South Korea to reopen to vaccinated travellers from April

Clarity is needed on whether vaccinated holidaymakers will need to test on arrival

Seoul in South Korea, a rising star of the travel scene before the pandemic hit (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

South Korea has announced that it will allow most fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter, quarantine-free, from 1 April - replacing the previous requirement to self-isolate for seven days.

The news was confirmed in a statement on the country’s official tourism website.

The UK is included on the list of approved countries for the quarantine-free rule, while Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine are all excluded.

“Fully vaccinated” is defined as anyone who has had their second dose more than 14 days ago but fewer than 180 days ago - or who has had a booster.

Travellers who meet this criteria must upload their journey and contact information to the Q-Code website before departure, and provide a negative PCR result from a test taken within the 48 hours before departure. Your Q-Code registration will send you a QR Code, which you can show at Korean immigration as proof of vaccination.

Children aged five and under do not need to have a negative test result to enter. Unvaccinated adults will have to quarantine for seven days as before.

However, all travellers (including under fives and the vaccinated) still need to test on arrival. The Foreign Office advice states: “All arrivals – including children under the age of six, and regardless of nationality and length of stay – are also required to be tested for coronavirus within 24 hours after entering South Korea.”

All visitors must test at the airport upon arrival and remain at the testing facility until they receive a result - the tourist board tells The Independent “This is usually very quick in Korea”. After the result comes back negative, they are free to explore.

The news comes as Vietnam passes its slated reopening date to international tourists, without having confirmed any specific rules for testing or quarantine for international visitors.

Vietnamese authorities announced the reopening date of 15 March in mid February, saying all international, vaccinated visitors aged two and over would have to test either side of their journey there, as well as self-isolating for 24 hours on arrival.

However, as of 15 March, no official statements have been put out about the new rules for entry to the country.