How to File a Clinic Establishment Report — Differences from the Hospital-Level Establishment Permit, Documents and Reports of Change

Procedure

1. 1. Check eligibility to establish and the type of medical institution

   A physician may establish a clinic, hospital, long-term care hospital, mental hospital or general hospital. A dentist may establish a dental clinic or dental hospital. A doctor of Korean medicine may establish a Korean medicine clinic, Korean medicine hospital or long-term care hospital. A medical professional may not establish or operate two or more medical institutions. For a medical corporation or non-profit corporation to establish one, it must state the location of the medical institution in its articles of incorporation and obtain a permit for amendment of the articles of incorporation from the competent authority.

2. 2. Check the place of establishment

   A medical institution cannot be established inside pharmacy facilities or on pharmacy premises, or in a place connected to a pharmacy by a dedicated passage. It also cannot be established in a building that was built, extended or rebuilt without a permit or report, so check the building register and the actual condition of the building before signing a lease. The facility standards and the fire-fighting equipment standards are also checked at the time of the report.

3. 3. Establishment report for clinic-level institutions

   Attach a copy of the building floor plan and of the structural description, and documents proving compliance with the facility standards and other requirements, to the medical institution establishment report form and submit them to the si/gun/gu office. The department in charge checks the medical professional's license and the corporate register certificate through administrative information sharing. If the report is lawful, it is accepted and a certificate of medical institution establishment report is issued.

4. 4. Preliminary deliberation, main deliberation and establishment permit for hospital-level institutions

   For a hospital-level institution, an application for preliminary deliberation on the establishment permit and a business plan are submitted to the Mayor/Do Governor, and the Medical Institution Establishment Committee deliberates on whether the plan fits the regional hospital bed supply and demand plan and on the establishment standards. The validity period of the preliminary deliberation approval is set at up to 3 years, and within that period the applicant submits an application for establishment permit, goes through the main deliberation and receives the permit certificate. To establish a general hospital, or for the founder of a general hospital with 300 or more beds to establish an additional hospital-level institution, approval from the Minister of Health and Welfare is required at the preliminary deliberation stage.

5. 5. Reports after establishment and management of changes

   If you install diagnostic radiation generators, report this separately to the si/gun/gu office. Relocation of the place of establishment, change of the founder, change of name, changes in the medical departments and changes in the number of medical professionals are matters for a report of change (a permit for change for hospital-level institutions). A report is also filed when closing the business or suspending it for 1 month or longer.

Required documents

• Medical institution establishment report form (clinic level), or application for preliminary deliberation on the establishment permit and application for establishment permit (hospital level)
• Copy of the building floor plan and copy of the structural description
• Documents proving compliance with the facility standards and other requirements
• When a corporation establishes the institution: copy of the corporation's incorporation permit certificate, copy of the articles of incorporation, copy of the business plan
• When a medical professional establishes a hospital-level institution: copy of the business plan
• Copies of the licenses (qualification certificates) of the medical professionals working at the institution (when they cannot be checked through administrative information sharing)
• Letter of authorization (when filed by an agent)

Fees

In the market, fees are generally in the range of several hundred thousand won. The scope of preparation differs greatly between a clinic-level report and a hospital-level permit, so we will advise you on the fee after reviewing the case in a consultation. Government fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Medical Service Act, Article 33
• Medical Service Act, Article 37
• Medical Service Act, Article 40
• Medical Service Act, Article 87
• Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 25
• Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 26
• Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 26-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 27
• Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 28

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-04

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

• For hospital-level institutions, the permit may be restricted under the regional hospital bed supply and demand plan, so check with the competent metropolitan city or province (Si/Do) before signing a contract for the site or building.
• A medical corporation or non-profit corporation may not lend the corporation's name to another person.

Frequently asked questions