Moved to Korea with Your Child? Register Overseas Vaccine Records at the Public Health Center (보건소)

If you move to Korea with a child who was born abroad, one of the first places to visit is the public health center (보건소, bo-geon-so). The short answer: bring your child's overseas vaccination record to the public health center. They will register it in Korea's national system, tell you which vaccines your child still needs, and give the national vaccines for free.

We did this after moving from Vietnam to Korea with our child. It was easier than we expected.

1. What is a public health center (보건소)?

A public health center (보건소) is a government health office in every city, county, and district in Korea. Many countries do not have something like this, so foreign spouses often do not know about it. Registered foreigners can use it too.

ServiceWhy it helps
Children's vaccinationsNational vaccines for children are free
Registering overseas vaccine recordsYour child's past shots are added to the national system
Pregnancy registrationSupport such as folic acid and iron supplements
Health certificate (보건증)Needed for some jobs, such as restaurants and cafes

2. Why register overseas vaccine records?

Korea has a National Immunization Program with a fixed schedule for children. If your child got vaccines in another country, Korea's system does not know about them. That means:

  • The system may show your child as missing vaccines.
  • You may not know which Korean vaccines your child still needs.
  • You will not get reminders for the next shots.

Registering the record fixes all three.

3. Our experience: what happened at the health center

After we moved to Korea, I went to our local health center with my child.

  • What we brought: the vaccination booklet from Vietnam, just as it was. We did not translate it.
  • How they read it: The nurses seemed to recognize the international vaccine names and codes, so they could read the Vietnamese booklet without a problem.
  • Comparing the schedules: They compared the Vietnamese record with Korea's schedule. Some vaccines are given in Korea but were not part of Vietnam's schedule.
  • Catch-up shots: My child got the missing vaccines on the same day.
  • Cost: Free.

After that, the health center explained which vaccines were still needed and when. We started getting reminders on our phone for the next shots, so we did not have to track the schedule ourselves.

4. A nice surprise at school entry

In Korea, schools check children's vaccination status when they start elementary school. Because our child's record was already in the national system and all vaccines were done on schedule, we did not need to submit anything separately. It seems the record is linked to the school automatically.

If we had not registered the Vietnamese record, the system might have shown missing vaccines, and we would have had to prove them later.

5. How to do it: step by step

  1. Find your local public health center (search "보건소" + your city or district).
  2. Bring your child's overseas vaccination record, the child's ID or passport, and your ID. If your child has a Korean resident registration number, bring that information too.
  3. Ask to register the overseas vaccine record (해외 접종 기록 등록).
  4. Ask which vaccines are still needed and when. Your child may get catch-up shots on the same day.
  5. Check the record later on the Vaccination Helper (예방접종도우미) website or app.

6. Tips

  • Go soon after you arrive. It is easier before school starts.
  • Bring the original booklet. In our case, no translation was needed, but ask your health center if you are unsure.
  • Go with your child. Catch-up shots may be given on the same visit.
  • Turn on phone notifications so you do not miss the next shots.

Quick summary

  1. Korea's public health center (보건소) registers overseas vaccine records.
  2. Bring your child's vaccination booklet from your home country.
  3. They compare it with Korea's schedule and give catch-up vaccines for free.
  4. You get reminders, and the record can be linked to school entry.

This post is based on our own experience. Procedures can differ by health center, so check with your local 보건소 before you visit.

Location: 대한민국 경기도 의왕시 삼동

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