Korea to scrap pesky customs form for those with nothing to declare

Travelers pass by the duty-free zone at Incheon International Airport on Thursday. [NEWS1]

Travelers entering Korea will no longer be required to fill out customs forms starting in July if they are not carrying dutiable goods.

The Korea Customs Service announced the plan on Thursday during a meeting on deregulation and innovation presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Currently, all travelers entering Korea must fill out a Customs Declaration Form upon arrival at the airport even if they do not have any items to declare, while the requirement will be removed from July “to improve convenience and to boost tourism,” the customs office said.

The decision was made after the office found out that most travelers have been required to do the troublesome activity despite having nothing to declare. According to the Korea Customs Service, approximately 98.8 percent of 43.56 million arrivals in 2019 — or 99.9 percent among the foreign arrivals only — were required to complete these forms although they had nothing to declare.

Only those who exceed their duty-free exemption, such as having goods with a value greater than $800, more than two bottles of liquor or more than 60 milliliters of perfume will need to fill out a form on paper or via mobile phone.

The mobile customs declaration for travelers is currently only available at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 and Gimpo International Airport. The service will be expanded to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 and Gimhae International Airport from the second half of this year, and to Daegu International Airport, Muan International Airport, Cheongju International Airport and Jeju International Airport.

Available human resources gained from the removal of the form will be used for drug control.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]