All South African nationals are advised that the Government of the Republic of Korea has decided to temporarily suspend the waiver of Re-Entry Permits for long-term visa holders in an effort to cope effectively with the inflow of COVID-19. This measure will come into effect at 00:00 hours on 1 June 2020 and remain in effect until further notice.

Accordingly, starting from 1 June 2020, all foreigners, excluding holders of A-1(Diplomatic), A-2(Official), A-3(Treaties) and F-4 (Overseas Koreans) Visas, who reside in Korea with long-term visas, shall apply for a Re-Entry Permit through a local immigration office before leaving Korea if they wish to maintain their status and period of stay. Leaving Korea without a Re-Entry Permit will result in cancellation of their Alien Registration in accordance with Article 37 of the Immigration Act. In this case, the foreigner must obtain a new long-term visa to re-enter Korea.

All foreigners who are granted a Re-Entry Permit and wish to re-enter Korea shall undergo a medical examination not earlier than 48 hours prior to the date of their departure for Korea and present a written diagnosis when requested by a transport operator and an immigration officer. Failure to do so may result in re-entry denial. The diagnosis shall be written in English or Korean, signed by a medical examiner and issued by an authorized medial institution. It shall also include the date of examination and the presence or absence of fever, cough, chills, headache, breathing difficultiy, muscle pain, and pulmonary symptoms.

However, foreigner who hold an Isolation Exemption Certificate issued by a Korean embassy or consulate are exempted from medical examination and the obligation to submit a written diagnosis.

For any further enquiries please refer to the following link.

https://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/NtcCotnDetailR_en.pt?bbsGbCd=BS10&bbsSeq=2&langCd=EN&ntccttSeq=139