South Korea Shifts to Document-Based Ship Quarantine for Low-Risk Vessels Starting October

Shifting Maritime Quarantine to Risk-Based Electronic Reviews

For years, the KDCA required quarantine officers to conduct physical inspections on every incoming foreign vessel that had undergone a crew change in a designated quarantine management area, regardless of infection risk. According to KDCA data covering the 2023 to 2025 period, vessels undergoing crew changes accounted for 총 2만9094건으로 연평균 약 1만건에 달했다 quarantine inspections, averaging nearly 연평균 약 1만건 checks per year. However, agency records show that not a single suspected infectious disease case was identified during these routine crew-change boardings.

The physical inspections presented significant operational hurdles and safety risks. Quarantine officers frequently had to scale rope ladders of foreign vessels in high waves and strong winds. Furthermore, the mandatory boarding process frequently delayed ship arrivals and cargo unloading operations across the shipping sector. Under the revised Enforcement Rule of the Quarantine Act, announced on August 31, 2026, low-risk vessels where crew exchanges occurred in quarantine management areas will be exempt from mandatory physical boardings, transitioning instead to comprehensive electronic document checks.

Targeted Enforcement and Random Verification Checks

While routine physical boardings for low-risk crew changes are ending, quarantine oversight remains active through digital and targeted mechanisms. Ships carrying confirmed quarantine infectious disease patients, carrying corpses, hosting disease vectors, or lacking a valid Ship Sanitation Control Certificate will remain subject to mandatory physical boardings by KDCA officers.

To prevent regulatory blind spots under the electronic review framework, the KDCA will introduce a random sampling inspection system starting in late 2026. This system will randomly select a subset of arriving vessels for direct onboard health and sanitation investigations to verify the accuracy of submitted paperwork. Additionally, beginning December 1, 2026, the KDCA will standardize pre-screening documents required for vessel sanitary inspections, including drinking water analysis reports.

Restructuring Ship Sanitation Certificate Fees

Alongside the procedural overhaul, the KDCA is adjusting the fees for issuing Ship Sanitation Control Certificates for the first time in 16 years. Effective October 1, 2026, fees will scale based on vessel tonnage, rising from a flat rate range of 2만~10만원인 수수료 to a tiered structure ranging from 6만~30만원으로 조정한다.

• 500 gross tons or less: Increased from 2만원에서 6만원.
• 501 to 1,000 tons: Increased from 3만원에서 9만원으로 오른다.
• 1,001 to 5,000 tons: Set at 12만원.
• 5,001 to 10,000 tons: Set at 15만원.
• 10,001 to 50,000 tons: Set at 21만원.
• Exceeding 50,000 tons: Set at 30만원이 부과된다.

According to the KDCA, South Korea’s previously low fee structure caused certificate applications to concentrate heavily in domestic ports. Historically, the issuance ratio relative to incoming vessels sat between 약 8~10% in South Korea, more than double Japan’s rate of approximately 일본의 약 4%보다 두 배 이상 높은 수준.

KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan stated that the regulatory revision removes routine administrative burdens while shifting the maritime quarantine system toward risk-based management aligned with World Health Organization standards. The agency expects the changes to balance border quarantine safety with expedited vessel port entry.