National Health Insurance for foreign residents in Korea

4 min read

Korea's National Health Insurance is not optional for most foreign residents, and it is not something you sign up for. The National Health Insurance Service enrols you, then sends the bill.

Understanding when that starts saves an unpleasant surprise.

When enrolment starts: employees and F-visa holders immediately, D-2 students immediately, and everyone else after six months in Korea You register your residence The clock starts here EmployedWorkplace subscriber, from day one D-2 student · F-visaEnrolled straight away too Everyone elseLocal subscriber after 6 months A monthly bill arrives You cannot decline it Unpaid premiums are reported into the immigration system — arrears can block a visa extension, which is usually where people find out.
Set up automatic transfer the moment you are enrolled. Most arrears start with a bill sent to an old address.

When you are enrolled

If you are employed, your company enrols you as a workplace subscriber from the start of your job. Your share is deducted from your salary and your employer pays the rest. No waiting period.

If you are not employed, you are enrolled as a local subscriber once you have been in Korea for six months. This has been mandatory since July 2019. You do not apply and you cannot decline.

If you are a student on a D-2 visa, you are enrolled without the six-month wait — that changed in March 2021. Language students on D-4-3 are treated the same way. Students generally pay a reduced rate.

If you hold an F-visa — F-2, F-4, F-5, F-6 — you can typically enrol immediately on registering your residence, without waiting.

What it costs

Workplace subscribers pay a percentage of salary, split with the employer. Local subscribers are assessed on income and property, but foreign local subscribers are commonly billed at a floor amount rather than a calculated one, since the NHIS often cannot assess overseas assets.

That floor has historically landed near 150,000 won a month for a single person. Students pay considerably less. Check your own figure with the NHIS rather than budgeting from a number in an article — including this one.

The bill arrives monthly. Set up automatic transfer from your bank account as soon as you are enrolled; paper bills going to a stale address is the single most common way people accumulate arrears without noticing.

What it covers

More than most newcomers expect, and cheaply at the point of use. A GP visit typically costs a few thousand won after the insurance share. Dentistry is partly covered, and prescriptions are heavily subsidised.

You will still pay in full for genuinely elective things — cosmetic procedures, some dermatology, most orthodontics.

Bring your Residence Card to appointments. Many clinics look you up by registration number rather than asking for an insurance card.

Why arrears matter more than the money

Unpaid premiums are not just a debt. They are reported into the immigration system, and outstanding health insurance debt can block a visa extension or a change of status.

People discover this at the worst possible time: at the immigration counter, weeks before a visa expires, holding a bill from an address they moved out of a year ago.

Two habits prevent it entirely:

  • Report address changes within 14 days, so bills follow you
  • Pay by automatic transfer rather than by remembering

If you already have arrears, contact the NHIS rather than waiting. Instalment arrangements exist, and having one in place is treated very differently from simply not paying.

Leaving Korea

Cancel your enrolment when you leave permanently. It does not stop by itself, and premiums continue to accrue against your registration number — which matters if you ever return.

Take your Residence Card and departure evidence to an NHIS branch, or call them. If you paid more than you owed, refunds are possible, but they need a Korean bank account still open to receive them. Close that account last, not first.

Contacts

  • NHIS foreigner helpline: 033-811-2000, with English and several other languages
  • nhis.or.kr has an English site covering enrolment and premiums

Checked in August 2026. Premium rates and enrolment rules change annually, and your own assessment depends on your visa and circumstances. Confirm with the NHIS before relying on any figure here.

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