Korea medical visa (C-3-3) and K-ETA, step by step

Visa-free entry and K-ETA

Many visitors can enter Korea without a visa for short stays, and the permitted length varies by country. The UK government states that British nationals can enter for up to 90 days for short-term business or tourism, and the Government of Canada states that Canadians do not need a visa for stays of up to 180 days. For every other nationality, the Korea Visa Portal's visa guide lists the visa-free categories and the country search shows which one applies to you.

K-ETA is Korea's electronic travel authorization for visa-free travelers. In normal operation, anyone eligible for visa-free entry applies online before departure, and approval can take up to 72 hours. Korea has temporarily waived K-ETA for a list of countries. A Ministry of Justice notice dated December 23, 2025 extends the exemption for the countries already on the list until December 31, 2026, Korea time. The UK and Canadian government travel pages confirm that British and Canadian nationals are among them. The K-ETA notice board publishes the list and the current end date, so check it close to your travel date rather than relying on this page.

Apply only through the official K-ETA website. Both the UK and Canadian governments warn that other sites offering K-ETA applications are generally scams. If you are exempt, you do not need to apply at all; you travel with your passport and a return or onward ticket. The notice adds that exempt travelers may still apply voluntarily, for a fee, and that an approved K-ETA lets you skip the arrival card.

Who needs the C-3-3 medical visa

If your passport is not on the visa-free list, you need a visa before you travel. The Korea Visa Portal's visa guide lists the visa for medical treatment under the heading treatment and recuperation: the medical tourism visa, type C-3-3, next to a longer-term G-1-10 category for extended treatment. The C-3-3 is a short-term visa, and the length of stay it allows is printed on the visa when it is issued.

If you are not sure whether your country needs a visa, the portal's country search gives the answer in a few clicks. Your nearest Korean embassy or consulate is the final authority on your own case, and its website lists the documents it wants to see.

What a C-3-3 application involves

Requirements are set by the Ministry of Justice and applied by each Korean mission, and the exact list can differ by country. In general the application is built from your passport, a completed visa application form and a photo, evidence of why you are traveling, and evidence that you can pay for the trip. For a medical visa the evidence of purpose comes from the Korean medical institution or a registered agency. Ask the mission which document it accepts.

There are two ways to file. The traditional way is in person or by mail at the Korean embassy or consulate that covers your area. The Korea Visa Portal also describes an electronic visa for the C-3-3 when the application is filed by a medical institution or agency designated by the Korean government to receive foreign patients. The same portal page carries older notices about suspensions of the electronic visa, so whether this route is open, and whether it applies to you, is confirmed at consultation.

Processing time is set by the mission, not by the clinic. Embassies publish their own timelines, and they can change with season and workload. Ask the mission directly, or check its website, before you fix a surgery date.

What the clinic provides

The medical tourism page explains the clinic's registration for international patients and how to look it up.

Consultations are available in English. Medical records and receipts are issued in English on request. After an online pre-consultation you receive a written plan: the proposed procedure, what the price includes, how many days to plan in Seoul, and what to bring. The how-to-book page describes the plan and the booking steps in full. A visa officer usually wants to see the purpose of travel and the length of stay, and the plan covers both.

We prepare the documents international insurers typically require: an itemized English receipt, a medical certificate, procedure codes and a completed claim form. The page for patients from the United States and Canada explains how they are used.

Whether the clinic issues a separate letter for a C-3-3 application, what it contains, and how many days it takes are stated at consultation. The clinic cannot apply for a visa on your behalf and does not decide the outcome. Visas are granted or refused by Korean missions and the immigration service.

Arrival card and health declarations

All travelers to Korea submit an arrival declaration. The Government of Canada notes that this can be done online through the e-Arrival Card site up to three days before arrival, or on paper at the airport, and that the service is free of charge. Sites that charge a fee for arrival cards are not official.

If a search for a Korea visa health declaration form brought you here, check the date on whatever page you found. Entry health questionnaires changed several times after 2020, and the arrival card site shows what is required on your travel date. Foreign nationals also register fingerprints and a facial scan at the port of entry.

Bring your written plan and any letter from the clinic in your carry-on, not in checked luggage. An immigration officer may ask the purpose of your visit, and a clear, honest answer with the plan in hand is the simplest way through.

Timing the application against your surgery date

Set the order of steps so that no money is at risk before the entry paperwork is settled. First, complete the pre-consultation and receive the written plan with proposed dates. Second, if you need a C-3-3, file the application with the plan attached and wait for the decision. Third, book flights and accommodation once the visa is in your passport. If you only need K-ETA, apply as soon as your dates are fixed, since approval can take up to 72 hours.

Allow extra time around public holidays in Korea and in your own country, when missions close. If a mission asks for more documents, reply the same week; a stalled application is the most common reason a surgery date moves. Tell the clinic as soon as you have a visa decision so the held dates can be confirmed or released, as described on the how-to-book page.

Traveling with a companion

A companion's entry route depends on their own passport, not yours. A visa-free national traveling with a C-3-3 patient simply enters as a short-term visitor and follows the K-ETA rules for their country. If the companion also needs a visa, ask the mission which short-term category applies and what documents it wants, and file the two applications together so the travel dates match.

Recovery suites and how many days to plan are covered on the recovery suites and what-to-bring pages, so only the entry question is handled here.

If you need to stay longer

Recovery sometimes takes longer than planned. The Government of Canada notes that you cannot change your visa status once you are in Korea as a tourist, and that requests to extend a stay go to the Korea Immigration Service, which should be contacted as soon as possible. Immigration may ask for documents that show the medical reason, such as a letter from the treating doctor, so ask what it needs when you call. Build a buffer into your return date instead, so that an extension is the exception.

This page is general information and is not a diagnosis; a consultation is needed to decide whether a procedure suits you. Entry rules are set by the Korean government and were last checked for this page on October 6, 2026.

Sources

1. K-ETA notice: Extension of K-ETA Temporary Exemption (Ministry of Justice, December 23, 2025)
2. Korea Visa Portal: visa guide by type, including C-3-3 (Korean), Ministry of Justice
3. Korea Visa Portal: electronic visa information (Korean), Ministry of Justice
4. Korea e-Arrival Card, Ministry of Justice
5. UK FCDO travel advice: South Korea entry requirements
6. Government of Canada travel advice: South Korea