South Korea Extends Visa Fee Waiver for Tourists, Including Indonesians

The South Korean government has officially extended its policy of waiving visa application fees for group tourists from six countries, including Indonesia, until 31 December 2026. The Ministry of Justice announced the policy as an effort to encourage the recovery of the international tourism sector, which continues to show a positive trend. Besides Indonesia, the visa fee exemption also applies to group tourists from Cambodia, China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Through this policy, group tourists do not need to pay the visa application fee of US$15. The policy was previously scheduled to end in late June 2026 but has now been extended for another six months. The Ministry of Justice stated the extension aims to continue revitalising the group tour sector, which is considered to be increasingly growing, especially from China and Southeast Asian countries. Ministry data shows more than 790,000 tourists entered South Korea using group tourist visas throughout 2025. This number increased by 39% compared to the previous year. In terms of origin countries, the number of group tourists from China rose 48% compared to 2024, while Vietnam recorded a 5% increase. India recorded the highest growth, with the number of group tourists from the country more than doubling from 573 people in 2024 to 1,120 people in 2025. The South Korean government also assessed that the programme is running increasingly well. The proportion of group tourists who leave the official travel itinerary and subsequently become undocumented residents fell to just 0.07% in 2025, significantly lower than the 0.19% recorded the previous year. According to the Ministry of Justice, the visa fee waiver has helped drive an increase in foreign tourist visits, supported by improving diplomatic relations and the growing popularity of Korean culture in various countries.