Therese Sta. MariaSouth Korea is gradually reopening its borders to travellers! The Land of the Morning Calm recently made it possible for fully vaccinated travellers to enter the country without quarantine, starting on 1 July 2021. But don’t get too excited. So far, South Korea’s quarantine exemption is exclusive to travellers with a special purpose such as business, academic, and familial.
Also read: 12 Flower Fields in South Korea That Look Straight Out of A Storybook [Updated 2021]
People who fall under these traveller categories but aren’t fully vaccinated yet must go through the two-week mandatory quarantine. It’s also important to remember that South Korea’s quarantine exemption is only applicable starting two weeks after an individual is fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, the quarantine exemption isn’t applicable to travellers from countries with high numbers of COVID-19 variants such as Brazil and South Africa.
Image credit: Markus Winkler
If you’re worried about whether South Korea recognises the vaccine you’ve taken, fret not. The country follows the World Health Organization (WHO) standards and it has basically approved most of the COVID-19 vaccines, specifically: Pfizer, Janssen, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
Travellers who fall under South Korea’s quarantine exemption must request for a quarantine waiver and submit an application, pledge, and vaccination record to an evaluation agency.
According to the Korean Herald, these applications are available online through Korean Embassies and Consulates abroad. If travellers follow the procedure correctly, they will already know whether they’re exempted from quarantine even before departing for South Korea.
Also read: 13 Fun Facts About South Korea You Should Know About Before You Visit!
Safe travels to everyone who may fall under South Korea’s quarantine exemption. And to hopeful tourists who still dream of flying to the land of kimchi and K-drama, your time will come!
Featured image credit: Mathew Schwartz | Unsplash
