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South Korea Practical Travel Info

Visa rules by nationality, money, safety, transit, and eSIM.

Visa rules depend on your passport: most Western nationalities get 90 days visa-free, and K-ETA (the usual add-on authorization) is temporarily waived for about 67 countries through December 31, 2026. Currency is the won (KRW); Korea is extremely card-friendly but keep some cash. Public transit — subway, bus, and the T-money card — is excellent and genuinely one of the best reasons to base yourself centrally. Korea is very safe; its one truly zero-tolerance rule is drugs, including cannabis, regardless of home-country law.

The unglamorous section that actually saves your trip: whether you need a visa or just a quick K-ETA form (spoiler: it depends entirely on your passport, and it's more nuanced than most guides let on), how to move around Seoul without a car, and the one legal line that trips up more visitors than anything else — Korea's drug laws.

South Korea Visa & Entry Requirements (2026)
Practical Info

South Korea Visa & Entry Requirements (2026)

The real answer, broken down by passport — not one generic rule.

Money, Safety, Transit & eSIM in South Korea
Practical Info

Money, Safety, Transit & eSIM in South Korea

Cash, cards, T-money, real safety notes, and staying connected.

Questions people actually ask

Do I need a visa for South Korea?
It depends on your nationality — see our full visa and K-ETA guide. Most Western nationalities get 90 days visa-free and, as a further temporary bonus through December 2026, don't even need to file the usual K-ETA form.
Is South Korea safe to visit?
Yes, it's consistently ranked among the safest countries in the world for travelers — violent crime against tourists is rare, and even subways are heavily monitored. The one hard line: South Korea has zero tolerance for drugs, including cannabis, no matter what's legal at home.
What currency does South Korea use?
The South Korean won (KRW, ₩). As a rough planning anchor, $1 has recently traded around ₩1,400-1,530. Cards work almost everywhere, but carry some cash for markets, street food stalls, and small older restaurants.