South Korea extends group visa fee waiver as foreign arrivals beat pre-pandemic levels
Official data shows that foreign arrivals in South Korea rose sharply in November, climbing 17.3 per cent from a year earlier
- Jan 2, 2026,
- Updated Jan 2, 2026 3:50 PM IST
South Korea has decided to keep the door open a little longer for group tourists from key Asian markets. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Wednesday that Seoul will extend the waiver on visa processing fees for group travellers from six countries, including India, for another six months.
The fee exemption for C-3-2 short-term group visas, which was set to expire on Wednesday, will now remain in force until the end of June next year, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The countries covered under the extension are India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia.
The decision is aimed at sustaining the recent surge in inbound tourism. “The move is aimed at sustaining momentum in inbound tourism,” Koo said, as arrivals continue to recover beyond pre-pandemic levels. Processing fees for C-3-2 visas are currently set at 18,000 won ($12.46).
Official data shows that foreign arrivals rose sharply in November, climbing 17.3 per cent from a year earlier. About 1.6 million foreign tourists visited South Korea in November, compared with 1.36 million in the same month last year and 9.6 per cent more than in November 2019, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation.
China remained the largest source of visitors with 378,000 arrivals, followed by Japan at 363,000, Taiwan with 158,000, the United States with 133,000 and the Philippines with 60,000.
While arrivals from China recovered to around 75 per cent of 2019 levels, the number of Japanese tourists jumped 40.4 per cent compared with the same period that year, underscoring a faster rebound from Japan.
From January to November, South Korea received 17.42 million foreign visitors, up 15.4 per cent from a year earlier and 8.6 per cent above 2019 levels, the tourism body said. Chinese visitors accounted for about 29.2 per cent, or 5.09 million, of the total.
South Korea has decided to keep the door open a little longer for group tourists from key Asian markets. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Wednesday that Seoul will extend the waiver on visa processing fees for group travellers from six countries, including India, for another six months.
The fee exemption for C-3-2 short-term group visas, which was set to expire on Wednesday, will now remain in force until the end of June next year, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The countries covered under the extension are India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia.
The decision is aimed at sustaining the recent surge in inbound tourism. “The move is aimed at sustaining momentum in inbound tourism,” Koo said, as arrivals continue to recover beyond pre-pandemic levels. Processing fees for C-3-2 visas are currently set at 18,000 won ($12.46).
Official data shows that foreign arrivals rose sharply in November, climbing 17.3 per cent from a year earlier. About 1.6 million foreign tourists visited South Korea in November, compared with 1.36 million in the same month last year and 9.6 per cent more than in November 2019, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation.
China remained the largest source of visitors with 378,000 arrivals, followed by Japan at 363,000, Taiwan with 158,000, the United States with 133,000 and the Philippines with 60,000.
While arrivals from China recovered to around 75 per cent of 2019 levels, the number of Japanese tourists jumped 40.4 per cent compared with the same period that year, underscoring a faster rebound from Japan.
From January to November, South Korea received 17.42 million foreign visitors, up 15.4 per cent from a year earlier and 8.6 per cent above 2019 levels, the tourism body said. Chinese visitors accounted for about 29.2 per cent, or 5.09 million, of the total.