Health Certificate Online Issuance

Today we'll look into how to obtain a health certificate (bogeunjeung) online. As demand for part-time work has increased recently, more and more people need information on how to get a health certificate issued online.

1. Key Information

In South Korea, a health certificate is a mandatory requirement for anyone who operates or works in a food service establishment. However, for those applying for a health certificate for the first time, the process of where and how to obtain one, and what tests are involved, can be quite unfamiliar. With that in mind, today we have prepared a guide to help those people understand the health certificate issuance process.

A health certificate is issued in accordance with Article 40, Paragraphs 1 and 4 of the Food Sanitation Act, which sets out the requirements for medical examinations and the confirmation of results. Since food preparation can have hygiene-related effects on others, obtaining a health certificate is mandatory.

The industries that typically require a health certificate can be broadly divided into three categories.

2. Detailed Explanation

The three industries that require a health certificate are: general restaurants, institutional cafeterias, and adult entertainment establishments.

A health certificate can be issued both online and offline. For offline issuance, you must visit in person with your ID. For online issuance, you can apply and print the certificate through the Public Health Portal website.

A health certificate is not valid indefinitely once issued — it must be renewed annually. If you work in the food service industry, please make sure to keep track of your renewal schedule. The validity period varies by industry: general restaurants — 1 year from the date of issuance; institutional cafeterias — 6 months from the date of issuance; adult entertainment establishments — 3 months from the date of issuance.

3. How to Use

If you lose your health certificate before its expiration date, reissuance is possible. The cost of issuance at a public health center is approximately 3,000 KRW, while hospital fees vary by institution — please keep this in mind before visiting.

After completing the required health examination, the results can be issued online. To obtain your health certificate online, first visit the Public Health Portal website (G-Health). On the homepage, click the "Online Certificate Issuance Application" button on the lower left. After being redirected to the next page, complete identity verification, then click the "Health Examination Result Certificate (formerly Health Certificate)" category, log in with your official certificate, and proceed with the issuance.

4. Additional Information

In addition to health certificates, the portal also allows you to obtain employment physical examination certificates, vaccination certificates, tuberculosis diagnosis certificates, TB and latent TB infection screening results, and medical expense payment certificates. Please note that private hospitals are not searchable through this system — only records from public hospitals and health centers are available.

The examinations required for a health certificate include: typhoid fever, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, contagious skin diseases, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis. For food service health certificates, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis are excluded. For adult entertainment establishments, all tests are required.

Typhoid fever is tested by culturing bacteria from stool and urine samples, and infection is characterized by fever and abdominal pain. Hepatitis B is tested through a blood test and involves infection of the liver.

5. Advanced Details

Tuberculosis is diagnosed through a chest X-ray and is known to spread easily through the air. Contagious skin diseases are assessed through a visual inspection, and AIDS is tested via blood sample. Gonorrhea and syphilis, being sexually transmitted infections, are also diagnosed through blood tests.

The health examination itself takes approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour, and results are typically available within 3 to 7 days. If you need your certificate by a certain date, please plan accordingly.

Today we covered the types of examinations required for a health certificate and how to obtain one online. We hope this information proves helpful as you go through the health certificate issuance process.