C-3-3 (Medical Tourism) Korea Visa Guide | 2026

1. What C-3-3 Is

C-3-3 is the short-term visit code for people coming to Korea for medical treatment or health screening as medical tourists. The manual routes it through a separate medical-tourism issuance guideline rather than the ordinary short-stay criteria, so the governing rules sit in that guideline. Note that C-3-6 is NOT a medical code — it is short-term business by invitation of a designated preferred company.

2. Eligibility Checklist

• Declared purpose clearly matches current C-3-3 permitted scope.
• Trip duration and itinerary align with short-stay intent.
• Can prove financial support and return/onward travel intent.
• Host/invitation records are credible where required by case profile.
• No unresolved immigration non-compliance materially increasing short-stay risk.

3. Criteria Summary

• C-3-3 is not a points-based category.
• Review is purpose-credibility and document-consistency focused.
• Category mismatch is a common refusal trigger in C-3 subtype filings.
• Always verify current subtype boundaries before filing.

4. Salary and Contract Rules

• C-3-3 does not use long-stay employment salary-threshold logic.
• Ordinary employment generally requires an appropriate work-authorized status.
• Invitation/contract documents must support temporary permitted purpose only.
• Ambiguous role/compensation language can trigger deeper scrutiny.

5. Employer and Workplace Change Rules

• C-3-3 is not a standard employer-sponsored work status.
• Stay is tied to declared temporary purpose and submitted evidence.
• Material post-issuance scope changes may require authority confirmation.
• Repeated short-stay patterns can raise de facto work/long-stay concerns.

6. Required Documents

• Application set (form, passport, photo, fee proof).
• Purpose-specific evidence supporting C-3-3 eligibility.
• Travel itinerary and return/onward evidence.
• Financial support records for intended stay.
• Any additional mission-specific supporting documents requested.

7. Fees and Processing

• C-3 issuance fees follow official short-stay visa schedules.
• Processing time varies by mission workload and case profile.
• Purpose-document ambiguity often leads to supplement requests.
• Apply with adequate lead time before departure.

8. Common Rejection Reasons

• Purpose does not clearly satisfy C-3-3 permitted scope.
• Supporting records are inconsistent, weak, or unverifiable.
• Financial/return-intent evidence is insufficient for risk profile.
• Application appears to require another status category.
• Filing relies on outdated subtype assumptions after revisions.

9. FAQ