Foreigners Health Insurance in Korea

About national health insurance

National health insurance based on the national health insurance act is public insurance for Korean nationals who have disease and injury to get medical service at cheaper price.

Korean nationals who reside locally shall be insured. There are 3 types of the insured as below.

• Employee insured: Employed workers become employee insured. Provided, the worker employed for a period of less than one month shall be excluded.
• Dependents: Spouse, parents, children, and siblings of the employee insured become insured when report it to to the National Health Insurance Service or NHIS.
• Self-employed insured: Others who are neither the employee insured nor dependents will be the self-employed insured.

Special provisions for foreigners

Foreigners staying in Korea can be insured when meet the specific requirements. If you are not eligible for the national health insurance, you should buy private travel insurance in your country to prepare for a disease or accident in Korea.

From April, 2024, parents or siblings of the employee insured must have specific visa staus or stay more than 6 months in Korea.

1. Employee insured

You as registered foreigner will be the employee insured when you are employed in Korea. If employed for less than one month, you will be excluded.

Your company or employer should report it to NHIS within 14 days.

2. Dependents

You can be dependents of the employee insured when meet all the requirements below. You must report it to NHIS.

• You must register as foreigner.
• You must be one of them below.
• Spouse of the employee insured
• Lineal ascendants of the employee insured: Parents, grandparents, etc. *Lineal ascedants of your spouse are included.
• Lineal descendants of the employee insured: Children, grandchildren, etc. *Lineal descendants of your spouse are included.
• Siblings of the employee insured
• You must be one of them below except you are spouse or minor children of the employee insured. *Minor children of spouse also also excluded.
• F5, E9, F6, D2, D4-3 (student of elementary, middle, high school) visa holders
• Students of elementary, middle, high school or college as F4 visa holders
• D1, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E10, F1, F2, F3, F4, G1-6, G1-12, H1, H2 visa holders who have stayed for more than 6 months after arrival.

3. Self-employed insured

Other foreigners who are neither the employee insured nor dependents will be the self-employed insured when meet all the requirements below. You don't have to report it to NHIS.

• You must register as foreigner.
• You must be one of them below except you are spouse or minor children of the employee insured or minor children of spouse.
• F5, E9, F6, D2, D4-3 (student of elementary, middle, high school) visa holders
• Students of elementary, middle, high school or college as F4 visa holders
• D1, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E10, F1, F2, F3, F4, G1-6, G1-12, H1, H2 visa holders who have stayed for more than 6 months after arrival.