There are two visas for coming to Korea for treatment — up to 90 days, and beyond

Which visa you need in order to come to Korea for treatment depends on how long you will stay. Up to 90 days, it is the short-term medical tourism visa (C-3-3); past 90 days, it is the treatment and recuperation visa (G-1-10).

C-3-3 — up to 90 days

This covers treatment that keeps you in the country for no more than three months: tests and surgery, a short course of radiation therapy, a first cycle of drug therapy. Accompanying family members apply through the same process. You apply at the Korean diplomatic mission in your country of residence, and the documents issued by an agency registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare form the basis of the review (HiKorea visa guidance).

G-1-10 — treatment lasting more than 90 days

Treatment that runs long, such as a hematopoietic stem cell transplant or several cycles of chemotherapy, and the companions who come along, are covered by G-1-10, the treatment and recuperation category within the Miscellaneous (G-1) status. If chemotherapy is added after surgery, or follow-up care after a transplant stretches out, the stay will pass 90 days — so if that looks likely, it is safer to consider the long-stay visa from the outset, or to check the procedure for changing status after arrival.

Worth knowing

• The Ministry of Justice handles immigration and residence; the Ministry of Health and Welfare handles the registration and oversight of agencies that host foreign patients. Both ministries' procedures apply.
• Whether a visa is issued, and how long the review takes, is for the overseas mission to decide, and no host agency can guarantee it.
• We are an international patient facilitator registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (registration no. A-2026-01-01-07122), and we issue the documents required for a visa application.

Sources and notes

HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) visa guidance · Ministry of Health and Welfare (mohw.go.kr) · Medical Korea (medicalkorea.or.kr). This article provides general medical information. Diagnosis, treatment and outcomes vary with each person's condition; decisions should always be made in consultation with a physician.