South Korea will reopen its borders to international visitors, dropping the mandatory quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers from April 1, 2022, the Korea Tourism Organization announced late last week.
Quarantine exemption will be available for those who have completed their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or received two doses (one dose for Janssen) at least 14 days prior but within 180 days. Note: This does not apply to vaccinated visitors from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Myanmar, who must still quarantine for seven days. The U.S. State Department says that all travelers to Korea must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48 hours of their departure.
International visitors must enter their vaccine records to Q-CODE prior to arriving in South Korea and scan the provided QR code upon immigration. The Q-CODE will require personal information (passport number), entry information (departure country, airline, address in Korea, phone number), and vaccine records.
South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced the exemptions will be expanded to include overseas vaccinations that have not registered for vaccination status in Korea as well.
Additionally, starting March 21, 2022, vaccinated travelers who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination in Korea or those who already registered their overseas vaccination history at a local Korean public health center will be eligible for quarantine exemption.
According to The New York Times, South Korea is averaging over 285,000 new COVID cases daily (552 per 100,00), a 79 percent increase in the last 14 days. Eighty-six percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
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