Understand health insurance in Korea 외국인 건강보험
Foreign residents in Korea can join National Health Insurance (국민건강보험). If you work at a covered workplace, your employer signs you up and you share the cost 50/50. If you do not, you are enrolled automatically as a regional subscriber (지역가입자) once you have lived in Korea for 6 months. Some visas, such as marriage migrant (F-6) and study, can start earlier. Unpaid premiums can stop your insurance benefits and can limit your visa extension.
How will I be insured?
Answer 2 quick questions.
Do you work for an employer at a workplace covered by insurance, and have you finished alien registration (Residence Card, 외국인등록증)?
If not, you are not a workplace subscriber. Go to the next question. Some jobs are excluded, such as work of less than 60 hours a month or daily jobs under 1 month.
Have you lived in Korea for 6 months or more with a registered stay status (for example D, E, F, G-1 or H visa types)?
If you are under 6 months, you are not enrolled yet. Study (D-2) and marriage migrant (F-6) visas can start at once after entry. Ask NHIS about your visa: 1577-1000.
If you work at a covered workplace, your employer must enroll you. If not, NHIS enrolls you automatically as a regional subscriber after 6 months. You do not need to apply, but check that your address is correct so the bill reaches you.
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Step by step
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- 1
Workplace insurance (직장가입자)
Your employerWithin 14 days of starting workIf you are a worker at a covered workplace and you have completed alien registration, you become a workplace subscriber. E-9 and H-2 workers are included. Your employer must report you to NHIS within 14 days of your start date. Your premium is calculated from your monthly pay. You and your employer each pay 50 percent.
!Daily workers with a contract under 1 month, and workers with scheduled hours under 60 hours a month, cannot be workplace subscribers. - 2
Regional insurance (지역가입자)
The agency does thisAfter 6 months in KoreaIf you are not a workplace subscriber, NHIS enrolls you automatically after 6 months of stay. You do not have to report. Study (D-2, D-4 school study) and marriage migrant (F-6) visa holders are enrolled earlier, but only after alien registration. Permanent residents (F-5) and E-9 workers can also be enrolled sooner. Check your case with NHIS.
!The 6 months count the time you lived in Korea. If your total time abroad is over 30 days in that period, ask NHIS how it counts. - 3
Pay your premium on time
You do thisBy the 25th of each monthRegional subscribers receive a bill every month. The premium is based on income and property. Ask NHIS how your amount is set. Workplace subscribers do not pay NHIS directly, because the employer deducts it.
- 4
If you are behind on payments
You do thisAs soon as you miss oneFor regional foreign subscribers, if you do not pay by the 25th of the next month, your insurance benefits can stop from the month after. While benefits are stopped, you may pay full hospital prices. Some visa holders can still use insurance if they have been late fewer than 3 times in total. If you later pay everything, some benefits received during the stop can be recognized as insured.
!Rules are strict for foreigners. Check your own case with NHIS before you rely on an exception. - 5
Unpaid premiums and your visa
The agency does thisWhen you apply to extend your stayImmigration officers check tax and health insurance arrears when you apply to extend your stay. If you pay the arrears after they tell you, the extension is normally processed. If you do not pay, the extension is limited, and in principle only 6 months or less is allowed. A normal extension is usually 2 to 5 years, depending on your status.
!Do not ignore unpaid bills. They can lead to repeated short visa extensions.
Documents checklist
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0 of 4 documents ready
- Residence Card (외국인등록증) or passportWith you; needed at NHIS and the hospital
- NHIS premium bill (고지서) or app recordNHIS mail, app or website
- Payment receiptsBank or NHIS app
- Payslip showing the insurance deductionYour employer
Using the insurance at the hospital
- Show your Residence Card or passport at the front desk.
- With insurance, you pay only part of the medical cost. Without it, you pay the full price.
- Insurance benefits stop if you are in arrears under the rules above, so check before a planned treatment.
Not sure which type you are?
- Call the NHIS call center at 1577-1000 and ask for an English line.
- Immigration Contact Center 1345 can help with visa questions.
- Check with the office for fee reductions for your visa type.
Who to call
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