Do South Korean passport holders need a visa for Canada?

By Arun Singh · Destinations Writer, Tripmojo · Updated August 26, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

No visa, but you do need an eTA if you are flying. Korean passport holders are visa-exempt for Canada and apply instead for an Electronic Travel Authorization, which costs 7 Canadian dollars and lasts up to five years. Two groups cannot use one at all, and if you are in either of them the answer on this page is not yours: Canadian dual citizens, and anyone who has ever held Canadian permanent residence.

Quick facts

Travel authorisation

Visa required: No, an eTA instead
Cost: 7 Canadian dollars
Validity: Up to five years, or until the passport expires
Length of stay: Normally up to six months per visit
If you are also a Canadian citizen: No eTA. You need a Canadian passport
If you were ever a Canadian PR: No eTA. You need a PR card or travel document
Staying a year: Look at International Experience Canada, not the eTA

Entry requirements

A Korean passport, and an approved eTA electronically linked to it.
Proof of funds for the visit and of ties that will bring you home.
A return or onward ticket and an address in Canada.
If you also hold Canadian citizenship, a valid Canadian passport instead. If you hold Canadian permanent residence, a PR card or a permanent resident travel document instead.

How to get the eTA

Apply online before you book if you can. Canada asks for the passport, a payment card and an email address, and most applications are approved within minutes, though some are held for supporting documents.

It costs 7 Canadian dollars and you can only apply and pay for one person at a time, so a family is a series of separate applications rather than one.

The approval is linked electronically to the passport you applied with and lasts up to five years or until that passport expires, whichever comes first.

With a valid eTA you may travel to Canada as often as you like, and the officer at the port of entry normally admits visitors for up to six months at a time.

Good to know

If the real plan is a year in Canada rather than a holiday, the eTA is the wrong instrument and Korea is unusually well placed to use the right one. International Experience Canada is a youth mobility arrangement negotiated country by country, and most partners get one or two categories. Korea has all three: Working Holiday, Young Professionals, and International Co-op for students on a placement. Japan, by comparison, has Working Holiday alone. Almost nobody weighing up a Canadian trip knows this exists, and it is a work permit rather than a visitor status, so it answers a question the eTA cannot.
International Experience Canada is not an application you can simply submit, which is the part that wrecks timelines. You create a profile, you go into a pool, and you wait to be invited to apply. Only then do you submit the work permit application. There is no way to pay to jump that queue and no way to guarantee an invitation in a given round, so it belongs in next year’s plan rather than next month’s. The eTA, which takes minutes, is what covers a trip you have already booked.
A Canadian passport in the drawer changes the answer completely, and this is the single most common way this journey goes wrong at check-in. Canada requires its own citizens, including dual citizens, to travel to Canada on a valid Canadian passport, and they cannot be issued an eTA at all. A child born in Canada to Korean parents is a Canadian citizen for life whether or not the family ever thought of it that way. The airline enforces this, not the border, so the refusal happens in Incheon rather than in Vancouver. The one exception in the rules is for Canadians who also hold American citizenship, who may travel on either passport.
Permanent residence does not lapse just because you left, and former residents are caught by this constantly. If you once held Canadian PR, that status does not expire on its own, so you are not a visa-exempt visitor and an eTA is not available to you. Flying back means a valid PR card, or a permanent resident travel document applied for from outside Canada, which takes time and cannot be sorted at the airport. Someone who studied or worked in Canada years ago and has since let a PR card expire is exactly the person this stops.

Frequently asked questions

Do South Koreans need a visa for Canada?

No. Korean passport holders are visa-exempt and need an Electronic Travel Authorization to fly to Canada. It costs 7 Canadian dollars.

How long is a Canadian eTA valid?

Up to five years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. A new passport needs a new eTA.

I hold both Korean and Canadian citizenship. Can I use an eTA?

No. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, must travel to Canada on a valid Canadian passport and cannot be issued an eTA. Canadians who also hold US citizenship may use either passport.

I used to be a Canadian permanent resident. Does that matter?

Yes. PR status does not expire on its own, so you cannot travel as a visa-exempt visitor. You need a valid PR card or a permanent resident travel document obtained before you fly.

Can I work in Canada on an eTA?

No. For a working stay, look at International Experience Canada. Korea has all three categories: Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op.

How long can I stay?

The officer decides at the border, and visitors are normally admitted for up to six months at a time.

Other passports for Canada

Other destinations for South Korea passport holders

South Korea passport holders visiting Singapore

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 26 August 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Find out if you need a visa: the Republic of Korea appears in the eTA-required list, not the visa-required list (canada.ca, entry-requirements-country). Read 2026-08-26.
IRCC, Electronic Travel Authorization facts — an eTA costs CAD $7, is linked electronically to the passport, is valid up to five years or until the passport expires, and allows stays normally up to six months at a time; "Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, need a valid Canadian passport", American-Canadians may use either, and Canadian permanent residents need a PR card or permanent resident travel document, with PR status noted as not expiring (canada.ca/visit-canada/eta/facts). Read 2026-08-26.
IRCC, International Experience Canada eligibility — the Republic of Korea is listed with all three categories, Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op (internship), where Japan is listed with Working Holiday only; participation runs through creating a profile and receiving an invitation to apply (canada.ca/work-canada/iec/eligibility). Read 2026-08-26.

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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