I-EUMLiving in Korea

Big hospitals need a referral letter — go to a local clinic or hospital first

This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)

With health insurance, you first see a local clinic or hospital (stage 1). For a tertiary hospital such as a university hospital (stage 2), you bring a referral letter written by that doctor.

📌 Key points

To be treated at a tertiary hospital under health insurance, you must submit a referral letter (or a health checkup result with a doctor's note that hospital care is needed) together with your insurance card or ID. Emergencies, childbirth, dentistry, family medicine, rehabilitation medicine (registered disabled people etc.) and haemophilia can go directly without a referral.

🔢 Do these in order

  1. When you are sick, go to a local clinic or hospital first. Bring your residence card or passport.
  2. If that doctor says you need care at a big hospital, ask for a referral letter (진료의뢰서).
  3. Take the referral letter and your ID to the tertiary hospital's admin desk (원무과). Book the department written on the letter.
  4. If you go to a tertiary hospital without a referral, health insurance may not apply and you may pay much more. Ask that hospital's admin desk before you go.

📍 Where to go

National Health Insurance Service 1577-1000 · Referral letters come from the clinic or hospital that first treated you

💻 Do it online

See also

Basis

  • 국민건강보험 요양급여의 기준에 관한 규칙 제2조 ① ~ ④ (법제처 현행 시행 2026-04-15 판 · Claude 가 API 로 직접 대조 2026-10-06) — 1단계 뒤 2단계 · 예외 일곱(응급 · 분만 · 치과 · 재활의학과 · 가정의학과 · 그 기관 근무 가입자 · 혈우병) · 「의사소견이 기재된 건강진단 · 건강검진결과서 또는 요양급여의뢰서를 건강보험증 또는 신분증명서와 함께 제출」
  • 국민건강보험공단 「요양급여의 담당 및 절차」 https://www.nhis.or.kr/static/html/wbma/c/wbmac0102.html (2026-10-06 확인) — 1단계 요양기관이 요양급여의뢰서를 발급
  • 서울대학교병원 진료 안내 https://www.snuh.org/content/M002005001.do (2026-10-06 확인 · 병원 안내, 정부 자료 아님) — 의뢰서 없이 오면 「건강보험 수가의 100%를 본인부담」 → 화면은 숫자 없이 「훨씬 많이 낼 수 있다 · 원무과에 먼저」

This content was checked on 2026-10-06.

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