TGK-ETA: how to apply and where people slip up
The Korean visa is arranged online and lasts three years. What you need, when to apply, and why a new passport cancels an approved authorisation.
K-ETA is the South Korean visa in electronic form. It is obtained before departure: without approval the airline will not issue a boarding pass and the border service will not let you in.
What the authorisation gives you
- Valid for 3 years from the date of issue, but never longer than your passport
- Allows multiple entries — arrange it once and fly for years
- Fully online, with no consulate visit
The authorisation itself does not set how long you may stay. K-ETA allows Russian citizens up to 60 days per trip and no more than 90 days in total within any 180.
When to apply
Processing takes up to 72 hours, and that is also the official minimum: applications must be filed at least 72 hours before departure. In practice, apply much earlier — if it is refused, you want time to sort it out rather than rewriting the form in a taxi to the airport.
What you will need
- The passport you will actually travel on
- A photograph that meets the portal's requirements
- An address in Korea: a hotel, an apartment or your host's address
- Trip details and contact information
Where people slip up
- Details that do not match the passport: the Latin spelling of the name, the number, the date of issue. The portal compares them literally
- A photograph that fails the requirements — the second most common reason for a return
- A new passport, with the authorisation issued for the old one
- Payment: the fee cannot be paid on the portal with a Russian card
Children and older travellers
Travellers aged 17 and under and 65 and over do not apply for the authorisation. The exemption has applied since 2024 and covers K-ETA only: passports and other documents are required from everyone.
If you are flying as a family, not everyone will need it — but check ages against the departure date in advance. A child turning 18 a week before the trip already needs K-ETA.
If the application is refused
A refusal arrives without a detailed explanation. You may reapply, but processing again takes up to 72 hours, and if departure is tomorrow the trip is lost. That is why a time buffer matters more than it seems.
We fill in the form, bring the photograph up to the portal's requirements and file the application for you — including a check of the details that refusals usually come down to.
