The two medical visas at a glance

	C-3-3 (short-term)	G-1-10 (long-term)
Purpose	Treatment or recuperation in Korea, together with travel, of 90 days or less. Medical Korea gives cosmetic procedures, including plastic surgery, as examples of simple procedures	Treatment in a specialised clinic or rehabilitation facility, or recuperation, that needs 91 days or longer
Stay	Up to 90 days	Within 1 year
Entries	A single-entry visa is valid for 3 months from issuance. The Ministry's description also lists double-entry visas valid for 6 months and multiple-entry visas valid for up to 5 years	A multiple-entry visa. Medical Korea says it is effective for one year
Who comes with the patient	Accompanying family members and carers	The patient's immediate family, including a spouse who gives care and the patient's children

The Immigration Control Act and its decree have no status called "C-3-3" or "G-1-10". The decree defines C-3, the short-term visit status (up to 90 days, with recuperation among the listed purposes), and G-1, an "other" long-term status that the Minister of Justice grants. The Korea Visa Portal, Medical Korea and the Ministry's own pages use the sub-codes for the medical cases. The line between the two is the length of treatment and travel together: 90 days or less is C-3-3, and 91 days or more is G-1-10.

Who can apply

The patient. The Korea Visa Portal describes the medical visa as for foreign patients who enter to be treated or to recuperate at a Korean medical institution.
Companions. The portal also covers accompanying family members and carers who need to come along. Medical Korea names the patient's spouse and children for G-1-10. According to the Ministry, an ordinary inviting institution can invite immediate family and siblings. A designated "excellent" institution (see below) can invite relatives up to the fourth degree, but only through the e-visa. Bring proof of the relationship.
The inviting institution. The Ministry's description says the patient enters at the invitation of a medical tourism institution that is registered as a foreign-patient attraction institution or facilitator. The page still names the Medical Service Act, but registration is now under the Act on Overseas Expansion of Medical Care and Support for Attracting Foreign Patients. Our guide on foreign-patient registration explains how to check whether a clinic is registered.

How the application works

Medical Korea describes two ways to apply. Both end at a Korean embassy or consulate.

Direct application. You apply at the consulate yourself, with documents that include one from a Korean medical institution confirming your appointment.
Application through the institution or an agency. The medical institution or agency applies online to the immigration office for a "certificate of visa issuance" (사증발급인정서). You take the certificate to the consulate and the visa is issued. The Act lets the inviter file the application on your behalf. The certificate is valid for three months and for one visa issuance only.

The Ministry's guide for institutions lists three routes: the certificate, the e-visa, and a discretionary visa applied for at the embassy. Its table says an ordinary registered institution invites a foreigner through the online certificate. We could not read the Ministry's full visa manual, so we cannot tell you which route your embassy accepts. Ask your embassy and your clinic.

Documents to expect

Medical Korea lists these for a direct application:

the visa application form and a copy of your passport;
a diagnosis document;
a document from a medical institution in Korea confirming your appointment for treatment or recuperation;
an affidavit of financial support showing that you can cover the cost of treatment and stay;
documents proving family relationship, if companions come;
other documents the consulate asks for.

For an application through an institution, Medical Korea lists the application for confirmation of visa issuance, a copy of your passport, one photo, and documents from the medical institution confirming the medical purpose of the visit.

Embassy checklists differ. The Korean embassies in Singapore and Austria, for example, ask for an appointment confirmation from the Korean institution, and the Austria list adds an invitation letter and a treatment confirmation. Both ask for the institution's registration certificate as an attraction institution, and for proof of funds or of employment. The Singapore list asks for a diagnosis record or doctor's note, and both ask for family-relationship documents if a caregiver applies. For the status G-1 in general, the Rule's annex of attached documents names a document explaining the purpose of entry (it gives a doctor's opinion as one example) and proof of ability to pay litigation or treatment costs.

Use these lists to know what to ask for. The list that applies to you is the one published by the embassy where you apply. We do not give visa fees: they differ by country and change.

Institutions designated by the Ministry of Justice ("excellent institutions")

Each year the Ministry of Justice designates some registered institutions as medical-tourism "excellent attraction institutions" (의료관광 우수 유치기관). The current designation runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027 and covers 112 institutions: 89 medical institutions and 23 non-medical ones, up from 90 the year before. The Ministry gives the purpose as easing visa issuance for institutions with a low illegal-stay rate and a good record. A committee of related ministries judges the illegal-stay rate, the attraction or treatment record and the visa refusal rate.

According to the Ministry, a designated institution:

can use the Korea Visa Portal's e-visa, which is in principle issued within three days of receipt;
can leave out the patient's proof of financial ability;
can invite carers and companions beyond immediate family: siblings and relatives up to the fourth degree.

The last two apply to e-visa applications only. A designation can be cancelled, for example after a suspension of three months or more.

Three cautions. First, it is a visa-processing designation, not a quality rating. Second, it is separate from registration, which an institution needs first, and from KAHF, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's certification (KAHF-certified institutions and tertiary general hospitals can skip the Ministry of Justice's review, unless their illegal-stay rate is 10% or more). Third, the list changes every year. The designated institutions are named in the attachment to the Ministry of Justice notice no. 2026-413, written in Korean.

How long you can stay

C-3-3: up to 90 days. Do not confuse the stay with the visa's validity. A single-entry visa must be used within 3 months of issuance.
G-1-10: within one year, on a multiple-entry visa. The Rule's annex caps one grant of G-1 at one year, and the Minister may allow a longer stay under the extension article.
Visa-free entry: the Act defines short-term status as 90 days or less, or longer where a visa-waiver agreement says so. The period depends on your nationality (see the next section).

Visa-free entry and K-ETA: how they differ

Visa-free entry. Citizens of countries with a visa-waiver agreement can enter without a visa as far as the agreement provides. Entry is under B-1 (activities under the agreement) or B-2 (tourism, transit and similar purposes).
How long. Medical Korea lists visa exemption as one entry route but labels it "at most 30 days". The Act defines a short stay as 90 days or less, or longer where an agreement says so, and a Korean embassy table shows 30, 60 or 90 days depending on the country. Check the period for your own passport on the Korea Visa Portal or with your embassy.
K-ETA. The Minister may require visa-free visitors to obtain a prior travel authorisation. For who is exempt until 31 December 2026, and how to apply, see our guide on medical visas and K-ETA. We do not repeat the K-ETA details here.
Medical visa. A medical visa is a visa with status C-3 or G-1, tied to treatment or recuperation and to a Korean institution. We found no official statement on which medical activities visa-free status covers, so ask your embassy if your procedure is short and your passport is visa-free. For stays beyond the visa-free period, the long-term route that Medical Korea and the Ministry describe is G-1-10.

Extending your stay or changing status in Korea

Extension. You must get the Minister's permission before your stay ends. You file at the immigration office, and the office screens the same points as for a visa, including whether you are recognised as going home within the permitted period. The Rule also lets an immigration office extend the stay of someone who cannot leave for unavoidable reasons. More than 30 days needs the Minister's approval, and no fee is charged for this kind of extension.
Change of status. Doing activities of a different status needs the Minister's permission beforehand. When a consul issues a C-3 visa of 90 days or less, the Rule requires the consul to tell the applicant that a change of status after entry will not be permitted. We found no official statement that a visa-free visitor or a C-3-3 holder can switch to G-1-10 after arrival. Settle the right visa before you travel.
Where. Immigration offices decide extensions and changes. HiKorea, the immigration e-government site for foreigners, offers visit reservations and the Ministry's visa and stay manuals. HiKorea says its manuals can lag behind rule changes, and advises calling the Foreigner Information Center on 1345 (weekdays 09:00 to 22:00, public holidays excluded, fee-based) or booking a visit. From abroad the number is +82-2-1345.

What a clinic can and cannot do

A registered clinic or facilitator can:

invite you and apply for the certificate of visa issuance on your behalf (or, if designated, for the e-visa);
issue the papers an embassy may ask for, such as an appointment confirmation, a treatment confirmation or an invitation letter, and show its registration certificate;
tell you which documents it needs from you.

A clinic cannot:

promise the result. The Minister decides whether to issue a certificate, and the Ministry or the consul checks the requirements. The Ministry can also refuse a certificate because of the inviter's own record, for example a high illegal-stay rate among the foreigners it invited. At the border, the immigration officer may refuse entry if the requirements are not shown to be met;
extend your stay or change your status, which only the immigration office can do;
turn the "excellent" label into a promise. It speeds up processing, and the Ministry counts the visa refusal rate when it designates institutions, which shows that refusals happen.

Questions to ask your clinic: Is it registered, and can you see the certificate? Which route does it use? Which documents will it issue, and how soon? What happens to any deposit if the visa is refused? Our guide on receipts and medical records lists what to keep.

What we verified, and what changes

We read the Immigration Control Act, its decree and its Rule on law.go.kr, the Ministry of Justice's notices and press releases, the Korea Visa Portal, HiKorea, Medical Korea and three embassy pages on 29 and 30 October 2026.

We could not read the Ministry's full visa manual, which HiKorea dates 19 October 2026. So this page does not give a complete, official document list, visa fees, the visa-free period for each passport, or the details of the e-visa beyond what the designation notices say.

These parts change, so confirm them on the official sites:

the list of designated institutions, which is renewed every year;
the Ministry's April 2026 plan to ease multiple-entry C-3 and G-1 visas for patients who need repeated treatment or come for wellness tourism. We found no later notice saying it is in force;
embassy checklists, visa fees and visa-free periods;
K-ETA dates, which are in our K-ETA guide.

FAQ

Do I need a medical visa for a cosmetic procedure in Korea?

It depends on your passport and the length of your stay. Medical Korea gives cosmetic procedures, including plastic surgery, as an example of C-3-3 cases of 90 days or less, and also lists visa-free entry as a route. We found no official text on which treatment visa-free status covers, so ask your Korean embassy before you book.

What is the difference between C-3-3 and G-1-10?

Both are for foreign patients invited by a Korean institution. C-3-3 is for treatment and travel of 90 days or less, with a stay of up to 90 days. G-1-10 is for treatment or recuperation needing 91 days or more, with a stay within one year on a multiple-entry visa. C-3 is a short-term status and G-1 is a long-term one.

Who can come with me?

The Korea Visa Portal says accompanying family members and carers who need to come along can apply. Medical Korea names the patient's spouse and children for G-1-10. The Ministry says an ordinary inviting institution can invite immediate family and siblings, and a designated institution can invite relatives up to the fourth degree through an e-visa. Bring proof of the relationship.

Can my clinic get me a visa?

A registered clinic or facilitator can invite you and apply for the certificate on your behalf, and an embassy may ask for its letters and registration certificate. It cannot promise the result. The Ministry and the consul check the requirements, and the officer at the border decides on entry. Ask which route the clinic uses.

Can I extend my stay or switch to G-1-10 after I arrive?

An extension must be applied for at the immigration office before your stay ends, and it is screened like a visa. A change of status needs prior permission, and for C-3 visas of 90 days or less the consul must warn the applicant that a change after entry is not permitted. We found no official statement that a switch is allowed. Ask the immigration office or 1345 before you travel.

What is an "excellent institution", and does it matter?

It is a one-year designation by the Ministry of Justice, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, for 112 institutions. It lets an institution use the e-visa, skip the patient's financial proof and invite a wider group of carers. It is not a quality rating, and it is separate from registration and from KAHF. The Ministry's table says an ordinary registered institution can also invite through the online certificate.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Laws, designations, embassy checklists, visa-free periods and contact details change. Confirm them with the official sources above and with your Korean embassy before you travel.

Medical visa for Korea: C-3-3 vs G-1-10, who can apply, how long you can stay and which documents to expect