Korea to expand mobile customs declaration, duty payment nationwide in August

The arrival hall at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport is crowded with passengers, June 9. Newsis

By Lee Hae-rin

Travelers entering Korea from any airport or seaport across the country will be able to declare taxable items and pay taxes via a mobile application starting next month.

The Korea Customs Service announced, Thursday, that the mobile customs declaration service, which had previously been available only at the Gimpo International Airport and Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, will be expanded to all of the country's airports and seaports in August.

Starting Aug. 1, all travelers entering Korea via Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, six local international airports (Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju, Daegu, Muan and Yangyang) and seven seaports (Incheon, Busan, Gunsan, Pyeongtaek, Sokcho, Donghae and Jeju) will also be able to declare taxable goods and pay taxes via Korea Customs Service's mobile app.

Once a traveler declares a taxable item, the app generates a QR code to be scanned at a goods declaration section of a port upon arrival.

Then, an electronic notice of payment will be issued via mobile and travelers may pay taxes on the app. Before the update, travelers received the notice of payment on paper even after mobile customs declaration and paid taxes later.

The app is available in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

However, the cigarette tax, including tobacco consumption tax and local education tax, should be paid through the country's local taxes payment app WeTAX.

Also, foreign exchange, items relevant to a free trade agreement (FTA) or those needing inspection or quarantine will need to go through the same in-person customs procedures as before, even after a mobile declaration.

The Korea Customs Service will maintain in-person customs declarations for digitally vulnerable people, such as senior citizens who could be excluded from digital services, while promoting the app to others who can benefit from it.

“Korea Customs Service will operate the mobile customs declaration service to make tax-declaring travelers' arrival more convenient, while cracking down strictly on those who bring in restricted and dangerous items, such as drugs and guns and those who try to evade tax payment,” a Korea Customs Service official said in a released statement.