South Korea
Largely safe — some caution advised.
Government advisories
For informational purposes only — always verify with official government sources before travel.
Entry requirements
For informational purposes only — always verify with official government sources before travel.
United States passportVisa-free · 90 daysCanada passportVisa-free · 180 daysIreland passportVisa-free · 90 daysUnited Kingdom passportVisa-free · 90 daysNew Zealand passportVisa-free · 90 daysNetherlands passportVisa-free · 90 daysFrance passportVisa-free · 90 daysGermany passportVisa-free · 90 daysPoland passportVisa-free · 90 daysTaiwan passportVisa-free · 90 daysJapan passportVisa-free · 90 daysWhere the governments disagree on South Korea
The governments do not agree on South Korea. Germany stands alone at level 2 (exercise increased caution), while the other 9 governments sit lower, all at level 1. A single outlier usually means one of two things: that government knows something specific about its own citizens' exposure, or its assessment has not caught up with the others.
Currency varies between sources. New Zealand's is the oldest assessment of South Korea on file, last revised in December 2024, while the rest have been reviewed more recently.
The warnings for South Korea are not uniform across the country. Four distinct areas are singled out by at least one government. Among them: Border area between North Korea and South Korea and Hong-dae (Seoul). At least one of these carries the highest possible rating, meaning a government advising against all travel there while rating the rest of the country lower.
Your own government's rating is the one your insurer and embassy will act on, so read that source first — the one level of daylight between the strictest and most relaxed assessments here is context, not a substitute for it.
Derived from 10 government assessments for South Korea, most recently reviewed in October 2026.