As of May 8th, 2022, to travel to Seoul, visitors need to (1) fulfill Visa requirements , either electronically if possible, or in person if not, and (2) fulfill COVID-19 requirements , including negative PCR test and pre-registration of vaccination proof. We strongly encourage you to (3) take travel insurance before your trip.

As with many other places around the world, the local situation and rules in Seoul, Korea regarding Covid-19 keep changing, so please stay vigilant and updated with the latest information.

1. Visa Requirements and Information

1.1. Electronic processing (K-ETA)

K-ETA (Korean Electronic Travel Authorization) is an electronic travel authorization system for visa-free entry into the country

  • As of May 1, 2022, visitors of 102 nationalities are eligible for K-ETA
  • You must apply at least 72 hours before boarding the plane for Korea
  • Please visit this webpage to check eligibility and the application process

1.2. In-person processing (visitor’s visa)

If you are not eligible for K-ETA, you must obtain a visitor’s visa (e.g., C-3-1).

  • Please contact your local consulate to apply for the visa. If you do not know how to contact the local consulate, you can search on the Web for “overseas.mofa.go.kr _country_or_city_name_”, for example “overseas.mofa.go.kr montreal” or “overseas.mofa.go.kr indonesia”
  • If you need a visa support letter, please fill out this form and wait 3-4 business days for processing your request.

1.2.1. Required information for visa support letter

The information below should be included with the request:

  • Your name as it appears on your passport.
  • Your current postal mailing address.
  • The name of the conference you are registering for (“FAccT”)
  • Your registration confirmation number.
  • Authors may indicate their paper title. If no paper, speakers can provide the title of their presentation.

1.2.2. Vendor or presenter equipment

ACM does not provide letters for transport of vendor or presenter equipment. ACM suggests shipping the materials insured to the conference facility.

2. COVID-19 requirements and information

(Information updated as of May 18th, 2022.)

2.1. Entry requirements

Incoming visitors must:

  • Show negative PCR result , taken 48 hours before boarding the plane to Korea
  • *AND*
  • Register a proof of vaccination through the Q-Code System, or otherwise they will be subject to quarantine
  • *AND*
  • Have a PCR test after their arrival in Korea at present this must be done within 24 hours, in June media are reporting that this requirement will be changed to within 3 days.

Additional information/tools:

  • PCR tests can be taken at Seoul Incheon airport on arrival, and before departure. You must book them in advance, here.
  • Korean Air offers a helpful tool to check the travel requirements; the information is relevant and can be used by anyone, including those not traveling on Korean Air
  • The local COVID-19 information can be found here
  • This webpage from the US Embassy in Korea also has useful information (warning: some info here may only be relevant for US citizens/residents)

2.2. Once you are in Korea

Please note that there might be several measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • There is an indoor mask mandate, but no outdoor mask mandate. FAccT will be providing suitable masks (N95 or equivalent) for all registered attendees.
  • FAccT will also provide self-testing kits to all registered attendees.

2.3. After your trip

This is the first in-person FAccT in the times of covid-19. To better understand the epidemiological risks associated with such events, our post-event survey will include questions relating to COVID-19 status. To help us get a clear picture, and support future decision-making, it will be particularly important to respond to these questions.

3. Travel insurance is strongly encouraged

We are committed to the conference being a success for both in-person and online participants. Importantly, we are committed to holding the in-person conference, and will cancel only if public health restrictions beyond our control make that commitment untenable.

Traveling and attending a gathering in person exposes you to a higher risk of getting COVID-19 than attending online, and hence attending in person is optional. Please contact organizers if, at any point, you feel pressured to travel by either your peers or managers/advisors.

It is a possibility that some attendees may have undetectable COVID-19 when entering the country, and it is a possibility that some attendees contract COVID-19 while visiting Seoul. Hence, it is wise to assume that during the conference and immediately after, some attendees are likely to be contagious and/or to test positive for COVID-19. While indoor masks, distancing, and other measures recommended by health authorities will be followed on-site, they can reduce risk but cannot eliminate it completely.

We strongly encourage you to obtain travel insurance covering COVID-19 related disruptions during your travel, including healthcare coverage and coverage if for public health reasons you need to stay in Seoul for longer than planned. As indicated in the registration process, ACM will not be liable for these expenses.

4. Traveling with Medicine

In some cases, travelers may need to submit a written application to the Narcotics Control Division of the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before traveling. Please verify if this requirement applies to any medicine that you need to bring with you here.

5. Conference Venue

The in-person conference is in Seoul, at the COEX ( Google Maps, Naver Maps, Directions), in 201-211, which is located in Conference Room North on the 2nd floor.

The registration desk opens at 7:30am KST on Tuesday June 21, and will run throughout the conference.

When you register, you’ll be given a wifi ID and password, shared among all participants. This will allow you to use the wi-fi on-site.

Masks are required indoors in Seoul. We will provide you with some but please also bring your own supply.