Treatment in South Korea: medical visas, registered clinics and documents

Why do patients consider South Korea?

South Korea is known for high-tech medicine: large hospitals make wide use of digital diagnostics and minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and preventive screening is a widespread culture in the country. Patients from Georgia usually consider Korea for the following:

• oncology, especially cancers that are common in Korea and in which local doctors have extensive experience, such as stomach, thyroid and liver tumours;
• a comprehensive medical check-up, where several tests are done in one or two days;
• minimally invasive and robotic surgery in various fields;
• plastic surgery and dermatology, where Korean clinics have long experience of working with foreign patients.

Korea also has its limitations: the distance is great, the flight is long and usually involves a connection, the time difference with Georgia is five hours, and everyday life happens in Korean. In addition, unlike Europe, a Georgian citizen needs a visa to enter Korea. So Korea is mostly a rational choice when a particular method or expertise is not available closer to home. Before deciding on such a long journey, it is often worth getting a remote second opinion. Make this assessment together with your treating doctor; we do not give medical advice. To compare European alternatives, see the guides to France and Spain.

Does a Georgian citizen need a visa for Korea?

Yes. The Republic of Korea grants visa-free entry only to citizens of countries with which it has an agreement or a unilateral decision to that effect, and in recent years such travellers obtain an electronic travel authorisation, K-ETA. Georgia is not on the list, published on the official K-ETA portal, of countries whose citizens may apply for the authorisation.

Online you will often come across commercial websites claiming that Georgians enter Korea with a K-ETA or visa-free. Do not rely on such information: a K-ETA is not a visa and cannot give someone who needs a visa the right to cross the border. Before planning treatment, confirm the visa regime with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea or an official Korean source.

Medical visas: C-3-3 and G-1-10

Korea's immigration system uses two main categories for foreign patients. The first is for short-term treatment, the second for long-term treatment and recovery, including for caregiving family members. The table sums up the main differences.

According to a Korean regional government, the application is completed by two parties. The inviting organisation submits the medical institution's registration document, the treatment booking and a medical certificate, while the invited patient submits proof of financial means and, if a family member is going along, documents proving kinship. Only an intermediary licensed by the Korean Ministry of Justice may submit the application on the patient's behalf. We describe how to prepare the overall visa package on the medical visa service page.

How to check a Korean clinic and intermediary?

In Korea, attracting foreign patients is regulated by a special law: the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Medical Systems and Attraction of International Patients. Under this law, a medical institution that wants to accept foreign patients registers with the Minister of Health and Welfare and meets two requirements:

• it has at least one board-certified specialist in each department through which it attracts foreign patients;
• it is insured against liability for damage caused by medical errors, or is a member of an appropriate mutual insurance association.

An intermediary company that connects foreign patients with clinics is also registered under the same law: it must have guarantee insurance, minimum capital and an office in Korea. The law prohibits charging foreign patients excessive fees, and registered organisations report the results of their activities every year.

It follows that the first question to ask a clinic or intermediary is the number of its registration certificate. If the organisation does not have one, it can neither legally invite you on a medical visa nor offer you the protection provided by law. Then ask how many patients with your diagnosis they treat, whether the institution has international accreditation (for example, JCI) and who your treating doctor will be. We search for clinics and handle the correspondence as part of our clinic search service, and the specifics of oncology cases are on the cancer treatment page.

Language, interpreter and document translation

The main language in a Korean hospital is Korean. The international centres of large hospitals work in English, and some have a Russian-speaking coordinator, but this must be confirmed in advance for each institution. Korean law requires the state to support the training of medical interpreters and the assessment of their competence, so ask the clinic who will interpret at the consultation and whether this service is included in the price.

Document translation falls into two categories:

• The medical file for the clinic. The discharge summary, laboratory test results and reports are translated into English; a Korean translation is usually not needed, because international centres accept files in English. Terminology and units must be rendered accurately.
• Official documents for the visa and authorities. Certificates proving kinship, financial statements and powers of attorney are prepared in the language and form the embassy requires. A public document issued in Georgia needs an apostille for Korea, because both countries have been parties to the Apostille Convention since 2007.

Check which form you need for a specific document with the apostille and legalisation tool, and work out the price of the translation with the translation calculator.

Which documents to prepare for a Korean hospital?

Korean hospitals often repeat tests on their own equipment, but your documents are essential for the preliminary assessment and the invitation. Prepare:

• the discharge summary or Form 100, with the diagnosis and the treatment given, translated into English;
• recent laboratory test results with units and reference ranges;
• CT, MRI or PET-CT reports and images in DICOM format, via an online link;
• histology and immunohistochemistry reports, for an oncological diagnosis;
• a list of current medicines with international names, doses and allergies;
• a copy of your passport, whose details must be written the same way in all medical documents.

For the visa, this package is supplemented by the Korean institution's invitation or treatment plan, financial documents and, if someone is accompanying you, proof of kinship. Medical documents are translated by our medical translation service, and the Form 100 guide explains what Form 100 contains and how to obtain it.

Who goes with the patient, and what should the companion know?

For treatment in a distant country, in a foreign language, an accompanying person is almost always needed: they take on conversations with the doctor, paperwork, financial matters and day-to-day logistics. Korea's immigration system allows for this: in the G-1-10 category, a spouse or child acting as caregiver may travel on a one-year multiple-entry visa, and the kinship must be proved with documents.

• Kinship documents. Obtain the birth or marriage certificate proving kinship in advance, have it apostilled and translated into the language the embassy requires.
• Care on the ward. Ask the clinic who provides the patient's day-to-day care on the ward, whether the companion can stay there and, if needed, how to hire a caregiver and what it costs.
• Decision-making. If the patient will temporarily be unable to sign documents or deal with the bank after surgery, consider before departure whether a power of attorney is needed so that the companion has authority to act.

Preparing a power of attorney and using it abroad is described on the power of attorney service page. Also arrange travel insurance for the companion: they too may fall ill during a long stay in a distant country.

Cost estimate, payment and the intermediary's fee

The international centre of a Korean hospital usually sends you a preliminary cost estimate after assessing your documents, and asks for a deposit on admission. The final bill is based on the tests and treatment actually carried out, so the cost estimate and the final amount may differ. Clarify in advance:

• whether the price includes the repeat tests the hospital will do after you arrive;
• what the interpreter's or coordinator's services and transfers cost;
• who pays if treatment takes longer or a complication develops;
• how the unused part of the deposit will be refunded;
• whether a detailed bill will be issued in English, which you will need for reporting in Georgia.

If you work with an intermediary, their fee must be set out separately, in writing, and kept apart from the treatment payment. Pay the treatment fee directly to the hospital. If you are asking a Georgian state or municipal programme for help with the costs, the guide to funding for surgery describes the order in which to apply.

Your stay in Korea, the return and remote follow-up

Because of the long flight, you will need to spend some time on site after surgery before returning: only the treating doctor decides when you can fly. Choose accommodation close to the hospital and make the booking flexible, because the discharge date may be pushed back. For communication on site, if the clinic does not have its own interpreter, plan a medical interpreter in advance.

Korean law allows doctors to attend to a foreign patient using information and video communication technologies both before and after treatment: to give consultations and explain treatment matters. This lets you have follow-up tests done in Georgia and have the Korean doctor review the results remotely. Because of the five-hour time difference, agree on call times in advance.

On discharge, ask for the discharge summary and prescriptions in English. In Georgia they must be translated into Georgian, with Korean brand names replaced by international non-proprietary names so that the pharmacy can find the right drug. If it is not sold in Georgia or you need special care at home, turn to the post-operative care service.

Frequently asked questions about treatment in Korea