New Passport: What Happens to Your Korea Visa or K-ETA?

A new passport does not have one universal Korea fix. An overseas-issued visa, a Residence Card record and K-ETA sit in different systems. Carrying both passports may help identify the history, but it does not by itself update an electronic record or replace a required report.

Start with the status you actually use

Ask what gives you permission to enter or stay today. If it is a valid visa issued abroad, follow the issuing mission and Visa Portal route. If you are already registered as a foreign resident, report the passport change to Immigration. If you enter visa-free with K-ETA, check whether you need K-ETA now and, when required, apply against the new passport.

Valid visa issued overseas

For an unexpired Korean visa tied to an expired or damaged passport, use the Visa Portal passport-information change process and follow the embassy or consulate that issued the visa. The official route requires old and new passport identity pages and, after approval, a newly printed Visa Grant Notice. It is a reviewed change, not an instant transfer. If the old passport was lost, the online change route does not apply; contact the issuing mission about reissuance.

• Visa Portal: Change of Passport Information

Registered resident already in Korea

A registered foreign resident must report changes to passport number, issue date or expiry date. The Immigration Act sets a general 15-day duty for reporting changes to registered information, while the current official stay guide explains the passport-specific operational deadline as generally within 45 days of the new passport’s issue date. If that period has already passed because the passport was delivered or collected late, the guide describes 15 days from receipt when official proof establishes the receipt date. Because deadline calculation and filing availability can depend on how and where the passport was issued and on the resident record, report promptly and ask 1345 which deadline and channel apply to your case. This is a status-record report, not the same as moving a visa issued abroad. File through the current HiKorea e-petition when eligible or through the immigration office with jurisdiction.

• HiKorea e-petition

Visa-free traveler using K-ETA

Official K-ETA guidance says a reissued passport requires a new K-ETA even when the old approval has time left. “Update Travel Information” changes trip details; it does not move approval to a new passport number. First check the live official site for nationality-specific requirements and temporary exemptions. If an application is required, use the new passport; the current guide lists KRW 10,000 plus payment fee, normally up to 72 hours, sometimes longer, and no expedited service.

Do not merge the three procedures

A valid visa or valid Residence Card takes priority over K-ETA at entry. Do not buy K-ETA merely because an old checklist mentions it. Likewise, a K-ETA approval is not a visa and does not guarantee admission; the immigration officer makes the final entry decision.

Where to confirm a difficult case

Use 1345 for a resident's status, reporting deadline or HiKorea filing. Contact the issuing embassy/consulate for an overseas visa, especially after loss. Use the official K-ETA inquiry channel for K-ETA application issues. Bring exact passport and record details; forum anecdotes cannot decide an individual immigration case.