South Korea pilots a group tourist visa for Mongolians from 30 October 2026: what tour sellers need to know

South Korea's Ministry of Justice announced on 28 October 2026 that it will run a one-year pilot of a group tourist visa for Mongolian citizens. The C-3-2 group visa is available from 30 October 2026 to 31 October 2027 for groups of at least five travellers.

It is a group visa, not a visa waiver. According to Yonhap and The Korea Herald, it is open to groups recruited through one of seven travel agencies in Mongolia designated by the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar.

The key facts

Point What the notice says

Who Mongolian citizens travelling in a tour group of at least 5 people

Visa C-3-2 group visa for group tourists

Pilot period 30 October 2026 to 31 October 2027

How Groups recruited through one of 7 local travel agencies designated by the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar

Stay Up to 15 days in South Korea

Focus during the pilot Corporate incentive trips, training groups and school trips

Checks Korea Immigration Service screens the group list in advance and filters out people under an entry ban or with a past overstay

Agency liability If a traveller leaves the group without permission, the designated agency can face administrative sanctions

Source Dates, visa type and group size: Korean Ministry of Justice notice of 28 October 2026. Other details: the Ministry as reported by Yonhap and The Korea Herald

According to The Korea Herald, a Ministry official said Mongolia becomes the seventh country covered by Korea's group tourist visa scheme, alongside countries including China and Indonesia.

Why it matters for sellers now

The pilot starts on Friday 30 October. Three points matter for sellers:

Groups go through designated agencies. The reports say eligible groups are recruited through one of the 7 designated Mongolian agencies. Our reading: a tour operator, DMC or OTA outside that list will need to work with one of them.

Agencies carry the risk if someone leaves the group. According to Yonhap and The Korea Herald, the designated agency can face administrative sanctions if a traveller leaves the group without permission. Our advice to sellers: expect designated agencies to set strict rules on itineraries and free time.

It is a pilot. The Ministry says it will review the results before deciding whether to make it permanent or widen it. Do not sell 2027 programmes that assume the scheme continues after 31 October 2027.

What travel sellers should do

Inbound operators and DMCs in Korea

Ask your Mongolian partner agencies whether they are among the 7 designated by the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar. The group visa is for groups recruited through those agencies.

For incentive, training and school groups, plan stays of 15 days or less.

Agree in writing with the designated agency on how it manages group movement and free time. The agency can face sanctions if a traveller leaves the group.

OTAs and agencies selling Korea to Mongolian travellers

Do not promise the group visa unless the group is recruited through a designated agency and has at least 5 travellers.

The announcement covers this group visa only. For individual travellers and smaller groups, check the usual Korean entry rules.

Tell group members that Korea Immigration Service checks the group list in advance. People under an entry ban or with a past overstay are screened out of the scheme.

Airlines and TMCs

The sources we read do not describe what the C-3-2 visa document looks like. Check each traveller's travel documents at check-in as usual.

For corporate incentive trips, plan the group size and the 15-day limit early.

How SimpleVisa handles it

Check the group size, the agency and the length of stay before you quote a Korea group trip for Mongolian travellers. If any of the three does not fit, the C-3-2 group visa is not an option for that trip, so check the usual visa route instead. Watch the Ministry of Justice and the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar for the list of designated agencies and any change during the pilot year.

FAQ

Can Mongolians now visit South Korea without a visa? The pilot is a group visa, not a visa waiver. It covers groups of at least five people recruited through one of the 7 designated agencies. The announcement does not cover other travellers.

When does the Mongolia group visa pilot start and end? It runs from 30 October 2026 to 31 October 2027, according to the Korean Ministry of Justice notice of 28 October 2026. Yonhap and The Korea Herald describe it as a one-year pilot.

Which agencies can apply for the C-3-2 group visa for Mongolian groups? The group visa is for groups recruited through one of the 7 travel agencies in Mongolia designated by the Korean Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, according to the Ministry as reported by Yonhap and The Korea Herald.

How long can group members stay in South Korea? Up to 15 days, according to Yonhap and The Korea Herald.

What happens if a traveller leaves the group? The designated travel agency can reportedly face administrative sanctions, according to Yonhap and The Korea Herald, citing the Ministry.

Operational guidance for travel sellers, not legal advice. Updated 29 October 2026.

Sources

Korean Ministry of Justice, notice "「몽골 단체관광객 단체사증」제도 시행" (Mongolian group tourist group visa scheme), 28 October 2026 verified 29 Oct 2026 · Yonhap News Agency, "법무부, 30일부터 몽골 단체사증 시범 운영…최장 15일 체류", 28 October 2026 verified 29 Oct 2026 · The Korea Herald, "Korea to pilot group tourist visas for Mongolian nationals", 28 October 2026 verified 29 Oct 2026

Loris Mazloum

Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.