Q-Code Korea 2024: List of Countries with Q-Code or Health Declaration Requirements

In the previous article, we listed the countries of embarkation with Q-Code or health declaration requirements. In January 2024, the government of South Korea through Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as the designated agency for disease control updated the list of countries that are under special monitoring for diseases of interests. Passengers who embark from the countries under monitoring to South Korea are required to complete Q-Code registration or submit health declaration form upon entering Korea. The list of countries was updated again in February 2024 and the next update can be expected to be announced before summer 2024.

The important note for each announcement is as follows.

Initial announcement (8 January 2024), obsolete:

• Q-Code is required for arrival from 109 countries
• Symptom-based Q-Code registration is applied to 47 countries
• There are 10 diseases under monitoring, with 9 classified as high-stake and 1 classified as medium-stake

First update (21 February 2024), currently active:

• Q-Code is required for arrival from 54 countries
• Symptom-based Q-Code registration is applied to 102 countries
• There are 10 diseases under monitoring, with 5 classified as high-stake and 5 classified as medium-stake

More details on the countries with Q-Code requirements and diseases under monitoring are elaborated in the rest of this article.

What is Q-Code and Health Declaration Form?

Q-Code is a QR code that points to a record that consists of information about a traveler or visitor who is entering Korea. The information includes visitor’s name, passport, contact and address in Korea, countries visited prior to Korea arrival, and self evaluation on symptoms related to diseases that are under special monitoring by the Korean government.

Initially, Q-Code was developed as a digital system to monitor the spread of COVID-19 through inbound travel. As COVID-19 eased and risk level downgraded to that of influenza, Q-Code was then transformed into a more generic digital system to monitor possible transmission of other infectious diseases through inbound travel from moderate or high risk countries to Korea.

A traveler can create his/her Q-Code prior to entering Korea by visiting the Q-Code web portal and fill out the online form. After completing the form, the system will generate a QR code, which is referred to as Q-Code. An example of Q-Code is shown in the image below.

When arriving in Korea, the traveler shall present his/her Q-Code to the health officer at the health clearance gate and scan the Q-Code on the scanning device. After passing through the health clearance checkpoint, the traveler will then proceed to the immigration clearance section.

Besides Q-Code, there is also another method for visitor’s health monitoring, which is through health declaration form submission. The health declaration form is a yellow-colored paper with a number of personal data inputs and questions related to the visitor’s health condition. Health declaration form is usually distributed by flight attendants to the passengers during a flight. It is the manual version of Q-Code. If you have completed Q-Code registration, you don’t need to fill out the health declaration form. Similarly, if you opt to fill out the health declaration form, you don’t need to do Q-Code registration. You can choose which option you’re more comfortable with.

If you choose to submit health declaration form, you will hand in the completed form to the health officer at the health clearance checkpoint.

Diseases under Monitoring by Korean Authority (KDCA)

In the latest announcement, KDCA defines 10 diseases that goes into special monitoring. The diseases are categorized into two: diseases that pertain to compulsory Q-Code registration (high-stake diseases) and diseases that should be monitored through symptom-based Q-Code registration (medium-stake disease).

Diseases that are categorized into high-stake are as follows:

• Cholera
• Polio
• Plague
• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
• Human transmissible animal influenza

Diseases that are categorized into moderate-stake are as follows:

• Yellow fever
• Dengue fever
• Chikungunya fever
• Zika virus infection
• Measles

If a country is included in the monitoring list due to association with high-stake or both high-stake and medium-stake diseases, then all passengers arriving from the country are required to register Q-Code or submit health declaration form. However, if a country only has association with medium-stake disease, then only passengers who exhibit symptom of the disease are required to register Q-Code or submit health declaration form.

List of Countries with Compulsory Q-Code Registration / Health Declaration Submission

Starting from February 21st, 2024, all passengers embarking from the following countries are required to present Q-Code or submit completed health declaration form to the health officer at health clearance checkpoint.

Compared to previous announcement in August 2023, the list of countries with compulsory Q-Code registration / health declaration form submission has increased from 74 countries to 109 countries. In the first update, Q-Code registration requirement is applied to 54 countries, a reduction from the initial 2024 announcement due to disease reclassification.

List of Countries with Symptom-based Q-Code / Health Declaration Submission

Starting from February 21st, 2024, passengers arriving in Korea from the following countries are not required to register Q-Code or complete the health declaration form. However, if a passenger exhibits the symptom of the disease under monitoring, such as high fever, red rash, or watery eyes, the passenger has to fill out the health declaration form and hand in the completed form to the health officer at the health clearance checkpoint.

What if your country is not in the list?

It means you are good to go. You do not need to either register Q-Code or submit health declaration form. When arriving on Korea, at the health clearance checkpoint you can simply walk through the alley while your body temperature is being monitored by the sensors installed near the checkpoint.

Related posts:

1. Q-Code Is Not Required Anymore When Entering South Korea
2. List of Countries with Q-Code Requirement to Enter Korea
3. Traveling to Korea: How to Fill out Korea Arrival Card
4. What Are Visa-free Countries for Entry to Macao?