Double eyelid surgery in Korea costs ₩800,000~₩2,000,000 for the non-incisional suture method and ₩2,000,000~₩5,000,000 for incisional surgery in 2026, and payments made from January 1, 2026 no longer get the foreigner VAT refund. The suture method fits a 7-day stay with one check visit. Incisional surgery needs stitch removal on days 5~7 and about 10 nights, for a trip total of ₩3,500,000~₩7,000,000 before flights.
Updated 2026-10-26
For most first-time visitors with thin eyelids, the non-incisional (suture) method is the double eyelid surgery in Korea that fits a 7-day trip. Seoul clinics list it at ₩800,000~₩2,000,000. It leaves no stitches to take out, and one check visit is usually enough. Incisional surgery starts at ₩2,000,000, which is 2.5 times the suture method's lowest price. It also needs a visit on days 5~7 to take the stitches out, so plan on about 10 days.
Three things decide the booking: the type of eyelids you have, a budget that now has to cover 10% VAT, and the date of your last follow-up visit.
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Your eyelids decide the method, not your flight date. Surgeons recommend incisional surgery for thick lids, excess fat, a mild droop (ptosis, where the upper lid sits too low), older patients and anyone fixing an earlier surgery. In those cases the surgeon has to remove skin and fat or adjust the muscle that lifts the lid, and that is only possible through an incision. The suture method usually suits people with thin lids, little fat and no previous surgery.
That gives a simple rule. Thin lids, no previous surgery and 7 days point to non-incisional; puffy or heavy lids, a droop or a revision point to incisional and a stay of 10 days or more. A droop is corrected during incisional surgery and costs more. A revision is priced only after the surgeon has assessed the result of your earlier surgery.
The surgeon makes the final call at the in-person consultation. Even a 7-day plan should therefore include 2~3 extra nights that you can cancel.
The suture method holds the crease in place with a buried thread. The incisional method cuts along the crease and removes tissue. With sutures, the surgeon makes a few tiny holes along the planned line and buries a fine thread under the skin to form the fold. Nothing is taken out. With an incision, the surgeon opens the crease line, removes excess skin and fat as needed and can adjust the muscle. That extra work gives the surgeon more control over the shape of the crease.
Korean clinics also offer partial incision, which falls between the two. Revision surgery fixes creases from an earlier operation that did not work.
| Non-incisional (suture) | Incisional | |
|---|---|---|
| Surgery time | About 30 minutes | About 60 minutes |
| Anesthesia | Local or IV sedation | Local or IV sedation |
| Skin and fat removed | No | Yes, as needed |
| Stitch removal | None | Days 5~7 |
| Visits after surgery | 1 check visit | 2 (days 1~3 and days 5~7) |
| Plan to stay | 7 days | About 10 days |
| Back to daily routine | 2~3 days | About 3 days; ready to be seen in public after 7~10 days |
| Scar | Marks nearly invisible at about 1 month | Fades significantly by about 2 months |
| Final result | 1~2 months | 2~3 months |
| How long it lasts | Crease can loosen over the years | Can still loosen with age |
Neither crease is guaranteed for life. Compare clinics on the revision terms they put in writing, not on the fade rates they advertise. Expect that a suture crease may need a touch-up years later.
In their 2025~2026 price lists, Seoul clinics charge ₩800,000~₩2,000,000 ($571~$1,429) for non-incisional surgery. Incisional surgery costs ₩2,000,000~₩5,000,000 ($1,429~$3,571), and incisional surgery with ptosis correction costs ₩2,500,000~₩5,000,000 ($1,786~$3,571). Dollar figures in this guide use ₩1,400 per US dollar, so check the current rate before you pay.
The big change for 2026 is tax. On July 31, 2025, the Korean government announced that it would end the VAT refund for foreigners' cosmetic procedures, including double eyelid surgery. Payments made from January 1, 2026 no longer qualify. The refund started in April 2016 as a temporary measure. By mid-2024, foreigners had made 1.2 million claims worth ₩146.7 billion, or about ₩122,000 per claim. For a single procedure, the refund was usually worth ₩100,000~₩200,000.
Price guides written before 2026 that subtract the refund now show less than you will actually pay. If a quote says "VAT excluded," add 10%: ₩2,000,000 becomes ₩2,200,000, and a top incisional price of ₩5,000,000 becomes ₩5,500,000.
Clinics usually send their prices by message. Ask for a written quote that lists each item separately: the surgery fee, anesthesia or sedation, tests before surgery, medication, the stitch-removal visit, the number of follow-up visits included and the revision terms.
Assuming ₩150,000 per night in Seoul, a 7-night trip for the suture method costs ₩1,850,000~₩3,250,000 before flights. A 10-night trip for incisional surgery costs ₩3,500,000~₩7,000,000. Spending outside the clinic adds up quickly. The Ministry of Health and Welfare estimates that foreign patients and the people traveling with them spent ₩12.5 trillion on medical trips to Korea in 2025. Only ₩3.3 trillion of that went on medical fees. The other ₩9.2 trillion, about 2.8 times the medical bill, went on everything else.
To work out your own total, add the surgery quote with VAT, the number of nights in Seoul times the nightly rate, transport to each clinic visit, food and flights. The table counts only surgery and lodging, at ₩1,400 per dollar. Each surgery range runs from the lowest listed price to the highest price with 10% VAT added.
| Scenario | Stay | Surgery (VAT included) | Lodging | Total before flights | US dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Thin lids, non-incisional | 7 nights | ₩800,000~₩2,200,000 | ₩1,050,000 | ₩1,850,000~₩3,250,000 | $1,321~$2,321 |
| B. Heavy lids, incisional | 10 nights | ₩2,000,000~₩5,500,000 | ₩1,500,000 | ₩3,500,000~₩7,000,000 | $2,500~$5,000 |
| C. Mild droop, incisional with ptosis correction | 10 nights | ₩2,500,000~₩5,500,000 | ₩1,500,000 | ₩4,000,000~₩7,000,000 | $2,857~$5,000 |
Scenario B costs ₩1,650,000 more than Scenario A at the low end and ₩3,750,000 more at the high end. Only ₩450,000 of that difference comes from the three extra nights. The rest is the surgery itself. Leaving early after incisional surgery to save on lodging is a bad deal: you save ₩450,000 and risk missing the visit to have your stitches removed.
If you have less than about ₩3,000,000 for surgery and lodging together, Scenario A is the realistic choice. A trip for incisional surgery starts at ₩3,500,000, or ₩4,000,000 if you also need ptosis correction.
Book your return flight for after your last scheduled visit, once the surgeon says you can fly. With the suture method, that means after the one check visit. With incisional surgery, it means after the stitches come out on days 5~7.
Swelling is at its worst on days 1~3, so stay close to the clinic. Most people go back to light daily activities around day 3. With the suture method, most of the swelling usually goes down within about a week, which makes social plans possible, and you can usually wear makeup from about day 10. Incisional patients usually look ready to be seen in public by days 7~10. For both methods, major swelling goes down within 1~2 weeks. The crease keeps settling through weeks 2~4, and most patients can wear makeup comfortably by weeks 3~4. The crease reaches its final position, and the scar fades, at 2~6 months.
Because swelling is worst in the first few days, a long-haul flight late in the week is more comfortable than one on day 2 or 3. At the check visit, ask the surgeon to write down their advice on flying.
Your eyelids will still be healing after you get home. Before surgery, ask how the clinic answers follow-up questions sent with photos. Also ask whether you have to visit in person to use the revision terms.
Before you book, check the clinic in three public records. The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) shows its departments and specialists. Medical Korea confirms its foreign patient registration. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) lists any device the clinic names. You will most likely have surgery at a small private clinic: Ministry of Health and Welfare data for 2025 show that clinics, rather than hospitals, treated 87.7% of foreign patients. Plastic surgery saw 233,000 foreign patients (11.2% by department), up 64.3% from 2024. Dermatology saw 1.313 million (62.9%), so the two together made up about 74%. Of the 4,087 medical institutions registered to treat foreign patients, 2,555 (62.5%) are in Seoul.
Run all five checks on the two or three clinics left on your list and compare the answers side by side.
Stay in Seoul, a short taxi or subway ride from the clinic, at least for the first three days when swelling is at its worst. Seoul treated 1.76 million foreign patients in 2025, or 87.2% of the total. Many eyelid clinics that advertise to foreign patients are in Gangnam, around Sinsa-dong. Busan (76,400 patients, up 151.5%) and Jeju (46,300, up 114.7%) are growing fast. But eyelid surgery comes with fixed follow-up dates, and Seoul has the most clinics within easy reach of your hotel.
A 7-day trip for the suture method looks like this:
The 10-day plan for incisional surgery is built around the stitches. You have surgery on day 1 and the first check on day 2 or 3, then rest and take short walks until day 5. The stitches come out on day 6 or 7. Day 7 is good for light sightseeing. Days 8~9 are spare days, and you fly home on day 9 or 10.
Before you book flights, send photos of your eyelids so the clinic can assess them in advance. Then get the VAT status and the date of your check or stitch-removal visit confirmed in writing. Skin treatment is the most common reason foreigners visit clinics in Korea. If you want some on the same trip, wait until the surgeon says it is safe before booking anything on your face.
If you have thin lids, no previous surgery and one week, book the suture method at ₩800,000~₩2,000,000. That comes to ₩1,850,000~₩3,250,000 for the whole trip before flights. If you have heavy lids, a droop or need a revision, plan on incisional surgery, 10 nights and ₩3,500,000~₩7,000,000 before flights. Keep all 10 nights rather than cutting the stay short to save ₩450,000. Either way, send photos of your eyelids first and get a written quote that includes VAT. Check the clinic on HIRA and Medical Korea, and book your flight only after your last confirmed visit. When you're ready, use the Korea Clinics directory to find a registered eyelid clinic that fits your method, budget and dates, and book a consultation.