FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT NEGATIVE PCR COVID-19 TEST REQUIREMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS

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Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (Sep. 14, 2021)

1. Can the test result be in languages other than Korean or English?

○ The test method (test type) must be written in Korean or English.

○ If the test method is written in a language that is NOT Korean or English, a certified translation of the test result must be provided in Korean or English, along with a certificate of translation.*

* NOTE: Translations by individual translators must be certified by a notary office or Korean embassy. Translations by the certified translation office or a certified translator does not need to be notarized or certified by embassy.

2. Which test types are valid for the requirement?

○ PCR tests based on the nucleic acid amplification method (e.g. NAATs, RT-PCR, LAMP, TMA, SDA, NEAR) are valid.

- Antigen/antibody tests (e.g. RAT, ELISA) and self-administered tests are not valid.

3. When does the test need to be issued?

○ The test result needs to be issued no earlier than 72 hours (3 days) before midnight (12 AM) of the date of departure. This is based on the date the document is issued, not the sample collection date.

* For example, if your departure is scheduled at 10 AM on March 10, 2021, your test result needs to have been issued after 12 AM of March 7, 2021.

4. Is a PCR test based on saliva sample rather than a nasal swab accepted?

○ Saliva PCT tests are accepted if the sample was analyzed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

- Other requirements such as testing center, date of issuance, etc. (refer to Q5) still need to be met.

* NOTE: Any form of self-administered tests, regardless of the test type, are not accepted.

5. What information needs to be on the test result?

○ The test result document needs to include your name (identical to name on passport; middle name may be omitted), date of birth (passport number or ID number is acceptable in lieu of the date of birth), test method (e.g. NAAT, PCR, LAMP, TMA, SDA), test date, test result, date of issuance, and name of testing center.

6. What if the date of issuance is not indicated on the test result?

○ Provided that all other requirements are met, the test result may be accepted if you provide a supplementary document by which the date of issuance can be clearly inferred, such as emails from the testing center or a record of visit to the testing center. The burden of proof is on the traveling individual.

7. Does the test result need to be issued by a government-designated testing center?

○ The countries that have government-designated testing centers are the Philippines (effective since July 13), Indonesia (since July 13), Uzbekistan (since July 26) and Russia (applicable only for those arriving through seaports). For travelers who are arriving from these countries, only the test results issued by the respective government-designated testing centers are accepted.

* NOTE: The list of countries with designated testing centers are subject to change; changes will be posted on the websites of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and Korean embassy.

○ As for other countries, the test result can be issued by any testing center in the country.

8. If I received my test result online or by email, how should the test result be submitted? Is a digital copy also valid?

○ Upon arrival, you will need to provide a hard copy of the test result before entering the Republic of Korea.

- If you don’t have a hard copy to turn in upon arrival but are able to print out a hard copy after entry, you can have the test result printed out while at the airport or staying at a quarantine facility. Note that you will not be able to leave until you can provide a hard copy and that you will be charged for the use of the facility.

* Due to the limited capacity of the airport, you will not at the airport for an extended period of time or after the airport’s closing time. In such case, you will need to stay in the quarantine facility until you can provide a hard copy. Note that accommodation and meals at the airport will not be available.

9. What if I am transiting through another country before entering the Republic of Korea?

○ If you are departing from Country A, transiting through Country B, and arriving in Korea:

→ If you did not enter Country B, your test result can be from either Country A or Country B.

→ If you entered Country B, your test result must be from Country B.

* If you entered Country B but left Country B before 72 hours had passed since the time your test result from Country A was issued, the test result issued in Country A is acceptable.

10. What if I am transiting through Korea to go to another country?

○ Transit passengers who are not entering the Republic of Korea do not need to submit a negative COVID-19 test result.

11. What about infants and young children? Do they also need a negative test result?

○ The negative pre-departure test requirement may be waived for children under the age of 6 (as of the date of arrival) if ALL persons accompanying the child submit valid negative test results.

○ If any of the accompanying person has COVID-19 suspected symptoms, the accompanying person and the child will be required to get a COVID-19 test.

12. What about A-1, A-2, A-3 visa holders? What if I am fully vaccinated?

○ The negative pre-departure test requirement applies to A Visa holders (A-1: Diplomat, A-2: Government official, A-3: Agreement) and fully vaccinated travelers entering the Republic of Korea.

13. Do foreign business persons who use the fast track also need to submit negative PCR test results when entering the Republic of Korea?

○ The negative pre-departure test result requirement applies to fast track travelers.

14. Who are exempt from the pre-departure test requirement?

○ Children under 6 as of the date of arrival (only if all the accompanying persons traveling with the child have submitted valid negative test results)

○ Korean nationals with quarantine exemption certificates for humanitarian (attending funerals) or official business reasons.

○ Flight crew

○ Individuals who departed from Korea for another country but were denied entry or otherwise did not go through with the entry procedure at another country before returning to Korea. This applies to both Korean nationals and foreign nationals, and the burden of proof is on the traveling individual.

○ Korean nationals or spouses or lineal descendants/antecedents of a Korean national departing from Myanmar. (The spouse or lineal descendant/antecedent does not need to be accompanied by the Korean family member.)

○ Korean sailors departing from Singapore, who hold “Seafarer’s Book of Republic of Korea”

※ Subject to change according to the COVID-19 situation overseas

15. What happens to Korean nationals without a valid pre-departure test result?

○ Travelers need to show their negative result to the airline before boarding their flight to Korea. You will not be allowed to board their flight if you don’t have a valid pre-departure negative test result. Effective July 15, 2021, this applies to Korean nationals as well as foreign nationals.

- Exceptions apply to children under the age of 6 at the time of arrival (provided that all accompanying persons traveling with the child have pre-departure negative test results) and travelers who have quarantine exemption certificates for funeral attendance, etc. (Refer to Q14)

○ If the pre-departure test result submitted is found to be invalid (i.e., does not meet all the requirements), the traveler will be placed in a temporary quarantine facility for 7 days (Quarantine fee to be charged: KRW 840,000 or KRW120,000/day), followed by 7 days of home quarantine. In the case of seaports, disembarking will be prohibited for all sailors on board.

※ Travelers arriving from the Republic of South Africa or Tanzania must stay in temporary quarantine facilities for 14 days until Sep.14.2021.(Quarantine fee to be charged to traveler: KRW 1,680,000)

- A person who fails to cooperate with the request for negative pre-departure test result or submits a falsified document may face legal ramifications in accordance with the Quarantine Act.

* Korean nationals (as well as long-term visa holders) who have been vaccinated in the Republic of Korea and fail to submit valid pre-departure negative test results will be required to get tested and wait for the result in a temporary quarantine facility (for 1 night and 2 days; quarantine fees will be charged). Other Korean nationals with quarantine exemption certificates who fail to submit valid pre-departure negative test results will have their quarantine exemption invalidated even if they have been vaccinated outside of Korea, and they will be quarantined at a facility (quarantine fees will be charged).

16. What happens to foreign nationals without a valid pre-departure test result?

○ Travelers need to show their negative result to the airline before boarding their flight to Korea. Travelers without a valid negative pre-departure test result in possession will not be allowed to board their flight. If the test result submitted is found to be invalid, the traveler will be denied entry to the Republic of Korea. In the case of seaports, disembarking will be prohibited for all sailors.

- Foreign nationals who have been vaccinated in the Republic of Korea will still need to show a valid pre-departure negative test result to be allowed to board their flight.

- Exceptions apply to travelers who departed from Korea to another country but were denied entry to the destination country or otherwise did not go through the entry procedure before returning to Korea; in such cases, they will be able to board the return flight without a pre-departure test result. The burden of proof is on the traveling individual.

※ In the case of foreign nationals with a long-term visa who have been vaccinated in the Republic of Korea, they may be allowed entry without a valid pre-departure test result, but they will need to get tested and wait for the test result at a temporary quarantine facility.

※ In the case of foreign nationals (long-term and short-term visas) with quarantine exemption certificates, they will not be allowed to enter Korea without a valid pre-departure test result, even if they have been vaccinated overseas.

○ Anyone who fails to cooperate with requests for pre-departure negative test results or submits falsified document may face legal ramifications in accordance with the Quarantine Act, including but not limited to an order of deportation.

17. What happens if my negative PCR test result “expires” (i.e. more than 72 hours elapses since issue date) due to a delay in the flight?

○ If departure is delayed due to reasons such as bad weather conditions or aircraft failure causing the pre-departure test result to be more than 72 hours old upon arrival, the test result will be considered valid if the delay can be verified by the head of the mode of transportation (e.g., airline, shipping company). The burden of proof is on the traveling individual.