🇰🇷 South Korea (K-ETA) visa photo requirements 2026
Last verified against Korea Immigration Service (KIS) — Ministry of Justice; K-ETA programme on 2026-05-28. Source: www.k-eta.go.kr.
We approximate the published rules. The consulate makes the final call. Details
Check your photo
Upload a photo and we will verify it against the South Korea (K-ETA) rules below. First check is free.
Check my photo →At a glance
- Size
- 35 × 35 mm
- Head height
- —
- Background
- Plain light background (white preferred)
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed
- Maximum age of photo
- 6 months
Top reasons South Korea (K-ETA) photos get rejected
- 1
File size over 100 KB
Fix: Compress the JPEG. Reduce pixel dimensions to ~700 × 700 and use medium JPEG quality (75–85). Do NOT just lower JPEG quality on a 4 MP file — reduce dimensions first.
- 2
Glasses causing glare or partial obscuring of eyes
Fix: Remove glasses for the photo. K-ETA is strict on this even when frames are thin.
- 3
Hair covering eyes or eyebrows
Fix: Pull hair behind the shoulders and clear it off the forehead before shooting
- 4
Wrong aspect ratio (rectangular instead of square)
Fix: Crop to 1:1 square for K-ETA. Reusing a UK / Schengen 35×45 photo will be rejected by the K-ETA portal.
- 5
Background not light enough or has visible shadows
Fix: Use a plain white wall with diffused front lighting; stand 1.5 m from the wall to push shadows off frame
- 6
Smile or visible teeth
Fix: Neutral expression, mouth closed
- 7
Face not centered or shoulders rotated
Fix: Square shoulders to camera, head centered, eyes equidistant from the left and right edges
What is specific to South Korea (K-ETA)
- K-ETA's 100 KB file size cap is the strictest among major destinations — tighter than USCIS (240 KB) and far tighter than Australia (3.5 MB) or Japan (~2 MB). Most photos need active compression to pass.
- K-ETA uses a SQUARE format (1:1 aspect ratio), which surprises applicants used to Schengen / UK / Japan-passport rectangular formats.
- K-ETA glasses rule is enforced more strictly than most other countries — even prescription glasses with thin frames are commonly rejected for minor reflections.
- Traditional visa applications (C-3 tourist visa submitted at a consulate, D-2 student, E-7 work, etc.) may use the older 35 × 45 mm rectangular format — this rule set targets K-ETA specifically, which is the path most short-term visitors actually use.
- Both ears should ideally be visible — this is a stricter requirement than most Western destinations.
- K-ETA is valid for 2 years (revised in 2023 from 3 years), allowing multiple entries during that period — keep the photo if accepted; you can reuse it for re-entry.