Planning skin treatments in Seoul? The 10% VAT refund for foreigners has ended

If you are budgeting a derm trip to Korea from old blog posts, one line needs updating. The special VAT refund for foreign patients on cosmetic procedures expired on December 31, 2025.

What it was:

• Introduced in 2016, it let foreign visitors reclaim the ​10% VAT on many cosmetic and dermatology procedures
• It covered things like skin rejuvenation, wrinkle treatments and double-eyelid surgery
• The average refund was about 150,000 won per foreign patient

Why it mattered:​foreign medical spending in Korea reached1.24 trillion won in 2024, and plastic surgery and dermatology made up 77.3% of it. Clinics warned the change could push some visitors toward Singapore, Thailand or Hainan.

Practical tip: ask clinics whether quoted prices include VAT, and check any older price guides. For any procedure, a proper consultation with a licensed doctor comes first.

Does this change your plans, or was the refund never a deciding factor?

#SeoulTravel #KoreaClinics #TravelTips

Source: The Korea Herald — Will end of Korea's aesthetics VAT refund drive medical tourists away?