The Immigration and Quarantine Rules of the Republic of Korea

As of 20 January 2021

Both the Korean nationals and foreigners who are travelling to the Republic of Korea are
required to comply with the following rules of immigration and quarantine adopted by the
Government of the Republic of Korea as its response to significant global challenges related
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<For Foreign Nationals>

Entry Visa

the Embassy of the Republic of Korea temporarily suspends all the routine visa services.
However, the following individuals may be exempted from the suspension.
1. Foreign diplomats and officials for diplomatic and official purposes
2. Spouses and children of the Korean nationals
3. Seafarers who are going to join vessels which are anchored or will be anchored in
Korea only
4. Businessmen who secure approval for their entry to Korea by relevant Ministries of
the Government of the Republic of Korea
5. Humanitarian reasons such as death of immediate family member

Negative PCR Test Certificate

All the Foreign Nationals travelling from the Philippines to Korea are required to carry
PRINTED copies of the certificates that indicate negative results of Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) test regardless of visa type. The PCR tests must be performed in the hospitals
designated by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines within 72 hours of
travelling foreign nationals’ scheduled departure to Korea. They will be asked to present their
negative results of the PCR test Manila to the airlines before boarding the flights to Korea as
well as to the quarantine officials upon arrival in Korea. If they fail to meet the above
requirements of PCR testing, they will not be permitted to enter Korea.

The above rules must be observed as well by all the foreign travelers who are transiting in
Manila to South Korea but are cleared for entry to the Philippines by the Philippine
immigration authorities. However, foreign travelers who are merely transiting in Manila to
Korea without immigration admission to the Philippines are required to present printed copies
of their negative results of the PCR test conducted in their countries of origin.

Foreign nationals who are merely transiting in Korea to other countries with no immigration
admission to Korea are NOT asked to present their individual PCR test results to the airlines
before boarding the flights as well as to the qurantine officials upon arrival in Korea.

1
Quarantine

All the Foreign Nationals who are ASYMPTOMATIC will not undergo PCR tests upon
arrival in Korea. They are required to be quarantined for 14 days from arrival either at their
residences or the facilities designated by the Korean Government, and will be asked to
undergo PCR tests at local or regional medical centers near your qurantine place within 3days
since their arrival in KoreaWhen they confirm positive, they will be transported either to
hospitals or to local medical facilities.

1. Foreigners with long-term visas are permitted to conduct home isolation at their own
residences.
2. Foreigners with short-term visas are in principle required to be quarantined at the
facilities designated by the Government of the Republic of Korea.
3. However, the following foreigners with short-term visas may be permitted to be
quarantined at their residences.
 Those whose family members residing in Korea are either Korean nationals or
foreigners with long-term visas
 The extent of family includes his or her spouse, the immediate family members
of his or her own or his or her spouse (including the spouse of the said the
immediate family) and relatives within the relations of his or her third cousins

All the Foreign Nationals who are SYMPTOMATIC upon arrival in Korea will be
escorted to the facilities for PCR testing. Those who confirm NEGATIVE at the tests
undergone upon arrival will be asked to observe the 14 day long quarantine at their own
residences or at the facilities designated by the Korean Government, while those who confirm
POSITIVE will be quarantined either at specialized hospitals or the medical facilities.

All the holders of Diplomatic (A-1), Official (A-2) and Agreement (A-3) Visas will be
escorted to the facilities near to the airport for PCR testing regardless of being symptomatic
or asymptomatic. They will be asked either to stand by at the facilities or to be quarantined at
their own residences until their test results are released. When they confirm POSITIVE, they
will be transported to specialized hospitals or the medical facilities. Those who confirm
NEGATIVE will be released from self-quarantine but be under a voluntary monitoring
arrangement.

<For the Korean Nationals>

Negative PCR Test Certificate

All the Korean Nationals are not required to present their certificates of negative PCR test
results issued by medical institutions accredited by the Embassy of Korea in Manila to the
airlines before boarding flights to Korea as well as to the Korean quarantine officials at the
airport upon arrival.

2
PCR Test and Quarantine

The Korean nationals who are SYMPTOMATIC upon arrival are required to undergo PCR
tests at the airport in Korea. Those who confirm positive will be transported to specialized
hospitals or medical facilities while those who confirm negative are required to be
quarantined at their residences.

The Korean nationals who are ASYMPTOMATIC upon arrival are required to undergo PCR
tests at local or regional medical centers near to their residences within 3 days since their
arrival in Korea. Regardless of their PCR test results, all the Korean Nationals who are
travelling to Korea are required to be quarantined at their residences for 14 days starting from
arrival. If a Korean national arrives in Korea on 1 January 2021, he or she should be
quarantined until 12:00pm on 15 January 2021.

<Quarantine Exemption Certificate>

The Korean nationals and Foreign nationals in possession of the Quarantine Exemption
Certificate are exempted from quarantine during the period of time set in the Quarantine
Exemption Certificate. Those who fall under the following cases may be eligible for
applying for the quarantine exemption. They are advised to consult with the Embassy of
Korea via +63-2-8856-9210

1. Humanitarian purposes such as attending funeral rituals for their immediate family
members
- They are asked to submit the Application Form to the Embassy of Korea
- The Embassy of Korea will review the application and issue the Certificate when
it meets the requirement.
2. Critical business purposes
- They are asked to submit the Application Form to the Entrepreneurship
Immigration Support Center in Korea.
- The application will be reviewed by a relevant Ministry of the Korean Government.
- The relevant Ministry will notify the Embassy whether to issue the Certificate to
the applicant.
- The Embassy will issue the Certificate according to the official notification by the
relevant Ministry.

* Regarding Condition No.2., please contact to the Entrepreneurship Immigration

Support Center in Korea(+82-2-1566-8110/www.btsc.or.kr) for further information.

The Quarantine Exemption Certificate must be issued by the Korean diplomatic missions.
Those in possession of the Certificate must be quarantined after the end of the period of time
which is allocated for quarantine exemption till the 14th day since their arrival in Korea.