Travel health ยท South Korea
One of the easiest countries in Asia to travel in, and one of the few where the paperwork for your own medication needs more thought than the vaccines do.
The short version
Most travellers to South Korea need 4 vaccines, and two to four weeks is enough time to do it properly.
Leaving sooner? Most of it can still be done โ we prioritise what matters for your route. Nobody gets turned away for booking late.
Recommended for essentially everyone going to South Korea.
Not a vaccine, and the line on this page most likely to actually affect you. The Government of Canada states that you cannot bring medication classified as a controlled substance into South Korea without an import permit, even with a prescription, and that this includes narcotic and psychotropic drugs. Approval is applied for online, in advance, through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Weeks, not days. An import permit is not something to discover at Incheon.
Food and water, and the two sources agree. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over going to South Korea; the Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers.
Any time before you fly. One dose covers the trip; a second, six months later, covers decades.
Blood and bodily fluids. The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers, and notes the risk exists in every destination; CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers younger than 60. Many Canadians already have it from the school programme, so we check first.
The standard course runs over months. Faster schedules exist โ bring your dates.
Tetanus, measles-mumps-rubella, polio, diphtheria, chickenpox. CDC asks travellers to be current before every trip and says all international travellers should be fully vaccinated against measles with MMR vaccine. The Government of Canada also recommends annual influenza vaccination at least two weeks before you go โ the northern hemisphere season runs November to April, which is when a great many people fly to Seoul.
Tetanus if it has been more than ten years โ which for most adults it has.
The honest answer to โam I too late?โ depends on the date. Put yours in and weโll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Worth a conversation โ the answer changes with where youโre going and what youโll be doing.
The full list for South Korea. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.
Spread through contaminated food and water. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to South Korea, and says infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated. The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers and advises safe food and water practices alongside it.
Spread through blood and bodily fluids โ unplanned medical or dental care, tattoos, piercings, injuries. The Government of Canada says the risk exists in every destination and recommends the vaccine for all travellers, particularly anyone who might be exposed to blood or bodily fluids; CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers younger than 60. Many Canadians already have it from the routine school programme, so the first thing we do is look.
CDC asks travellers to be up to date on routine vaccines before every trip โ chickenpox, DTaP/Tdap/Td, influenza, MMR, polio and shingles โ and says all international travellers should be fully vaccinated against measles with MMR vaccine. Measles is highly contagious and airborne, and both sources flag it.
The Government of Canada recommends annual influenza vaccination and advises getting it at least two weeks before you travel, noting the northern hemisphere season runs November to April. South Korea shares our winter, so a December or January trip lands in the middle of its flu season as well as ours.
CDC advises all eligible travellers to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. The Government of Canada encourages vaccination and personal protective measures in crowded settings.
A genuine disagreement. CDC recommends it for most travellers to South Korea, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas. The Government of Canada does not list typhoid among its recommendations for the country. We show both rather than pick one โ for a city holiday our pharmacist often lands nearer the Canadian position, and for a long stay with family or extended rural travel, nearer CDC.
CDC recommends it for people relocating to areas where the virus circulates or spending a month or more there, and says to consider it for shorter stays involving higher-risk activities such as visiting rural areas, hiking or camping, or staying somewhere without air conditioning, screens or bed nets. It says the vaccine is not recommended for short-term travel limited to urban areas. The Government of Canada calls the risk very low for most travellers and suggests considering it for stays of 30 days or more, repeat trips, rural stays or during outbreaks. Rarely the answer for a fortnight in Seoul.
CDC states that dogs infected with rabies are not commonly found in South Korea, that the virus is present in terrestrial wildlife, and that rabies vaccines are typically available in the country โ all three matter, because access to treatment is part of the calculation. The Government of Canada notes rabies is present in wildlife including bats and suggests a pre-travel discussion, particularly for people working with animals. For a normal trip this rarely comes up; for fieldwork, caving or a long rural posting it can.
The Government of Canada names tick-borne encephalitis as a risk in some areas of South Korea, highest between April and November in forested and hiking areas, and states that the vaccine is not available in Canada although it may be available locally. CDC does not list a TBE vaccine for South Korea, but does advise using repellent with at least 20% DEET against ticks and mosquitoes and checking your body for ticks after outdoor activity. If hiking is the point of your trip, the practical protection is the tick routine, not a vaccine you cannot get here.
Neither source recommends it and it is not required for entry. There is no yellow fever risk in South Korea. If South Korea is one leg of a longer trip through Africa or South America, bring the whole itinerary โ the requirement can attach to your route rather than your destination.
Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.
The Government of Canada states you cannot bring a medication classified as a controlled substance into South Korea without an import permit, even with a prescription โ narcotic and psychotropic drugs included โ with approval applied for online in advance through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Prevention Bring your medication list to the appointment weeks before you fly. Original labelled packaging, hand luggage, a copy of the prescription, and a permit where one is needed. This is the part of the trip we can genuinely take off your hands.
The Government of Canada names tick-borne encephalitis as a risk in some areas, highest April to November in forested and hiking areas, with no vaccine available in Canada. CDC advises checking for ticks after being outdoors. Koreaโs hiking culture is superb and it puts a lot of visitors into exactly that habitat.
Prevention Repellent with 20% or more DEET on skin, trousers tucked into socks on trails, and a full tick check โ including the scalp and behind the knees โ at the end of every hiking day. Remove any tick promptly and keep an eye on the site.
CDC puts risk in rural areas in the northern parts of Incheon, Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces, including the demilitarized zone, from March to December, all of it P. vivax. The Government of Canada calls transmission limited and the risk to travellers very low, and does not recommend medication for most.
Prevention For a short DMZ visit, bite avoidance: repellent, covered arms and legs at dusk. For extended time in the rural north, come and talk it through โ the honest answer depends on how long and how exposed.
CDC lists it under avoiding contaminated water and soil, and specifically says to avoid floodwater. Koreaโs summer monsoon brings heavy rain and localised flooding, which is when it matters.
Prevention Cover cuts before going into fresh water. Do not wade through floodwater, and do not swallow river water.
Fine dust days are a normal feature of the Korean spring and winter, and they matter most to people with asthma or another chronic lung condition.
Prevention If you use a reliever inhaler, bring it and bring a spare โ do not leave them in checked luggage. Come and see us before you go if your asthma has been unstable; a short written action plan travels well.
The Government of Canada says medical services and facilities meet Canadian standards, that private city hospitals and clinics are often better staffed and equipped than public or rural facilities, and that payment is expected at the time of service.
Prevention Travel insurance including medical evacuation, with the policy number saved offline. Carry a payment card that works abroad โ being asked to pay up front is normal there, not a warning sign.
CDC lists tuberculosis among infections to avoid by avoiding sick people. The Government of Canada calls the risk low for most travellers, and suggests discussing pre- and post-travel options if you will be visiting higher-risk settings such as prisons, shelters or hospitals.
Prevention Relevant mainly if you are working in health care or similar settings. Tell us if you are, and we will plan around it.
Prevented with tablets rather than a vaccine, and only needed for some routes โ which is why the answer depends on your itinerary.
CDC limits risk to the months of March to December, in rural areas in the northern parts of the provinces of Incheon, Gangwon and Gyeonggi, including the demilitarized zone. Everywhere else falls outside the area it names, including Seoul, Busan, Jeju and the whole southern half of the country. The Government of Canada describes transmission as limited, calls the risk to travellers very low, and says antimalarial medication is not recommended for most travellers. That is a real disagreement about what to do, not a difference in the facts: both agree the risk is small and confined to the north.
Where prevention is warranted, CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine, primaquine and tafenoquine. Chloroquine is on the list here, which is unusual and reflects the parasite being P. vivax, 100%. For most visitors โ including a half-day DMZ tour โ the conversation ends with bite avoidance rather than a prescription. For a long stay in the rural north, or anyone posted near the border, it is worth doing properly.
The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.
The Government of Canada states that you cannot bring medication classified as a controlled substance into South Korea without an import permit, even if you have a prescription, and that this includes narcotic and psychotropic drugs. Approval is applied for online before arrival through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. If you take a strong painkiller, a stimulant, a sedative or a sleeping tablet, do not assume a Canadian prescription label is enough โ check whether yours falls in scope and start the permit early. Bring your list to the appointment and we will go through it with you: which of your medicines are likely to need it, what a supporting letter should say, and how to pack the rest so a customs officer can see exactly what it is. Everything should travel in its original labelled packaging, in hand luggage.
CDC recommends malaria prevention for a specific place and season: rural areas in the northern parts of the provinces of Incheon, Gangwon and Gyeonggi, including the demilitarized zone, during March to December. The species is P. vivax, 100%. The Government of Canada describes transmission as limited, the risk to travellers as very low, and says antimalarial medication is not recommended for most travellers. Both statements can be true at once โ the risk is real, geographically tiny and low โ but they lead to different actions, so we will not average them. In practice: a Seoul-and-Busan holiday raises no question at all. A half-day DMZ tour is a short daytime visit and usually leads to bite avoidance rather than tablets. Weeks in the rural north, camping, hiking or a posting near the border is where the conversation gets serious. Tell us which of those you are doing.
CDC recommends typhoid vaccination for most travellers to South Korea, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas. The Government of Canada does not list typhoid among its recommendations for the country at all. That is a wide gap for a destination with excellent food safety, and it is a fair question to bring to the appointment rather than settle from a web page. Our pharmacist tends to land nearer the Canadian position for a city trip on a normal itinerary, and nearer CDC for a long stay with family, rural travel, or someone with a weakened immune system.
The Government of Canada says medical services and facilities in South Korea meet Canadian standards, and that private hospitals and clinics in cities are often better staffed and equipped than public or rural ones. Payment is expected at the time of service. CDC also notes that rabies vaccines are typically available in the country, and that dogs infected with rabies are not commonly found there. Compared with most destinations on this site, that is a short list of worries โ which is exactly why the medication rule and the tick advice are worth the space here. The hard parts of this trip are administrative, not clinical.
Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.
Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each personโs records separately but plan the trip as one, which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.
The import permit rule is about the drug, not the age of the person taking it. If a child in the family takes a stimulant for attention, or anything else that might be classed as psychotropic, that needs the same check as an adultโs โ and it is the one people forget, because it lives in a lunch bag rather than a travel kit.
CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to South Korea, and says infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated. A travel dose at that age does not count towards the routine schedule and is repeated later.
The Government of Canada recommends annual influenza vaccination at least two weeks before travel and notes the northern hemisphere season runs November to April. A family flying to Seoul over the school winter break is heading into flu season at both ends of the flight โ worth timing the shot for.
Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province and overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is plenty.
Most of it, yes โ but not all, and this is the thing to check early. The Government of Canada states that you cannot bring medication classified as a controlled substance into South Korea without an import permit, even with a prescription, and that this includes narcotic and psychotropic drugs. The permit is applied for online in advance through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. If you take a strong painkiller, a stimulant, a sedative or a sleeping tablet, bring your list to the appointment and we will work through what is likely to need a permit and what a supporting letter should say. Everything travels in its original labelled packaging, in hand luggage.
A short list: hepatitis A, hepatitis B and your routine vaccines brought up to date, with typhoid worth a discussion because the sources disagree about it. Yellow fever is neither required nor recommended. For most people this is one appointment and very few needles โ the harder part of a Korea trip is the medication paperwork.
Yes, in one corner of it. CDC puts risk in rural areas in the northern parts of Incheon, Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces, including the demilitarized zone, from March to December, and lists the species as P. vivax, 100%. The Government of Canada calls transmission limited and the risk to travellers very low, and does not recommend medication for most travellers. Seoul, Busan and Jeju have none.
Usually not, but say so and we will decide together rather than guess. The DMZ falls inside the area CDC names, and the season it gives runs March to December โ but a half-day guided visit is short and largely in daylight, and the Government of Canada does not recommend medication for most travellers. For a day trip the sensible answer is normally repellent and covered arms and legs. Weeks in the rural north is a different question.
This is the one where our two sources genuinely differ. CDC recommends typhoid for most travellers, especially anyone staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas. The Government of Canada does not list typhoid for South Korea at all. We will not split the difference for you on a web page โ bring your itinerary and our pharmacist will give you a straight answer for your trip.
Worth taking seriously if hiking is why you are going. The Government of Canada names tick-borne encephalitis as a risk in some areas, highest between April and November in forested and hiking areas, and says the vaccine is not available in Canada though it may be available locally. CDC advises repellent with at least 20% DEET and checking your body for ticks after being outdoors. So the protection that is actually available to you here is the routine, not a vaccine: repellent, trousers in socks, and a proper check every evening.
No. There is no yellow fever in South Korea, it is not required for entry, and neither source recommends the vaccine for the destination. The only reason it would come up is if South Korea is one leg of a longer trip that passes through a country where yellow fever occurs โ in which case bring the whole route and we will check.
Nothing. The travel consultation is free โ a full itinerary review, every recommended vaccine discussed, and advice for your particular trip. You pay only for the vaccines actually given.
Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for South Korea, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.
Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 31 July 2026. Advice for your particular trip comes from our pharmacist, in person.
Imagine Health Pharmacy & Travel Clinic โ #4120, 15 Sunpark Plaza SE, Calgary, Alberta. In Sunpark Plaza, off Macleod Trail, serving Sundance, Midnapore, Shawnessy, Chaparral and the rest of south Calgary.
No doctorโs referral is needed. In Alberta a pharmacist can assess you, prescribe what your trip needs and give the vaccines in the same visit โ so for most travellers this is one appointment, not a clinic queue and then a pharmacy.
The vaccine guidance on this page follows the official recommendations below, read and applied by a pharmacist. Where the two differ we say so rather than pick one.
Checked against both sources on 31 July 2026. Official advice changes โ if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.
