. Verified in October 2026.

Other useful numbers: 1345, the immigration contact center for visa and stay questions (weekdays 9:00 to 22:00; after 18:00 only Korean, English and Chinese); 1339, infectious diseases; 182, lost and found (Lost112).

Download Emergency Ready, the Korean government's official app: it has disaster alerts, shelters, emergency hospitals and first aid guides, also in Spanish and Portuguese. And save the phone number of your country's embassy in Seoul.

Korea has four very distinct seasons, opposite to the southern hemisphere: when it is winter in Brazil, Chile or Argentina, it is summer in Korea.

Spring (March to May): mild and full of blossoms. Mornings and evenings are cool, so bring a light jacket.

Summer (June to August): hot and humid. The rainy season, 장마 (jangma), usually runs from late June to late July, and typhoons can come from June to October. Check the forecast before heading out and pack an umbrella, light clothes and sunscreen.

Autumn (September to November): clear days, around 15 °C on average and colorful mountains. Temperatures swing between day and night, so dress in layers.

Winter (December to February): cold and dry, with many days below freezing, especially in the north. If you come from a tropical climate, this is serious cold: a thick coat, gloves, a scarf and non-slip shoes.

Korea is on UTC+9 and has no daylight saving time.

Shoes: take them off at the door of homes, and also in restaurants or lodgings where people sit on the floor. If you see shoes at the entrance, do the same.

At the table: wait for the eldest person to start eating. The spoon is for rice and soup, and you do not lift your rice bowl to eat. Never leave chopsticks standing in rice: it recalls a ritual for the dead.

Tipping is not expected. Water and side dishes, 반찬 (banchan), are refilled at no charge. Many tables have a call button for the staff, and the cutlery sits in a small drawer in the table.

With elders: greet with a slight bow and give or receive things with both hands. When drinking with someone older, hold your glass with both hands and turn your face slightly away as you drink.

On subways and buses, keep your voice down and leave priority seats free for older people, pregnant women and people with disabilities. Ask before photographing people or market stalls, and check the signs in temples and museums.