Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada

• It is the right of all countries to protect its national interest. Entry inspection of foreigners is one such carnation of the right, which is incidentally one of the key functions of the immigration administration.
• Its main purpose is to prevent entry by foreigners who are banned or trying to enter through illegal means.
• Hence foreigners trying to use forged or altered passports, deemed as having questionable purpose of entry or inviting parties, or otherwise are using illegal means to gain entry may be denied entry into Korea at any time.

Entry requirements for foreigners

• Valid passport (can be substituted by seaman's identification certificate for seaman)
  • Those with expired passports will not be allowed to enter the country.
• Valid visa
  • Entry must be made prior to the visa's expiration date. In addition, entry may be denied, should the purpose of the visit is deemed not to match the visa type
• Must not fall into the prohibited entry category
  • Those that classify as international terrorists, former illegal immigrants, or other such categories are forbidden from entering Korea.

Customs

A written baggage declaration must be submitted to a customs official upon entry. Passengers must clear customs through either green, white, or red channels. Passengers who have no channel, and those declaring non-duty-free articles should use the white channel. Those who are suspected of making false declarations or of carrying prohibited articles will be directed to the red channel. If a passenger declares non-duty-free articles voluntarily, the declared amount will be accepted and the clearance procedure will be expedited.

Duty-Free Articles

• Visitor's (non-resident's) goods which will be taken out of Korea upon departure.(The total quantity of the goods should be declared for duty exemption.)
• Goods which were declared upon departure from Korea and are being brought back.
• Goods totaling US $600 or less which were purchased or acquired outside Korea.
• 1 bottle (not over 1 liter, less than $400) of alcoholic beverages
• 200 cigarettes (50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco)
• 2 ounces of perfume

Animal Quarantine

When arriving with animals or livestocks, you must submit an animal quarantine certificate from the country of departure to the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service and receive quarantine

• Homepage : https://www.qia.go.kr/english/html/indexqiaEngNoticeWebAction.do?clear=1
• Contact : +82-54-912-1000 (or 1001)

Plant Quarantine

When entering the country with plants, you must submit a plant quarantine certificate from the exporting country and receive quarantine from the plant quarantine station. Most fresh fruits, vegetables, walnuts, and plants in soil are prohibited, and when plants are not declared, a fine will be imposed.

• Homepage : https://www.qia.go.kr/english/html/indexqiaEngNoticeWebAction.do?clear=1
• Contact : +82-54-912-1000 (or 1001)

Alien Registration

A Korean embassy or consulate can issue two types of visa: a short-term visa for the visitor who wants to stay up to 90 days or a special long-term visa for periods longer than 90 days. A visitor with a special long-term visa is required to apply for alien registration at a local immigration office within 90 days of arrival.