If a blog post or clinic ad promises you a tax refund on your skin treatment in Korea, check its date. The VAT refund program for foreign patients' cosmetic procedures ended on December 31, 2025. Payments made from January 1, 2026 onward are no longer eligible.
What the program was. Introduced in 2016, it let international patients reclaim the 10% value-added tax charged on a wide range of cosmetic dermatology and plastic surgery procedures — skin rejuvenation, wrinkle treatments, fat-dissolving injections and more — typically at the airport before departure. In late 2025, the program's legal basis was not renewed in Korea's tax-law revision, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed its termination as part of the 2025 tax reform plan (as reported by The Korea Herald and Korea Biomedical Review).
What it means for you, practically:
- The price you're quoted is the price you pay. Compare quotes as final, VAT-included figures. If a quote seems 10% better because of a promised refund, it isn't — not anymore.
- Old content is now wrong. Guides, videos and clinic pages written before 2026 routinely mention the refund. Treat any mention of a "cosmetic surgery tax refund" as outdated.
- Some clinics responded with their own discounts. After the program ended, some clinics began advertising discounts framed as replacing the refund. That's ordinary price promotion — fine, but it's the clinic's choice, not a government scheme. Confirm the final figure in writing.
What still works. Korea's regular tax-free shopping system for goods is unchanged: cosmetics and skincare products you buy in stores are still refund-eligible under the usual rules (minimum purchase amounts, refund counters at the airport, and in-store immediate refunds where offered). The change applies to medical procedures, not shopping.
One number to keep in mind: 10%. Posted clinic prices normally include that VAT — but some event menus mark prices "VAT 별도" (VAT excluded), meaning 10% is added at payment. If you see that label, or aren't sure, confirm the VAT-included total in writing.
Prices on SKINAVI treatment pages are prices advertised on clinics' own websites, shown as posted — with no refund assumed.
SKINAVI lists factual information only and is not a booking agent — you always contact the clinic directly.