Many foreign residents go straight to a large hospital when they get sick in Korea, on the assumption that bigger is safer. The insurance is built the other way round.
At a local clinic it covers 70 percent of the bill. At a university hospital it covers less than half, and you pay the consultation fee in full on top of that. The tier of the place you walk into changes the price more than the treatment does. Here is what each tier costs, when you actually need the big hospital, and what to have in your hand at the desk.
What this guide covers
01
The four tiers, and what each one costs you
02
Why the biggest hospitals need a referral
03
Bring your card, or pay the whole bill
04
What it costs to stay overnight
05
The emergency room is priced to keep you out
06
What to say at the desk
The four tiers, and what each one costs you
Verified September 2026 · Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act, Attached Table 2, amended 19 February 2026
Korean medical institutions are sorted into tiers by law, and your share of the bill is set against that tier rather than against the illness. The figures below are what you pay. The insurance pays the rest.
| Tier |
Area |
Your share, outpatient |
Clinic
의원 |
Everywhere |
30% |
Hospital
병원 |
City district
Town or village |
40%
35% |
General hospital
종합병원 |
City district
Town or village |
50%
45% |
Tertiary general hospital
상급종합병원 |
Everywhere |
Consultation fee in full, plus 60% of the rest |
| Pharmacy |
Everywhere |
30% |
| Public health center |
Everywhere |
30% |
The last tier is the one that catches people out. Only tertiary general hospitals charge the consultation fee in full, and that is on top of the 60 percent. Every other tier takes a straight percentage of the total.
A clinic is the right place for a cold, a rash, a sprain, a repeat prescription, or a vaccination. It is also the fastest, because the large hospitals are booked weeks ahead.
Three groups pay less
·
Pregnant patients, outpatient — 10% at a clinic, 20% at a hospital, 30% at a general hospital, 40% at a tertiary hospital. A miscarriage or stillbirth is treated the same way.
·
Infants under one, outpatient — 5% at a clinic, 10% at a hospital, 15% at a general hospital, 20% at a tertiary hospital.
·
Patients aged 65 and over at a clinic or pharmacy pay a flat amount instead of the percentage when the bill is small.
Before you choose where to go, check both things that set your share: the tier of the place, and whether you are in one of these three groups.
Why the biggest hospitals need a referral
Insurance in Korea runs in two stages. Stage one is everything except tertiary general hospitals. Stage two is the tertiary hospitals, and you reach it with a referral written at stage one.
Without a referral, insurance pays nothing
You will be treated. The hospital will simply bill you for 100 percent of it, and that carries through to the pharmacy afterwards. Seoul National University Hospital states this plainly on its own patient page. The document is called a medical care referral (진료의뢰서), and your clinic writes it in a minute.
Some cases do not need one. A tertiary hospital lists these as the usual exceptions:
Emergency patients · childbirth · rehabilitation for a registered disability · family medicine · haemophilia · staff of that hospital
A referral has no expiry date of its own, though a hospital may ask for a recent one. Each department wants its own, so a referral written for cardiology does not carry you into orthopaedics.
Bring your card, or pay the whole bill
Verified September 2026 · National Health Insurance Act, Article 12(4), in force 20 May 2024
Since May 2024, a medical institution has to check who you are before it bills the insurance. This is newer than most English guides, and it is the single most common way a foreign resident ends up paying full price for a routine visit.
·
What counts — your Alien Registration Card, a passport, a driving licence, or a health insurance card. Mobile versions are accepted. A photocopy or a photo on your phone of the card itself is not.
·
If you forgot it — you pay the full amount that day, then bring your identification and the receipt back within 14 days and the difference is refunded.
·
When it is not asked for — patients under 19, a return visit to the same place within six months, referred patients, emergencies, and pregnant patients.
Fourteen days is short, and nobody at the desk will chase you about it. Put the receipt somewhere you will see it.
What it costs to stay overnight
Inpatient care is charged differently, and it is far cheaper in proportion than outpatient care at the same hospital.
The standard inpatient share
20 percent of the covered total, plus 50 percent of the meals. The same figure applies whether you are in a clinic or a tertiary hospital.
Room type is the part that moves. A shared room of two, three, or four beds is charged at a higher rate for the room portion only: at a tertiary general hospital that is 50, 40, and 30 percent respectively, and at a general hospital or below, 40 and 30 percent. An isolation room ordered by the Ministry is charged at 10 percent.
Anything outside the covered list is separate and is not shared with the insurance at all. Private rooms, cosmetic procedures, and most health screenings sit there.
The emergency room is priced to keep you out
Emergency rooms in Korea add a management fee on top of the treatment, and whether the insurance touches that fee depends on how your symptoms are classified, not on how urgent they felt to you.
Not an emergency means the whole fee
If your case does not meet the legal definition of an emergency symptom, you pay the emergency management fee in full. The charge exists deliberately, to keep emergency rooms clear. Acute loss of consciousness, acute breathing difficulty, cardiac chest pain, uncontrolled bleeding, wide burns, and seizures or a high fever in a small child are on the emergency list. A fever in an adult, a hangover, or a minor cut are not.
Outside clinic hours, a night or holiday clinic is the cheaper route for anything that is uncomfortable rather than dangerous. Search results for those are in Korean, so it is worth finding the one near you before you need it.
What to say at the desk
Five sentences for a clinic or hospital reception. Show the screen if it is easier than speaking.
건강보험 되나요?
Geon-gang-bo-heom doe-na-yo?
“Is this covered by health insurance?”
Ask before the treatment, not after.
외국인등록증 가져왔습니다.
Oe-gu-gin-deung-nok-jeung ga-jyeo-wat-seum-ni-da.
“I have my Alien Registration Card with me.”
Hand it over at reception.
진료의뢰서 가져왔습니다.
Jil-lyo-ui-roe-seo ga-jyeo-wat-seum-ni-da.
“I have brought a referral.”
At a tertiary general hospital.
신분증을 안 가져왔어요.
Sin-bun-jeung-eul an ga-jyeo-wa-sseo-yo.
“I did not bring my identification.”
Then ask for the receipt below.
영수증 주세요.
Yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo.
“Please give me the receipt.”
You need it for the 14-day refund.
More on health insurance
Each guide below covers one part of the system. Open the one that matches where you are.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment at a clinic?
No. Clinics take walk-ins, and that is what they are built for. Large hospitals run on appointments and are often booked weeks ahead, which is a second reason the clinic is usually the right first stop.
I forgot my Alien Registration Card. Did I lose the insurance for that visit?
No, but you have to act. Pay the full amount, keep the receipt, and return with your card within 14 days. The difference is refunded. After 14 days it is not.
Can I go straight to a university hospital?
You can be seen, but without a referral from a clinic the insurance pays nothing and you are billed for all of it, prescriptions included. Emergencies, childbirth, family medicine, and a few other cases are exempt.
Is the price the same at every clinic?
For covered treatment, yes. The fee schedule is national, so the same procedure costs the same at any clinic. What differs is anything outside the covered list, where each place sets its own price.
My contributions are behind. Can I still use a hospital?
Not at the insured price, in most cases. One month of unpaid contributions is enough to stop the insurance paying, and only six visa types get more room than that. The guide on unpaid contributions below sets out which.
Official sources
The percentages on this page come from the Enforcement Decree, and the identification rule from the Act itself. Rates are revised, so open the table before you rely on a figure.
·
Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act, Attached Table 2, patient cost sharing · Korean
·
National Health Insurance Act, Article 12, identification at the point of care · Korean
·
Rules on the Standards for Medical Care Benefits, Article 2, the two stages and the referral · Korean
·
Seoul National University Hospital, referral guidance and exceptions · Korean
·
Chungnam National University Hospital, emergency symptom criteria and the management fee · Korean
·
Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, patient cost sharing · Korean
Information verified as of September 2026. Rates and rules change. Confirm the details with the official source, or call the NHIS English line on 033-811-2000.
This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
