Departure checklist for a working holiday in South Korea in 2025-2026

Have you been granted a Working Holiday Visa to South Korea?

Here’s a checklist that focuses on what you’ll need to have in hand on the day of your departure.

1. Plane ticket

This is an obvious one, but make sure you have your flight booking. Usually airlines will allow you to check in online 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. Once you’ve done so, bookmark or screenshot your digital boarding pass on your smartphone for easy access. You’re not required to print it out, but you’re certainly welcome to do so if you prefer.

If you have problems checking in online, don’t worry – you can always do so at the airport directly.

2. Passport

You won’t be flying anywhere without your passport, so definitely make sure you don’t leave home without it! Your passport should be signed and valid for the full duration of your planned stay abroad. If there is a page reserved for your home address in case of loss, consider filling that out as well.

3. Visa grant notice

Your Korean WHV is electronically tied to your passport, so there isn’t a physical visa that you need to bring. That said, it is still a good idea to bring your visa grant notice, which you would have received upon approval of your visa application. If asked for it a immigration, you can show it.

Working Holiday Makers don’t need a K-ETA; that is for visa-exempt tourists only.

4. Travel medical insurance

You should have already bought private insurance as a part of your Korea WHV application. Make sure you’ve saved the policy card or document and the insurer’s hotline. This is not something that you want to be scrambling to dig up in a moment of urgent need. Once in Korea, you have the option to request exemption from Korean public health insurance to avoid paying twice for insurance.

5. Sufficient savings to support yourself

Your savings would have already been verified by Korean authorities as a part of your WHV application. It’s important to have at least the required KRW 3,000,000 in savings to make sure you can support yourself during at least the initial part of your stay.

6. Confirmation of temporary housing

If you’ve booked temporary accommodation for your first few nights or weeks of arrival, make sure to have that saved or bookmarked too. That way as soon as you land in Korea, you know the address that you’ll need to go for check in.

7. Bank cards and cash

Remember to bring your bank cards from home because it will take you some time to open an account at a Korean bank. Your home bank might charge up to 3% international transaction fee for purchases abroad, so read the policy in detail.

As for cash, you can bring some KRW and/or your home currency as a back up, but don’t bring too much because it is relatively easy to withdraw cash from ATMs in Korea, even with an international bank card.