Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of Fiji

Foreigners entering Korea will be required to fingerprint and take facial photos

The Republic of Korea will enforce a new biometric regulation from 1st of January 2012, whereby all foreigners entering Korea will be required to fingerprint and take facial photos during the immigration process. The following persons are exempt from the biometric collection requirements:

•Foreign nationals under 17 years old
•Foreign nationals and their accompanying family members entering Korea for official duty of foreign governments or international organizations
•Those who are designated by the presidential decree as exempt from providing their fingerprints and face photos for a promotion of goodwill and cultural exchange, facilitation of economic activities or national interest.

Entry inspection process will be followed by a passport verification, fingerprint collection, facial photo collection and entry result recording. Special equipment at Immigration will collect fingerprints and facial photos in a few seconds while index fingers are placed on the machine. Instructions in eleven(11) languages will be provided on the screen for foreign nationals.

With the new immigration process in place, the Korean government not only expects to prevent foreign criminals or terrorists from entering Korea, but to easily recognize the identification of foreign nationals when they are involved in accidents or criminal offences. /END/