Arrival in Seoul, South Korea ✈️ 🇰🇷

At last, the part I was dreading about the most... the airport process. Arriving in another country already is stressful enough as you have to wait in the immigration lines and more but, traveling during a pandemic has made it even worse. Luckily, with Hawaiian Airlines being one of the only flights that landed in Incheon at night (around 7 pm) and my flight being empty, I got through all the lines fast and grabbed my luggage in about 45-50 minutes! Unlike some of the other students at my place, they had to wait 5+ hours in all the lines and then another 2 hours waiting for a taxi. I was expecting to wait at the airport for hours but am relieved the process was easier than I anticipated. Below I'll go more into depth about each line I waited in and my experience with it. 

​

Step 1: Filling out forms on the flight

First things first, on the flight they give you 3 forms to fill out. (English and Korean versions are both available)

1. Customs Declaration Form

2. Immigration Arrival Card

3. Quarantine Form 

It's best to fill it out before landing so you can go straight into the lines!

​

Step 2: Waiting in Line

Next, as soon as you arrive you'll be directed to the first line which requires showing the officials your passport and negative covid-19 PCR test results. For Korea, everyone must take a PCR test 48 hours before boarding your flight or they won't let you on. To be safe, I did two covid tests before leaving Honolulu. I took one 48 hours before and another 24 hours before just in case my flight got delayed. I got both of my results in about 16 hours after taking the test. (Countries are consistently changing the rules and regulations so it's always best to check on the government official website about what's required for you to enter the country) After they check your valid test result, they'll put a PCR sticker on your passport cover to verify you've been checked.

​

Step 3: Quarantine Check-in + App

After waiting in line you will then be directed to another line. This line is for installing a Korean Government quarantine app on your phone. Once you have it installed, the official will set up the rest on your phone for you by putting all the basic information the government would need to track you so you don't leave your quarantine facility. (All the workers also speak really good English and so I wasn't too worried about the language barrier or about getting lost on where to go because they guide you towards each line one after another) After installing an app you go to another official and that's where they will check your Korean phone number on your phone. They do so by calling it and making sure it rings because during your quarantine your assigned quarantine official will call you often to check up on you. (I think they called me about 6 times..) But they also verify your quarantine accommodation. They check the address to make sure it's valid for you to stay there. They're pretty strict on where you stay and if you don't have a short-term visa you would need to pay an excessive amount to stay at a government facility hotel. I came on a D-2 student visa which counted as long-term so I had more quarantine options to choose from such as my goshiwon.

​

Step 4: Immigration Line

Once again after I was done, I went into yet, another line for immigration. Since I am not a registered Korean resident, I had to fill out a small card on the plane again with just your basic information. The workers in this line didn't speak English so all you have to do is hand your papers to them and they'll do the rest for you. You also have to scan your fingerprints and take a picture. This part was pretty easy but probably took the longest since there weren't many lines open during this hour. 

​

Step 5: Customs and Declaration 

Last, but not least, right before you exit to grab your baggage, you drop off your Customs and declaration form in this box by one of the workers and you've made it! That was the last line to wait in and the easiest since you already filled out the form on the plane and you just drop it off. 

​

Exiting the airport:

After grabbing my bags, I went towards the exit where I was greeted by workers who asked what school I was attending and then filled out a google form before leaving the airport. The google form was to basically alert the school you've arrived in Korea. After filling out the form, I mentioned in my first blog post I booked a taxi a day in advance so I didn't have to wait another hour or two for one. I just found the driver holding my name and I was out of the airport.

​

To end it off, I thought this whole process would be A LOT worse but it seems like it really depends on what time your flight arrives and if the airport is crowded or not. I'm so relieved to have had such an easy and stress-free arrival in Korea and hopefully, this pandemic will get better in the future so that everyone can enjoy traveling to Korea without waiting hours in line!

​