National Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea

National Health Insurance (국민건강보험) is compulsory for almost every foreigner living in Korea. If you have a job, you join through work from your first day. If you don’t, you’re enrolled automatically once you’ve lived here 6 months, and a monthly bill starts whether or not you see a doctor.

Key facts

Three ways to be covered

1. Workplace subscriber (직장가입자)

If you work at a company covered by the scheme, your employer must enroll you from your first day. In 2026 the premium is 7.19% of your pay, split 3.595% for you and 3.595% for your employer. Long-term care insurance (장기요양보험) adds 13.14% of the health premium, also split in half. It’s taken from your salary automatically; see the salary calculator.

2. Regional subscriber (지역가입자)

If you aren’t covered through a job and aren’t anyone’s dependent, NHIS enrolls you as a regional subscriber the day after you’ve lived in Korea for 6 months. Trips abroad totaling 30 days or less in those 6 months still count as time in Korea.

Some people are enrolled from the day they arrive instead:

• Marriage migrants (F-6)
• Permanent residents (F-5)
• E-9 workers
• International students on D-2, and D-4 students at elementary, middle or high schools

D-4 language-course students are enrolled after 6 months like other residents.

What you pay. The premium is based on your income and property. But for most foreign regional subscribers, if that calculation comes out lower than the national average premium, you’re charged the average instead, even with no income. F-5 and F-6 holders are charged the same way as Koreans, without that minimum. Students on D-2 and D-4 get a 50% reduction, which put their premium at ₩79,320 a month in 2026.

3. Dependent (피부양자)

Your spouse, children, parents and some other family members can be added to your workplace insurance as dependents and pay nothing extra, if their income and property are below set limits (for example, total income under ₩20 million a year). Family members who arrived on or after 3 April 2024 generally have to live in Korea 6 months before they can be added; spouses and children under 19 can be added from arrival. You’ll need official documents proving the relationship, with an apostille or consular certification and a Korean translation.

If you don’t pay

• If a regional premium due on the 25th is still unpaid by the 25th of the following month, benefits stop from the month after that until you pay. You then pay the full cost at hospitals.
• Unpaid premiums are shared with immigration. Arrears can lead to a shorter extension or a refused visa extension. NHIS and immigration have treated ₩500,000 or more in arrears as the point where this applies; pay everything before your extension date to be safe.
• Late fees are added, and NHIS can seize bank accounts or wages for long-term debt.

Leaving Korea, and opting out

• Regional subscribers who leave Korea for a month or more lose coverage from the day after departure, and billing stops. Coverage also ends when your permitted stay ends.
• Employees stay covered through work until the job ends.
• Opting out (가입 제외): if you have medical coverage equal to NHIS under a foreign law, a foreign insurance policy or your employer’s contract, you can apply to be excluded. Exclusion through private insurance or an employer contract is approved for up to 1 year at a time. Ordinary travel insurance usually doesn’t qualify. See private health insurance.
• Overpaid premiums are refunded. When you leave for good, ask NHIS to settle your account; the leaving Korea checklist covers the timing.

Using your insurance

Show your ARC or the NHIS mobile insurance card at any clinic, hospital or pharmacy. You pay a share of the bill (a copay) and NHIS pays the rest. Read how hospitals work for what you pay at each level of hospital. For how enrollment feels in practice, see the blog post on the 6-month rule.

Common questions

I got a health insurance bill but I never signed up. Is it real?

Probably. Enrollment at 6 months is automatic, and the first bill comes by post to your registered address. Check it in the NHIS app or call 033-811-2000 before paying anything to an unfamiliar account.

My employer didn’t enroll me. What can I do?

Ask NHIS to check your eligibility. Employers must enroll employees and can be charged back premiums. In the meantime you may be billed as a regional subscriber, so raise it quickly.

I’m a student. Can I use my university’s private insurance instead?

No. D-2 and D-4 students are enrolled in NHIS by law. Some universities add a group policy on top, but it doesn’t replace NHIS.

Do premiums change each year?

Yes. Rates and the average premium are reset each year, so the 2027 figures will differ. NHIS sends a notice when your premium changes.

This guide explains the general rules as of the date above. Rules change and every case is different, so confirm with the office named here (or the 1345 Immigration Contact Center) before an important decision. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.