K-ETA Application Guide for
｢Priority Entry (Business) Persons｣
REV.2022.7.1.
1. Eligibility for K-ETA Application for ｢Priority Entry (Business) Persons｣ (Effective from 1 September)
❍ Foreign nationals of 8 countries/regions (appendix 1) where visa-free entry has been suspended whose purpose of stay is for short-term visit (C-3) and ‘important business purpose’.
* (C-3 Eligibility) Those who intend to stay for 90 days or less for non-profit making activities such as market research, business communication, consulting, and contract, friendly matches, participating or attending various events or conferences, culture and arts, common training, taking lessons, attending religious ceremony, collecting academic data, and other similar reasons.
❍ Those who need a short-term employee visa (C-4) can not apply for K-ETA for ‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’
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C-4 VISA is required for those who plan to stay for 90 days or less with the intention of making profit from① performance of music, fine arts, literature, etc., ② advertisement·fashion activities, ③ sports games·competitions·exhibitions that generate incomes/profits,
④ lecture·speech, ⑤ research, ⑥ technical training, ⑦ working in the high-tech industries such as the Information Technology sector,
⑧ participating in any employment activity on a contract-basis with a government-owned company·private corporation (A person dispatched to the Republic of Korea, working and receiving remuneration* including relocation allowances from government-owned companies or private corporations for installation·maintenance of imported machinery, manufacturing·supervision of shipbuilding and industrial facilities, etc. on the basis of service contracts·procurement contracts·business contracts)
* Including those who provides practical services or actual works even though remuneration are paid from overseas.
★ Whether the foreigner’s purpose of stay falls under C-3 must be checked at a diplomatic mission prior to the application.
2. Application Procedure
1) Domestic company·organization applies for K-ETA ★to the department in charge related to their business·institutional industry on behalf of the foreign invitees. (Refer below for the required documents and the list of the departments in charge)
2) The department in charge assesses if the foreign invitees are eligible for 'Priority Entry (Business) Persons’ and sends the K-ETA application form to the Ministry of Justice.
3) The Ministry of Justice evaluates the validity of K-ETA issuance based on the K-ETA application form sent by the department in charge, and then notifies the evaluation result (official letter) to the domestic company·organization by e-mail and also to the department in charge by official letter.
※ It takes about 5 days from the date of receipt of the application form for the assessment on the K-ETA issuance to be completed.
4) The domestic company·organization sends the K-ETA evaluation result (official letter) to the foreign invitees.
5) It is a must for the foreign invitees to carry the K-ETA evaluation result (official letter) to get the boarding pass and enter the country.
3. Required Documents
❍ Company related documents (such as business registration certificate), photocopy of the passport bio page of the foreign invitees, the list of the applicants, etc.
※ For the inquiries on the details related to the required docum ents, contact the department in charge directly since the required documents are separately determined and managed by the departm ents in charge.
4. Where to Send the Documents
❍ The required documents for K-ETA application for ‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’ should be sent to the department in charge related to the domestic company’s business·institutional industry.
《Departments in Charge and the Related Fields》
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (major manufacturing and mid-sized enterprises), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (culture, sports), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
(agriculture and forestry, livestock, food), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (construction, transportation), Ministry of
Oceans and Fisheries (fisheries, shipping), Financial Services Commission (finance), Ministry of SMEs and Startups (small and
medium enterprises), Ministry of Education (industry-university collaboration), Ministry of Science and ICT (IT, information and communication, fundamental science), Ministry of Health and Welfare
(health, medical treatment), Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (food safety, medical equipment, medicine), Defense Acquisition Program Administration (defense industry), Korea Communications Commission
(broadcasting), etc.
5. Validity Period and Period of Stay
❍ The ‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’ who receive the K-ETA approval letter need to enter the country within the validity period of the official letter (normally before or after 20 days from the expected date of entry).
★ The validity of the official letter is nullified when the validity period expires and no entry is permitted with the expired official letter
❍ Unlike the general K-ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), the official letter issued to the ‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’
is one-time and it expires when the foreign invitees enter and exit the country
❍ The period of stay of the ‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’
is the same as the period of visa-free sojourn by the country.
6. Additional Information
❍ A visa must be obtained from the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Korea to enter the country in case K-ETA cannot be applied or notification of rejection is received
※ No visa application is required for those who receive the K-ETA approval.
❍ Quarantine is not exempted even though K-ETA approval for
‘Priority Entry (Business) Persons’ is obtained. Contact the
relevant department in charge for the inquiries related to
quarantine matters such as negative COVID-19 (PCR) test and
quarantine exemption.
*Appendix 1: 8 Countries Eligible for K-ETA for
｢Priority Entry (Business) Persons｣
Total of 8 Countries/Regions Asia
(3 countries) Macau, Japan, Taiwan Oceania
(5 countries) Micronesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga
※ Business persons of 104 countries/regions* where K-ETA application is currently available under COVID-19 situation need to apply for K-ETA directly either via K-ETA website (www.k-eta.go.kr) or via mobile application (K-ETA).
