The Republic of Korea passport (), commonly known as the South Korean passport, are travel documents issued to South Korean citizens to facilitate their international travel. Like any other passport, South Korean passports serve as proof for passport holders' personal information, such as nationality and date of birth.
South Korean passports are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and delegated to provincial governments and municipalities. Korean passports have been printed by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO) since 1973. On 21 December 2021, issuing of the next generation biometric passports to South Korean citizens begun, which was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Types Ordinary passport: Issued to ordinary citizens. Ordinary passports are issued for one, five, or ten years, depending on the age of the bearer (see below for details). Diplomatic passport: Issued to the President, Prime Minister, Minister and Parliamentary Secretaries, Permanent Secretaries of Foreign Affairs of Korea, military attaché of Korean Armed Forces, diplomats and citizens who serve under diplomatic terms. These passports guarantee special treatment in other countries. Official passport: Issued to members of the Parliament of Korea, members of provincial legislatures and civil servants of the Government of Korea, provincial governments and local municipalities during his or her term. Also military personnel of the Korean Armed Forces, except military attaché, also possess the official passport.
Expiration and cost Type Multiple/Single Validity Number of Pages Cost Biometric Multiple 10 Years (18 or above) 58 KRW 52,000 26 KRW 49,000 5 Years (under 18) 58 KRW 44,000 (KRW 35,000 for under 8) 26 KRW 41,000
(KRW 32,000 for under 8) Below 5 Years 26 KRW 15,000 Single Below 1 Year 14 KRW 20,000 Non-Biometric Emergency Passport Single Below 1 Year 14 KRW 53,000 14 KRW 20,000Non-biometric Travel DocumentSingle or MultipleVaries depending on situation14KRW 23,000
KRW 25,000 for a new passport with the same date of expiry as one's previous passport. KRW 5,000 to change details on one's old passport. KRW 5,500 to charge Post Service
Physical appearance South Korean ordinary passports are dark blue, with the National Emblem of the Republic of Korea emblazoned in gold in the top right of the front cover. The words "대한민국 여권" (Korean) and "REPUBLIC OF KOREA PASSPORT" (English) are inscribed below the Emblem, whereas the international e-passport symbol () is inscribed on the bottom right of the front cover. Lastly, the stylized Taegeuk pattern with dotted circles is embossed on the left side of the front cover.
Identity Information Page Photo of the passport holder Type (PM or PR or PS): PM passports can be used for multiple entries, while PS passports are valid for a single entry. PR passports are for Koreans who are permanent residents of countries other than Korea. However, the PR type passport has been abolished as of 21 December 2017, and permanent residents of other countries now receive an ordinary passport. Issuing country code: KOR Passport number: Includes a total of nine digits; in passports issued from 25 August 2008 onward, the passport number will retain the same 9 digits, but the Issued Local code will be changed to a single letter 'M' denoting PM passports and 'S' for PS passports. The remaining 8 digits will be the serial number. Surname: Passports from other nations such as Bulgaria and Greece have the bearer's name written in the local script alongside the Latin alphabet. However, in the South Korean passport, only the Latin alphabet is permitted for use in the surname and given name sections. Their local script name is written in the separate hangul name section. Given names Hangul name Date of birth Sex Nationality: Republic of Korea Issuing authority: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Date of issue Date of expiry
Information removed from new passports since 21 December 2021 Personal ID number (Resident registration number of South Korea): Prior to 2015, South Korean passports issued to Zainichi Koreans did not have resident registration numbers, reflecting their statutory exemption from taxation and conscription in South Korea (Conversely, Zainichi Koreans were not allowed to vote. However, from 2012, all Korean passport holders are eligible to vote, and in 2015, Zainichi Koreans were allowed to obtain a resident registration number regardless of their statutory exemptions).
Passport photo requirements A photo for a Korean passport should meet specific requirements:
Size: 35mm by 45mm with 300 DPI Head size and position: From chin to forehead should be 32mm to 36mm. Photo must be in colour. Must be taken in the last 6 months. Background: Solid white only. No other objects visible, like door, windows etc. Neutral face expression. 2 passport photos per application. Head cover is allowed for religious or medical reasons.
Passport message The message inside South Korean passports are written in both Korean and English. The message in the passport, nominally from the South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, states:
In Korean:
In English: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea requests all whom it may concern to permit the bearer, a national of the Republic of Korea, to pass freely without delay or hindrance and to provide every possible assistance and protection in case of need.
Languages The textual portions of passports are printed in both English and Korean.
Biometric passport The South Korean government has been issuing biometric passports since February 2008 for diplomats and government officials, and for the general population since 24 August 2008.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs formed the "Committee for Promoting e-Passports" in April 2006, which scheduled to issue biometric passports during the second half of 2008. On 4 September 2007, media reports indicated that the South Korean government had decided to revise its passport law to issue biometric passports which included fingerprint information: First to diplomats during the first quarter of 2008, and to the general public during the second half of the year. Some civil groups have protested the fingerprinting requirement as excessive as the ICAO only requires a photograph to be recorded on the biometric chip.
On 26 February 2008, the Parliament of Korea passed a revision of the passport law. A new biometric passport was issued to diplomats in March, and to the general public shortly thereafter. Fingerprinting measures would not be implemented immediately; however, they began on 1 January 2010.
The appearance of the new biometric passports is almost identical to the former machine-readable versions, and they both have 48 pages. However, the space for visas was reduced by six pages. These pages are now reserved for identification purposes, notices and other information, as well as the bearer's contacts. In the new biometric passports, the main identification page has moved to the second page from inside the front cover. The note from the Foreign Affairs Minister is still shown on the front page and the signature is shown on the page after photo identification.
The new biometric passport incorporates many security features such as colour shifting ink, hologram, ghost image, infrared ink, intaglio, laser perforation of the passport number (from the third page to the back cover), latent image, microprinting, security thread, solvent sensitive ink, and steganography.
Inside the first page, a caution for the biometric chip is written both in Korean,
and in English, Caution This passport contains sensitive electronics, For best performance please do not bend, perforate or expose to extreme temperatures or excess moisture. The passport holders' contact information that was originally held inside the back cover has also been moved to the last page of the new passport.
New passports issued from 2021 From 21 December 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a new biometric passport. The passport was redesigned with improvements in security. The identification page is made of polycarbonate to make it harder to forge. The colour of the cover of the ordinary passport was changed from green to navy blue. The bearer's personal ID number (Resident registration number of South Korea) was removed for greater security. The new passport was originally intended to be issued from June 2020 for diplomatic and official passports holders and December 2020 for those holding an ordinary passport. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of traveling citizens declined resulting in the delay of the new passport's introduction until late 2021 or whenever the current passport booklet stock was depleted. Diplomatic and officials passports were issued as planned.
Visa requirements map
Visa requirements for South Korean citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Republic of Korea. As of April 2025, South Korean citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 190 countries and territories, tied with the Japanese passport as the second most powerful passport in the world in terms of travel freedom, according to the Henley Passport Index.
Additionally, Arton Capital's Passport Index ranked the South Korean passport fourth in the world in terms of travel freedom, with a visa-free score of 174, tied with the Swedish, Polish and Hungarian passports, as of April 2025.
Inter-Korean travel The South Korean (Republic of Korea) constitution considers North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) as part of its territory, although under a different administration. In other words, the South does not view going to and from the North as breaking the continuity of a person's stay, as long as the traveler does not land on third country, i.e. non-Korean, territory.
However, because of the political situation between the South and the isolated socialist Juche government of North Korea, it is almost impossible to enter the North from the South across the Korean DMZ (exiting South Korea via the northern border). Tourists wishing to enter North Korea have to pass through another country, and most enter from China, because most flights to/from Pyongyang serve Beijing.
South Koreans are generally not allowed to visit North Korea, except with special authorizations granted by the Ministry of Unification and North Korean authorities on a limited basis (e.g. workers and businessmen visiting or commuting to/from Kaesong Industrial Complex). South Koreans who are allowed to visit North Korea are issued a North Korean visa on a separate sheet of paper, not in the South Korean passport. The Republic of Korea passport can be used to enter North Korea, because passport is one of the government's approved identity documents, but it is being only to prove the bearer's identity, not to determine the bearer's legal residence. South Koreans can also use other government approved identity documents such as National ID Card and Driver's License, because the South Korean government treats North Korea as part of South Korea and expects South Korean IDs to be accepted.