South Korea’s Ministry of Justice confirmed on 25 February that it will build on its provisional tour-group visa-free scheme—which already lets Chinese citizens visit for up to 15 days if they enter as part of an approved package—by adding Indonesia to the list of eligible nationalities and extending the window through 30 June 2026.
![South Korea to widen Chinese tour-group visa waiver after Chunyun success]()
In light of these evolving entry options, VisaHQ offers corporate travel planners and individual tourists a quick way to verify eligibility, secure necessary documents, and manage compliance online. Its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides up-to-date guidance on South Korea’s group waiver as well as alternative visas for those who need longer stays or different routing, bundling the paperwork across multiple destinations into one seamless order.
The announcement follows a strong rebound in Lunar New Year arrivals: Seoul logged 319 million USD in Chinese tourist spending over the 15-23 February break, making China once again its top inbound market. Under the expanded programme, Chinese travellers may move freely within the country once admitted, provided they exit with the same tour group. Individual visa requirements—and the mandatory K-ETA for most other visa-exempt nationals—remain unchanged. For corporate mobility teams the move lowers friction for incentive trips, dealer meetings and short technical visits that can be structured as group itineraries. Travel managers should, however, watch capacity: Chinese carriers have not fully restored pre-pandemic seat numbers, and package operators warn of limited inventory around the March cherry-blossom season. Employers sending staff on multi-country swings should also note that the Korean stamp counts toward the 90-day limit in the wider Schengen-style “90/180” rule applied by Japan and Taiwan, potentially restricting onward travel if the full fortnight is used in Korea. The ministry said it is monitoring overstay rates and could tighten rules if compliance slips—a reminder that travellers must depart as scheduled and keep printouts of group manifests for exit immigration checks.
In light of these evolving entry options, VisaHQ offers corporate travel planners and individual tourists a quick way to verify eligibility, secure necessary documents, and manage compliance online. Its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides up-to-date guidance on South Korea’s group waiver as well as alternative visas for those who need longer stays or different routing, bundling the paperwork across multiple destinations into one seamless order.
The announcement follows a strong rebound in Lunar New Year arrivals: Seoul logged 319 million USD in Chinese tourist spending over the 15-23 February break, making China once again its top inbound market. Under the expanded programme, Chinese travellers may move freely within the country once admitted, provided they exit with the same tour group. Individual visa requirements—and the mandatory K-ETA for most other visa-exempt nationals—remain unchanged. For corporate mobility teams the move lowers friction for incentive trips, dealer meetings and short technical visits that can be structured as group itineraries. Travel managers should, however, watch capacity: Chinese carriers have not fully restored pre-pandemic seat numbers, and package operators warn of limited inventory around the March cherry-blossom season. Employers sending staff on multi-country swings should also note that the Korean stamp counts toward the 90-day limit in the wider Schengen-style “90/180” rule applied by Japan and Taiwan, potentially restricting onward travel if the full fortnight is used in Korea. The ministry said it is monitoring overstay rates and could tighten rules if compliance slips—a reminder that travellers must depart as scheduled and keep printouts of group manifests for exit immigration checks.
