Since 21 June 2025, a patient who moves to another hospital in Korea can ask the first hospital to send the records there. The hospital cannot refuse without a valid reason. Unless there are special circumstances, it has five days to send them.
The right to see and copy your own records is older. This guide covers who can collect copies, including someone you name after you leave Korea. It also covers scans on a CD, what each copy costs, and how long hospitals keep records.
What this guide covers
01
Who can get a copy
02
What the consent form asks
03
How to send your records to a new hospital
04
How to get your scans on a CD
05
How much paper copies cost
06
How long hospitals keep records
07
What to say at the counter
08
Frequently asked questions
Who can get a copy
Article 21 of the Medical Service Act lets you see your own records and get copies of all or part of them. A hospital cannot refuse without a valid reason. Anyone else needs papers that prove your consent or a family tie.
Who can collect your records
Medical Service Act, Article 21 · Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 13-3
| Who |
What they bring |
| You |
Your ID. The hospital must confirm that you are the patient |
| Your spouse, parent, child, or spouse’s parent |
A copy of their own ID, a paper that proves the family tie, such as a family relation certificate, and a consent form signed by you |
| A person you name |
A copy of their own ID, a consent form and a letter of authorization both signed by you, and a copy of your ID |
If you have already left Korea, a person you name can collect the records for you. You sign the consent form and the letter of authorization by hand. The official authorization form has a box for the date of birth or alien registration number of both of you.
A sibling can apply as family only when none of the relatives in the second row exist. For a patient under 14, a parent completes the papers as the legal representative and adds a paper that proves it.
What the consent form asks
The consent form is Form 9-2 (별지 제9호의2서식) of the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act. One form covers viewing, copies and transfers. Seoul National University Hospital, for example, offers it for download.
The boxes on the consent form
Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Form 9-2
| Korean box |
What to write |
| 환자 본인 — 성명 · 생년월일 · 연락처 · 주소 |
The patient’s name, date of birth, phone, email and address |
| 신청인 — 환자와의 관계 |
The applicant’s details and relationship to the patient |
| 동의 내용 — 01 열람 · 02 사본 발급 · 03 다른 의료기관에 대한 전송ㆍ송부 |
Tick what you agree to: viewing, copies, or sending to another hospital |
| 전송ㆍ송부 받을 의료기관 명칭 |
The receiving hospital, for a transfer only |
| 진료기간 |
The treatment period the records cover |
| 발급(전송ㆍ송부) 사유 |
The reason for the request |
| 발급(전송ㆍ송부) 범위 |
Which records. The form says the patient writes this box personally |
The form gives examples for the last box. They include medical charts (진료기록부), prescriptions, surgery records and test results. They also include X-rays and other images (방사선 사진), nursing records and copies of medical certificates. Name each record you need.
How to send your records to a new hospital
Rules verified October 2026 · Medical Service Act, Article 21-3 · Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 13-5
Article 21-3 of the Medical Service Act took effect on 21 June 2025. When you move to another hospital, you can ask for all or part of your records to be sent there. The hospital cannot refuse without a valid reason.
Article 13-5 of the Enforcement Rule sets the time limit. The hospital sends the records within five days of the request, unless there are special circumstances. A family member or a person you name can make the request with the same papers used for copies. Tick box 03 on the consent form and write the receiving hospital’s name.
Copies that you collect yourself can go anywhere, including to a hospital outside Korea.
How to get your scans on a CD
Fee caps verified October 2026 · Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34
X-rays, CT and MRI scans count as medical records. On the consent form, list them in the last box as X-rays and other images (방사선 사진, 영상물 포함). Hospitals copy them onto film, a CD or a DVD.
Fee caps for copies of images
Standard for certificate fees at medical institutions (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34)
| Format |
Korean name |
Cap |
| Film |
진료기록영상(필름) |
5,000 KRW |
| CD |
진료기록영상(CD) |
10,000 KRW |
| DVD |
진료기록영상(DVD) |
20,000 KRW |
The ministry’s notice includes scans, endoscopy photos and photos taken during treatment in the CD and DVD items. Hospitals must keep X-rays and other images, together with the reading, for five years. If you need the radiologist’s reading as well, list it in the same box.
How much paper copies cost
Fee caps verified October 2026 · Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34
The ministry caps the price of each page. A hospital can charge less, but not more.
Fee caps for paper copies
Standard for certificate fees at medical institutions (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34)
| Item |
Korean name |
Cap |
| Pages 1 to 5 |
진료기록사본 (1~5매) |
1,000 KRW per page |
| Page 6 onward |
진료기록사본 (6매 이상) |
100 KRW per page |
| Copy of a certificate already issued |
제증명서 사본 |
1,000 KRW |
So a 12-page copy costs at most 5,700 KRW: five pages at 1,000 KRW and seven pages at 100 KRW. The caps do not include a consultation fee.
How long hospitals keep records
Article 15 of the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act sets how long each record must be kept.
How long each record is kept
Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act, Article 15
| Record |
Korean name |
Kept for |
| Medical charts |
진료기록부 |
10 years |
| Surgery records |
수술기록 |
10 years |
| Test results and readings |
검사내용 및 검사소견기록 |
5 years |
| X-rays and other images, with readings |
방사선 사진(영상물 포함) 및 그 소견서 |
5 years |
| Nursing records |
간호기록부 |
5 years |
| Midwifery records |
조산기록부 |
5 years |
| Patient register |
환자 명부 |
5 years |
| Duplicates of certificates |
진단서 등의 부본 |
3 years |
| Prescriptions |
처방전 |
2 years |
For most requests, three rows matter. Medical charts are kept for 10 years. Test results are kept for 5 years. X-rays and other images, with their readings, are also kept for 5 years.
A hospital may extend a period once when the records are needed for ongoing care. After the period ends, ask the hospital whether the record still exists.
What to say at the counter
A hospital runs in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud at the medical records or certificate desk.
진료기록 사본을 발급받고 싶어요.
Jil-lyo-gi-rok sa-bo-neul bal-geup-bat-go si-peo-yo.
“I would like copies of my medical records.”
Say this first at the desk.
검사 기록도 포함해 주세요.
Geom-sa gi-rok-do po-ham-hae ju-se-yo.
“Please include the test records.”
Say this when you list what you need.
영상 CD도 같이 받을 수 있나요?
Yeong-sang ssi-di-do ga-chi ba-deul su in-na-yo?
“Can I get the scans on a CD too?”
Use this if you need X-ray, CT or MRI images.
다른 병원으로 진료기록을 보내 주실 수 있나요?
Da-reun byeong-wo-neu-ro jil-lyo-gi-ro-geul bo-nae ju-sil su in-na-yo?
“Could you send my records to another hospital?”
Use this when you move to a new hospital.
동의서와 위임장 양식을 주시겠어요?
Dong-ui-seo-wa wi-im-jang yang-si-geul ju-si-ge-sseo-yo?
“Could I have the consent and authorization forms?”
Use this when someone else will collect the records.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get hospital records from 20 years ago?
It depends on the record. The law sets 10 years for medical charts and surgery records, and shorter periods for others. A hospital may extend a period once for ongoing care, so ask the hospital whether older records remain.
Can you transfer medical records from one doctor to another?
Yes. When you move to another hospital, you can ask the first hospital to send your records there (Article 21-3). A hospital also sends records when the new hospital asks for them, with your consent (Article 21-2).
How to request medical records internationally?
Name a person in Korea to collect them. Sign the consent form and the letter of authorization by hand. That person brings both forms, a copy of your ID and a copy of their own ID.
What if the clinic has closed?
A clinic that closes must hand its records to the local public health center (보건소), unless it gets permission to keep them itself. This is Article 40-2 of the Medical Service Act. Contact the public health center for the area where the clinic was.
Official sources
Every figure here comes from the pages below. Rules change, so open the page before you act on it.
Information verified as of October 2026. Fees and hospital procedures change. Confirm details with the hospital and the official source before you go, or call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345.
This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
