Lifting of Special Travel Advisory and Adjustment of Travel Alert Levels
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to extend and lower the Special Travel Advisory as follows, effective from 20:00 on Friday, September 4, 2026.
ㅇ Lifting of Special Travel Advisory and Adjustment of Travel Alert Levels (parts of 4 countries)
ㅇ Extension of Special Travel Advisory (all areas of 3 countries and parts of 9 countries)
< Regarding the Travel Ban System >
ㅇ Legal basis for designating travel-banned countries and regions: Article 17 of the Passport Act
- If the Minister of Foreign Affairs deems it necessary to protect the lives, bodies, or property of citizens from overseas crisis situations prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as natural disasters, war, civil war, riots, or terrorism, by requiring citizens to stop visiting or staying in a specific country or region, the Minister may restrict the use of passports or prohibit visits and stays in the relevant country or region for a set period.
- However, if the Minister of Foreign Affairs deems it necessary for travel for purposes prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as permanent residency, reporting/journalism, urgent humanitarian reasons, or official duties, the use of passports and visits/stays may be permitted.
ㅇ Penalty provisions: Article 26 of the Passport Act
- Any person who uses a passport, etc., or visits or stays in a country or region notified as prohibited under the main sentence of Article 17 (1) and Article (2), knowing such circumstances, without obtaining permission under the proviso of Article 17 (1) (including cases applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 14 (3)), shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine not exceeding 10 million KRW.
Source: Overseas Safety Information, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines · Posted on 2026-09-04 · Korea Open Government License (KOGL) Type 1 (Source Indication)
https://ph.mofa.go.kr/ph-ko/brd/m_27094/view.do?seq=1346446
