What is a registered foreign patient provider?
Treating foreign patients requires registration with a provincial governor, backed by a board-certified specialist per department and malpractice liability insurance. The register is publicly searchable.
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A registered foreign patient provider is a hospital or clinic that has completed registration with a provincial governor in order to treat foreign patients.
What registration requires
The basis is Article 6 of the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of Foreign Patients. The registering authority is the metropolitan mayor or provincial governor — moved down from the Minister of Health and Welfare in a 2020 amendment.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Specialists | At least one board-certified specialist per department used for foreign patients |
| Liability | Malpractice liability insurance or mutual-aid association membership |
The coverage floor varies by institution type (Enforcement Rule Article 4).
| Institution type | Annual liability limit |
|---|---|
| Clinic tier and midwifery clinics | 100 million won or more |
| Hospital tier (hospital, dental, Korean medicine, long-term care) | 100 million won or more |
| General hospital | 200 million won or more |
Registration is valid for three years and must be renewed before expiry, with insurance maintained throughout.
Why registration exists
It exists to manage service quality and protect patients. Registered providers must display the registration certificate, inform patients of their rights, and observe a cap on brokerage fees; general hospitals also face a limit on how many beds they may allocate to foreign patients.
From a patient’s side the practical meaning is whether there is anything to fall back on in a dispute. Registered providers are required to carry liability insurance, so a minimum pool of compensation exists if something goes wrong.
Checking the register
The Medical Korea foreign patient information system run by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (medicalkorea.or.kr/korp) is searchable without an account. One lookup checks registered, suspended or closed status by business registration number; another lists providers by name and region. Searching with the fields blank returns the full list.
The legally mandated publisher is separate: Article 5(4) of the Enforcement Rule requires each metropolitan or provincial government to post registration details on its own website when issuing a certificate.
Unregistered solicitation is a criminal offense
| Sanction | Detail |
|---|---|
| Criminal | Up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won |
| Surcharge | Within revenue; up to 1 billion won where revenue cannot be calculated |
| Revocation | False registration, lending the certificate or name, accepting referrals from an unregistered broker |
A revoked provider cannot reapply for one year from the date of revocation.
Note what is regulated: the solicitation and brokering, not the treatment itself. Being treated somewhere unregistered is not illegal for you, but your protection in a dispute is weaker.
What else to verify
Registration alone is not enough. Check which languages interpretation covers, the actual scope of practice in the department you need, and what tier the institution is.
Sources: Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Healthcare System and Attraction of Foreign Patients, Articles 6, 24, 26, 28; Enforcement Rule Articles 4 and 5. Last checked 2026-08-30.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I check whether a provider is registered?
At the Medical Korea foreign patient information system run by KHIDI (medicalkorea.or.kr/korp), which is searchable without logging in. By law each metropolitan or provincial government must also publish its registrations on its own website.
What does registration require?
At least one board-certified specialist for each department used to treat foreign patients, plus malpractice liability insurance or mutual-aid coverage. The annual limit is 100 million won for clinics and hospitals, and 200 million won for general hospitals.
What happens to an unregistered provider?
Up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won, with a separate administrative penalty surcharge possible.