Most medical insurance claims in Korea use three papers. The first is the medical bill receipt (진료비 계산서·영수증), and the second is the itemized bill (진료비 세부산정내역). The third is a paper that shows your diagnosis, if the insurer asks for one. The receipt has no box for the diagnosis, so that third paper comes from the doctor.
If you are covered by National Health Insurance, the hospital must give you the itemized bill when you ask. This guide shows what each paper proves and which boxes on the receipt matter. It then covers claims to Korean private insurance and to an insurer abroad.
Which paper proves what
Each paper answers one question for an insurer: what was charged, what it was for, or what illness you had. Only some of them carry the diagnosis.
| Paper | Korean name | What it proves | Diagnosis on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical bill receipt | 진료비 계산서·영수증 | What was charged and what you paid | No |
| Itemized bill | 진료비 세부산정내역 | Each item, with its unit price, number of times and total | No |
| Prescription | 처방전 | The medicines the doctor prescribed | A disease code, unless you asked the doctor to leave it out |
| Medical certificate | 진단서 | The diagnosis, treatment and dates, written by the doctor | Yes |
| Outpatient visit confirmation | 통원확인서 | The dates you visited | No |
| Admission and discharge confirmation | 입퇴원확인서 | The dates of your hospital stay | No |
When an insurer asks for proof of the illness, the receipt and the itemized bill are not enough. Send a medical certificate, or ask the insurer whether the disease code on a prescription will do. The doctor must give you two copies of a prescription, so keep one.
Ask for every paper at one visit to the desk. If you need two copies of the same certificate, the fee cap for the second copy is 1,000 KRW.
Which three boxes to check on the receipt
Form verified October 2026 · Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Care Benefits, Article 7 and Form 6
For National Health Insurance care, hospitals issue a receipt on a standard form. Smaller clinics may use a short version of it. The form has many boxes, and these three show what you paid and why.
| Box | Korean label | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| ① Your share of covered care | 본인부담금 | The part of covered care that you pay. The note on the form gives 30% to 60% for outpatient care, by type of hospital, and 20% for a hospital stay |
| ④ Not covered | 비급여 | Care that National Health Insurance does not cover. You pay all of it |
| ⑪ Amount paid | 납부한 금액 | What you actually paid, split into card, cash receipt and cash |
The receipt shows totals by category, such as tests or medicines. It does not list each test or the diagnosis, so add the itemized bill and, if needed, a medical certificate.
How to get an itemized bill
Article 7 (3) of the same rules says that a hospital must provide the itemized bill when an insured patient asks for it. The bill lists each covered and non-covered item with its unit price, the number of times, the period and the total. For covered items, it also separates your share from the share paid by the National Health Insurance Service.
The back of the receipt says the same thing: you can ask the hospital for the details of the receipt. Ask at the desk where you paid. At Seoul National University Hospital, for example, outpatients ask at a payment desk or the certificate desk, and inpatients ask at the inpatient office.
This duty covers people insured by National Health Insurance. If you are not covered, ask the hospital whether it issues one.
How to get the papers in English
Fee cap verified October 2026 · Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34
The English medical certificate (영문 진단서) is on the ministry’s fee list. Its cap is 20,000 KRW, the same as the Korean one. Ask the doctor for it during the consultation.
The ministry defines it as the official medical certificate form written in English. The instructions on that form say that a disease name written in English is written with the Korean name beside it.
For receipts and itemized bills in English, ask the hospital. Seoul National University Hospital, for example, issues receipts and itemized bills in English at its international payment desk.
How to claim Korean private medical insurance
Rules verified October 2026 · Insurance Business Act, Article 102-6 · Financial Services Commission, 23 October 2025
Korean private medical insurance that pays back your actual costs is called 실손의료보험 (sil-son insurance). You can ask the hospital to send your claim papers straight to your insurer. Article 102-6 of the Insurance Business Act says the hospital must do so unless it has a valid reason.
This started on 25 October 2024 at hospitals and public health centers. It reached clinics and pharmacies on 25 October 2025. The service runs through Silson24 (실손24), an app and website at silson24.or.kr, and it sends three papers.
Not every hospital is linked to Silson24 yet. The app has a search for linked hospitals and a button to ask a hospital to join. On timing, Article 662 of the Commercial Act states that the right to claim insurance money expires if it is not used for three years.
How to claim from an insurer abroad
An insurer outside Korea, including a travel insurer, sets its own list of papers. Get that list first. Then match each item to its Korean name below, and show the Korean name at the desk.
| On your insurer’s list | Korean paper | Where to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt, invoice, proof of payment | 진료비 계산서·영수증 | Payment desk |
| Itemized bill, detailed statement of charges | 진료비 세부산정내역 | Payment desk or certificate desk |
| Medical certificate, medical report, diagnosis | 진단서 | The doctor, during the consultation |
| Prescription | 처방전 | The doctor |
| Proof of outpatient visits | 통원확인서 | Hospital office |
| Proof of hospital stay | 입퇴원확인서 | Hospital office |
If the list asks for English, ask for the English versions at the same visit. The lines below cover each request.
What to say at the counter
A hospital runs in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud. The fourth line is for the doctor, and the others are for the desk.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every figure here comes from the pages below. Rules change, so open the page before you act on it.