Photo: @kelsoknight, Unsplash, Unsplash License. People shown are models.

Destinations for treatment abroad

Who licenses the clinics, where you can check a doctor or dentist yourself, and what the official travel advice says. We never rank, review or recommend clinics.

Destination	EU rules	Doctor or dentist register online	Clinic register online	Currency
🇹🇷 Turkey	No	Yes	Yes	TRY
🇭🇺 Hungary	Yes	Yes	None found	HUF
🇵🇱 Poland	Yes	Yes	Yes	PLN
🇪🇸 Spain	Yes	Yes	Yes	EUR
🇲🇽 Mexico	No	Yes	Yes	MXN
🇹🇭 Thailand	No	Yes	Yes	THB
🇰🇷 South Korea	No	None found	Yes	KRW
🇲🇾 Malaysia	No	Yes	Yes	MYR
🇮🇳 India	No	Yes	Yes	INR
🇨🇿 Czechia	Yes	Yes	Yes	CZK
🇭🇷 Croatia	Yes	Yes	Yes	EUR
🇧🇷 Brazil	No	Yes	Yes	BRL

Turkey The UK Foreign Office names cosmetic surgery and dental procedures as the most common procedures for medical tourists in Turkey. The Ministry of Health authorises clinics for international patients and publishes the list.

Hungary Many patients travel there for dental work, mostly in Budapest and near the Austrian border. An EU country: its doctors and dentists are on a public register.

Poland A growing destination for dental work, hair and cosmetic surgery, close to the UK and Ireland. Both doctors and clinics are on public registers you can search.

Spain EU rules, short flights from the UK, Ireland and France, and public registers for doctors, dentists and clinics.

Mexico Many people from the United States go there for teeth (border towns such as Tijuana, which keep US Pacific time, 1 to 2 hours behind Mexico City) and weight-loss surgery. Every professional and specialist licence is in a national register, which may not open from outside Mexico.

Thailand Asia's largest destination for cosmetic surgery, dental work and weight-loss surgery, mostly in Bangkok and Phuket. Any doctor's licence can be checked online in English; the clinic register may not open from outside Thailand.

South Korea The best-known destination for cosmetic surgery, also for dental work and hair. Clinics that attract foreign patients must register with the government, and the government publishes what clinics charge for uninsured treatments such as implants.

Malaysia Hospitals used to international patients, English widely spoken, and public registers of doctors and of specialists you can search by name.

India Chosen for dental work, hair transplants and weight-loss surgery, with a national register of doctors and a national hospital accreditation board you can search.

Czechia A short flight from most of Europe for dental work, weight-loss and cosmetic surgery, with EU rules and public registers of doctors and of dentists you can search by name.

Croatia A destination for dental work with EU rules and the euro. Doctors can be checked in the medical chamber's public register.

Brazil A destination for cosmetic surgery. The federal councils publish searchable registers of every doctor and dentist, and the government keeps a national register of health establishments.

Coming next: Colombia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates (their official registers did not open from outside the country when we checked). We add a country only once its registers are checked.