- South Korea’s Ministry of Justice expanded certified medical tourism institutions to 112 starting October 1, 2026.
- The June 2026 revision raised nonmetropolitan representation from 14 to 22 regional institutions.
- Certified channels issued 9,804 C-3-3 visas from October 2025 to August 2026, up 40 percent year on year.
South Korea’s Ministry of Justice expanded its certified foreign-patient medical tourism institutions to 112 starting October 1, 2026, adding 22 institutions and widening fast-track visas beyond the Seoul area. The step gives regional hospitals and private facilitators a larger opening in the country’s medical travel system. Seoul still holds most of it.
The approvals sit inside the Outstanding Facilitator for Foreign Patients program, which unlocks the quicker channel for approved providers. The ministry said the goal is to push foreign-patient traffic and related economic gains into regional provinces, not just the capital. Seoul has long taken the bigger share. Officials want that to change.
Free toolDS-160 Form Filling Online Helper Tool
The rules shifted again in June 2026. Officials lowered performance thresholds for provincial institutions and added regional bonus points, a rewrite that came through the Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters. That change lifted nonmetropolitan representation from 14 to 22. The door opened wider.
Certified institutions keep three-day electronic visa processing, waivers of financial-document requirements for patients, and broader visa eligibility for accompanying caregivers. Those advantages make the certified route easier to use than the standard one. Between October 2025 and August 2026, medical visas in the C-3-3 category issued through certified channels rose 40 percent year on year to 9,804. Demand is already there.
The expanded pool now includes 89 medical facilities and 23 private agencies. Of the 112 certified entities, 90 are in the greater Seoul area and 22 are in nonmetropolitan regions. The capital still dominates the network. Regional institutions are gaining ground, but slowly.
Seoul still holds most of the certified network
The split is blunt. The table lays it out.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Medical facilities in the program | 89 |
| Private agencies in the program | 23 |
| Certified entities in the greater Seoul area | 90 |
| Certified entities in nonmetropolitan regions | 22 |
| Nonmetropolitan representation before the June revision | 14 |
| Nonmetropolitan representation after the June revision | 22 |
Hospitals and private agencies sit in the same certification pool. That matters because both can steer patients into the same visa lane. The department kept the existing visa advantages in place while widening eligibility beyond the capital. The structure stayed intact.
The new designations last one year, through September 30, 2027. They begin on October 1, 2026. The clock starts then.
