Japan and South Korea Trip: Entry Forms, K-ETA and Flight Rules

Meta description: Doing Japan and Korea on one trip? Here’s the entry-form order, K-ETA status, and baggage/battery rules that differ between the two legs.

Who this is for, and a passport disclaimer

This guide is written for a general international traveler who is either flying into Japan and out through Korea, or the reverse, on a single multi-city trip. It assumes a short-haul connection between the two countries (commonly Tokyo/Osaka/Fukuoka to Seoul/Busan, or vice versa) rather than a long layover in a third country.

Every fact below about visas, K-ETA, and arrival cards depends on your nationality. “Visa-free” and “exempt from K-ETA” apply only to passport holders from countries on Japan’s and Korea’s respective exemption lists—this is not universal. Before you rely on anything here, confirm your own nationality’s status on the official sites linked in the table below. If you’re transiting Korea only (not clearing immigration), different rules can apply than if you’re formally entering.

Entry permission vs. arrival form: two separate things in each country

It helps to separate “permission to enter” from “the form you fill out on arrival.” They’re not the same thing, and each country handles them differently.

Japan:

• Permission to enter: for many nationalities, a visa exemption stamp granted on arrival (up to 90 days for tourism, depending on nationality). No pre-approved electronic authorization is required to enter as a visa-exempt visitor.
• Arrival form: Japan’s disembarkation card and customs declaration can be filed in advance through Visit Japan Web (visajapan-web isn’t the real domain—use the official www.digital.go.jp “Visit Japan Web” service). This is optional but recommended, since it generates a QR code that speeds up both immigration and customs at the airport.

South Korea:

• Permission to enter: as of 2026, Korea’s Ministry of Justice has extended a temporary exemption from K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) for around 67 eligible nationalities, through December 31, 2026. If your passport is on that exempt list, you do not need a K-ETA to enter for short-term tourism during this window.
• Arrival form: even with the K-ETA exemption, most foreign arrivals into Korea still need to submit an electronic travel/arrival card (Korea’s e-Arrival Card system) before or at entry, unless you separately hold an approved K-ETA, in which case the e-Arrival Card step is typically waived. In other words, the two Korea documents cover overlapping but distinct purposes—the K-ETA is entry authorization, the e-Arrival Card is the customs/immigration declaration—and the exemption only removes the first one, not necessarily the second.

Because Korea’s K-ETA exemption is temporary and reviewed periodically, and is scheduled to end December 31, 2026 with K-ETA becoming mandatory again from January 1, 2027, check the current status close to your travel date even if you’ve traveled to Korea recently under the exemption.

Filing order and windows: what to submit first, and how many days ahead

Do these in this order:

1. Visit Japan Web (Japan leg) — can be completed any time before departure; most travelers do it a few days to a week ahead. No fixed “earliest” window, but it must be done before passing through Japanese immigration.
2. Korea K-ETA (only if you choose to apply, or if you’re not on the exempt list) — normally filed at least 72 hours before departure when required, though exempt travelers can skip this.
3. Korea e-Arrival Card — filed within the window Korean immigration specifies before arrival (check the official K-ETA/immigration portal for the current pre-arrival window, since this has changed more than once). Do this closer to your actual Korea arrival date than the Japan form, since travel details like accommodation address are more likely to be finalized by then.

If your trip is Korea-first-then-Japan, simply reverse the order: file the Korea arrival document ahead of that leg, then complete Visit Japan Web before your Japan arrival.

Through-ticket vs. separate-ticket baggage

If Japan and Korea are on one through-ticket (single PNR, often on partner airlines like a JAL–Korean Air codeshare), checked bags are normally tagged straight through to your final destination, and you don’t reclaim them at the connecting airport unless you’re changing terminals or the connection requires a mandatory bag recheck (common with budget-carrier or interline-but-not-codeshare pairings).

If you booked two separate tickets (e.g., a discount fare into Tokyo, a separate discount fare out of Fukuoka to Seoul), your bag is checked only to your first arrival airport. You must collect it, clear customs, and check in again from scratch for the second flight—treat it as two independent trips for baggage purposes.

Missed-connection handling differs accordingly. On a through-ticket, if your Japan arrival is delayed and you miss the Korea leg, the operating or marketing airline is generally responsible for rebooking you and handling your bag, since it’s one itinerary. On separate tickets, a missed connection is your own problem to solve—there’s no airline obligation to rebook you on the second ticket, and any change fees or new-ticket costs are yours. If your Japan–Korea trip includes a tight connection, build in slack or confirm airline rebooking policy before you book two separate fares.

Power banks and dangerous goods: check the operating carrier, not just the route

Both Japan and Korea, like nearly every country, restrict lithium batteries and power banks to carry-on baggage only, with capacity tiers (generally under 100Wh unrestricted in reasonable quantity, 100–160Wh requiring airline approval and typically limited to two spare batteries, over 160Wh prohibited on passenger aircraft).

What differs is the operating airline’s own policy layer on top of that framework. A Japanese carrier and a Korean carrier can apply different caps on power banks per passenger, different rules on in-flight use (some Korean carriers restrict in-seat charging following battery-related incidents), and different storage requirements. If your itinerary has one operating carrier for the Japan leg and a different one for Korea—even under a single codeshare booking—check both airlines’ power bank pages separately rather than assuming the outbound rule carries over.

Payment, transit card, eSIM and 2FA changeover

Japan and Korea have separate contactless transit ecosystems: Japan’s IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA) and Korea’s T-money card are not interchangeable, and neither works on the other country’s transit gates. Budget for setting up a fresh transit card (or its mobile-wallet equivalent) on each leg.

Both countries are largely credit/debit-card and mobile-pay friendly in cities, but acceptance can vary by merchant type—carry a backup card in case one network has an issue on either leg.

A Japan-only eSIM/physical SIM typically stops working the moment you land in Korea. Plan your eSIM changeover explicitly: install a Korea-specific eSIM before landing (using airport or hotel Wi-Fi, since you’ll have no Japan-SIM data in Korea), or use a regional eSIM covering both. This matters most for two-factor authentication: if your bank or email 2FA sends an SMS to your home number, an app-based authenticator (not tied to a specific SIM) is more reliable across a Japan-to-Korea switch than SMS codes routed through a local number.

Medication and prohibited-item differences

Japan has notably strict rules on certain medications that are legal and common elsewhere, including some stimulant-containing cold and allergy medicines (for example, some pseudoephedrine-based products) and certain prescription stimulants—these can require advance import permission (Yakkan Shoumei) or be outright prohibited. Korea is generally less restrictive on common over-the-counter cold medicine but has its own controls on narcotics, certain sedatives, and prescription stimulants, and requires supporting documentation for controlled substances carried in personal quantities.

Practical takeaway: don’t assume that because a medication cleared Japanese customs, it will also be fine into Korea, or vice versa—check both countries’ current prohibited/restricted substance lists for your specific medication before you pack, especially anything containing stimulants, codeine, or certain sedatives.

Insurance, onward tickets, and emergency contacts for both legs

Travel insurance policies are usually written for a “trip,” but check whether your policy’s coverage territory includes both Japan and Korea, or only lists one—some single-country policies exclude claims arising in the other country even mid-trip. Confirm your policy explicitly covers both legs and any connecting time in a third country if applicable.

Both Japan and Korea can ask visa-exempt arrivals to show proof of onward/return travel at the immigration counter, though it’s inconsistently enforced—keep your onward ticket accessible on your phone or printed for either leg.

Emergency numbers differ: in Japan, dial 110 for police and 119 for fire/ambulance. In Korea, dial 112 for police and 119 for fire/ambulance (Korea’s tourist hotline is 1330, available in English). Save both sets of numbers, plus the contact details for your home country’s embassy in Tokyo (or your port of entry) and in Seoul, before you travel—don’t rely on finding them after a problem starts.

Official sources (checked on 2026-07-20)

If this actually happens to you (Travel AI Rescue)

A dropped connection between Narita and Incheon, or a SIM that won’t switch over, is exactly the kind of two-country snag Travel AI Rescue is built to walk you through.

Bundled with the Basic or Premium guarantee tier at eSIM checkout — 40% cheaper bundled (Basic $2.20, Premium $4.40; $3.70/$7.40 standalone). AI-drafted guidance, not a final medical/legal/immigration determination — contact local police, ambulance, or your embassy first in a real emergency.

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Related pages

• Japan + Multi-Country hub — see the other four pair guides in this pilot set
• Visit Japan Web setup guide (single-country Japan article) — for a step-by-step walkthrough of the arrival QR code
• Note: a Japanese-language K-ETA guide for Korea-bound travelers is available on our JA site for readers who want the Korea side explained in Japanese

Last updated: 2026-07-20 (first publication)