In its weekly immigration bulletin dated 22 January 2026, Crown World Mobility reports that South Korea’s Ministry of Justice has prolonged the temporary waiver of the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) requirement for 22 visa-exempt nationalities, including Canada, through 31 December 2026. Canadians travelling for short-term business or tourism may therefore continue to enter Korea without completing the online K-ETA pre-authorisation that has applied to most visitors since 2021.
The original waiver, introduced ahead of the 2024 Busan World Expo bid, was due to lapse on 31 December 2025. The one-year extension supports Korea’s goal of restoring inbound travel volumes to pre-pandemic levels while preserving the option to re-impose screening quickly if public-health conditions change.
![South Korea extends K-ETA exemption for Canadians until end of 2026]()
For Canadian companies, the move streamlines last-minute travel to Korea’s manufacturing and tech hubs, eliminating the 10,000-won (≈ CA $10) fee and reducing lead-time by up to 72 hours. Travellers should still carry proof of onward travel and sufficient funds, and must respect the 90-day visa-free stay limit.
The exemption does not affect Canadians who require work permits or long-term visas; those travellers must continue to apply through Korean consulates. Moreover, nationals who have already obtained a valid K-ETA can keep using it until it expires.
Practical advice: mobility managers should update travel-approval workflows to remove the K-ETA step for eligible Canadian trips but retain it for colleagues of other nationalities not covered by the exemption.
The original waiver, introduced ahead of the 2024 Busan World Expo bid, was due to lapse on 31 December 2025. The one-year extension supports Korea’s goal of restoring inbound travel volumes to pre-pandemic levels while preserving the option to re-impose screening quickly if public-health conditions change.
For Canadian companies, the move streamlines last-minute travel to Korea’s manufacturing and tech hubs, eliminating the 10,000-won (≈ CA $10) fee and reducing lead-time by up to 72 hours. Travellers should still carry proof of onward travel and sufficient funds, and must respect the 90-day visa-free stay limit.
The exemption does not affect Canadians who require work permits or long-term visas; those travellers must continue to apply through Korean consulates. Moreover, nationals who have already obtained a valid K-ETA can keep using it until it expires.
Practical advice: mobility managers should update travel-approval workflows to remove the K-ETA step for eligible Canadian trips but retain it for colleagues of other nationalities not covered by the exemption.
Source: Crown World Mobility
