Ministry of Justice Extends Group Visa Fee Waiver for Six Countries Including China

Until December 31, 2026

The Ministry of Justice announced on July 1 that it will extend the visa issuance fee waiver (USD 15, approximately KRW 22,500) for group tourists from six countries—China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Cambodia—until December 31 of next year. The measure was originally set to expire in June of this year.

Ministry of Justice Building [Provided by Ministry of Justice. Resale and database prohibited]

This policy is part of the follow-up measures after the 11th Expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting. It was introduced to continuously support the revitalization of inbound group tourism for foreign visitors.

Recently, demand for tourism to Korea, particularly from China and Southeast Asian countries, has been recovering, resulting in a steady increase in group tourists. According to the Ministry of Justice, around 790,000 foreign nationals entered Korea with group visas in 2025, which represents an increase of approximately 39% compared to the previous year. The rate of unauthorized stay, which can result from tourists leaving their groups, dropped to 0.07%, less than half the rate of the previous year.

The Ministry of Justice expects that this extension will have a positive effect on revitalizing the tourism industry and supporting the recovery of local economies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.