Vaccines are making their way into arrival protocols, slowly but surely.

We have seen a slow alteration of procedures based upon the vaccinated status of the individual.  In China, those who have been fully vaccinated with a China-produced vaccine can waive the visa application requirement of obtaining an invitation letter.  Hong Kong recently implemented a program to avoid quarantine for fully vaccinated senior executives from about 500 companies.  And starting 1 July, Korea will remove the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers.

From our local colleagues in Seoul:

Effective from July 1, 2021, the South Korean government is going to lift the mandatory 2-weeks quarantine for foreign arrivals who have been fully vaccinated from other countries against Covid19.

Eligibility

Among:

• South Korean citizens
• Visa free travelers (B-1, B-2)
• short-term visa holders (C-1 / C-3 / C-4)
• long-term visa holders (D-7 / D-8 / D-9 / F-4 / F-5 / F-6 / E-7)
• ARC holders (D-7 / D-8 / D-9 / F-4 / F-5 / F-6 / E-7)

Who meet all the below-listed conditions:

• who are inoculated by Covid19 vaccines approved by WHO for emergency use:

(AstraZeneca / Pfizer / Janssen / Moderna / Sinopharm / Sinovac / Covishield)

• who get fully vaccinated in the same country
• who do not show any suspected Covid19 symptoms at least for 2 weeks from the fully vaccinated date.
• who are coming to South Korea for business / academic / humanitarian purpose or who are overseas South Koreans coming to meet their family members (spouse / children / parents / parents-in-law),

Note

• F-3 (dependent) and D-4 (intern) is NOT included.
• If you got fully vaccinated in country A, you can apply for quarantine exemption at the Korean embassy in country A ONLY. If you got vaccinated in country A but currently in country B, then you are not able to apply for quarantine exemption in country B.

Exemption (Subject to Change)

Those coming from countries with a high risk of covid19 variants are not allowed to apply for quarantine exemption regardless of the fact whether they are fully vaccinated or not.

• Total 13 countries as of June 25, 2021:

South Africa / Brazil / Malawi / Botswana / Mozambique / Tanzania / Eswatini / Zimbabwe / Bangladesh / Equatorial Guinea / Suriname / Paraguay / Chile

• 4 countries will be added on the list from July 1, 2021:

Uruguay / Colombia / Argentina / Malta

How to apply (TBC)

Applications need to be submitted to Business Traveler Support Center (BTSC) : www.btsc.or.kr

However, the exact method of application filing is not confirmed yet as of Jun 25.