Registration as a Medical Institution Attracting Foreign Patients: Procedure and Requirements — Liability Insurance, Specialists, Performance Reports

Procedure

1. 1. Check whether registration is needed

   Treating a foreigner who entered Korea for tourism does not in itself require registration. Brokering or advertising to bring in foreign patients, or advertising on a foreign-language website, requires registration as a medical institution attracting foreign patients first.

2. 2. Check the specialist requirement

   There must be at least 1 specialist for each medical department in which the institution intends to attract foreign patients. A medical department that is not a specialty under the regulations on specialist training is excluded from this requirement.

3. 3. Take out liability insurance

   Take out medical malpractice liability insurance or a mutual aid policy that covers foreign patients. The annual compensation limit must be at least 100,000,000 won for clinic-level and hospital-level institutions and at least 200,000,000 won for general hospitals, and the policy must be maintained throughout the validity period of the registration. Also check that the certificate states that foreign patients are included.

4. 4. Apply for registration

   Apply to the Si/Do Governor with the registration application form, attaching the list of specialists for each medical department, proof of liability insurance (or mutual aid) coverage, and the business operation plan. The certificate of report of establishment (or permit for establishment) and the specialist certificates are checked by the official in charge through shared administrative information. The filing window and processing time differ by city or province, so check them before applying.

5. 5. Fulfill the duties after registration

   Report the previous year's business record to the Si/Do Governor by the end of February each year. The registration is valid for 3 years from the registration date, and to continue attracting foreign patients you apply for renewal within the 2 months before the validity period ends. The record built up after registration becomes the basis for next steps, such as designation by the Ministry of Justice as an excellent attracting institution or hiring a foreign medical coordinator.

Required documents

• Application for registration as a medical institution attracting foreign patients
• List of specialists for each medical department
• Certificate of medical malpractice liability insurance (or mutual aid) that covers foreign patients
• Business operation plan
• Certificate of report of establishment of the medical institution or permit for establishment, and specialist certificates (only if you do not consent to shared use of administrative information)

Fees

In the industry, preparing the registration documents and filing the application on the client's behalf is generally priced from several hundred thousand won to the 1,000,000 won range, and the fee varies with the size of the medical institution and the amount of insurance and specialist material to be organized. We review the institution's situation and advise you on the fee after a consultation.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 6
• Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 11
• Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 28
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 5
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of International Patients, Article 6

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-05

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Complete registration before starting foreign-language advertising or overseas promotion.
• Failing to file the performance report due by the end of February each year can be a ground for an administrative disposition.
• The registration is valid for 3 years. If you do not apply for renewal within the 2 months before it expires, you end up attracting patients without registration.

Frequently asked questions