National health insurance for foreign residents

Korea's 국민건강보험 is a single-payer system that most long-term foreign residents are enrolled into automatically. Coverage is broad, out-of-pocket costs at the hospital are low, and the premium is not optional — the bill starts arriving on a set schedule after you have been in the country long enough, whether you have asked for it or not.

How you get enrolled

There are two paths.

Employer-based (직장가입자). If you take a job in Korea on a payroll contract, your employer registers you with NHIS from the first month of employment. Your premium and the employer's matching share come out of payroll automatically. Family members without their own coverage can usually be added as dependants at no additional premium.

Local / individual (지역가입자). If you are a student, a freelancer, unemployed or otherwise outside payroll, NHIS enrols you as an individual subscriber. Since a 2019 policy change, the enrolment is automatic once a foreign resident has been in Korea long enough — the residence-period threshold has moved between 3 and 6 months in different periods, and is currently 6 months for most visa categories. The first bill arrives at your registered address, generally addressed to you personally.

How the premium is calculated

For employer-based subscribers, the calculation is straightforward: a percentage of monthly wage, split with the employer, plus a smaller percentage on top for long-term care. In 2026 the health-insurance rate is around 7.09% of gross monthly earnings and the long-term care rate is around 12.95% of the health-insurance premium itself.

For local subscribers who are Korean nationals, the premium is assessed against a formula that considers income, property and — historically — vehicles. For foreign local subscribers, NHIS applies a special calculation: the assessed premium or a fixed minimum floor is charged, whichever is higher. The floor is published annually and is intended to ensure that foreign residents contribute at least at the level of an average domestic subscriber; the number for 2026 is set by NHIS notice and available on the foreigners portal.

Where a foreign resident's actual income is very low (e.g. a full-time student without employment), NHIS provides a reduction on evidence, but the reduction requires an application at a NHIS branch office. The default is the full floor amount.

What the coverage does — and does not — do

The NHIS covered schedule (급여) includes most standard outpatient and inpatient care, prescription pharmaceuticals on the national formulary, most surgeries, most diagnostic imaging, and pregnancy and childbirth care. Patient copay is typically 30% at clinic level, 40% at general hospital, 50–60% at tertiary hospital, and 20% inpatient — with an annual out-of-pocket ceiling that caps the total in high-cost cases.

Outside the covered schedule (비급여): most cosmetic procedures, elective dental beyond basic categories, non-formulary drugs, expensive newer cancer therapies before formulary listing, private hospital rooms and premium physical-therapy sessions. Costs in this bucket are paid in full by the patient at the hospital's set rate.

Paying the bill

• Employer-based: deducted from payroll; you do nothing.
• Local: pay by auto-debit from a Korean bank account, at any bank counter, at a convenience store on the giro barcode, or in the NHIS app.
• Payments are monthly. Late payment triggers a surcharge; sustained non-payment can suspend the insurance card (though emergency care is still provided) and, since a recent tightening, affect visa extensions.

At the hospital

Present your residence card at reception — the 13-digit registration number is your NHIS ID. The hospital settles the covered portion with NHIS directly; you pay only the copay and any non-covered items. Ask for the receipt (진료비 세부내역서), which itemises covered and non-covered lines and is what a private insurer would want to see for a claim.

Emergency rooms, dental clinics, oriental-medicine clinics and paediatric clinics all take NHIS the same way; a psychiatric consultation is also covered, with confidentiality protections in the same schedule.

Where people get sent home — or overpay

• Address on the NHIS letter is out of date. Bills disappear; you find out at a visa extension. Update the address with immigration whenever you move (see the move-in report guide).
• Assuming the "minimum floor" means the minimum. The floor is a floor, not a cap. For higher earners the formula-based premium is used and is often significantly higher.
• Enrolling privately in an expat health plan instead. Private plans do not replace NHIS for foreign residents; they can only supplement it. Registration in NHIS is not optional for long-term visa holders past the residence threshold.
• Applying for a reduction without evidence. Reductions for low-income students and dependents exist but require documentation at a NHIS branch. Default = full floor.

Common questions

Does travel insurance from home cover me instead?

Travel insurance is a supplement, not a substitute — and once you are past the automatic enrolment threshold, NHIS charges regardless. Keep travel insurance for excluded services, evacuation and cross-border coverage.

What if I am about to leave Korea?

Notify NHIS in advance and the premium stops from the departure date; unpaid premiums remain due. Coverage ends on departure but restarts automatically on re-entry if the qualifying visa is unchanged.

Can family members be added as dependants?

Yes for employer-based subscribers, on submission of family relation documents (apostilled and translated where issued abroad). Local subscribers include family members who share the household in the local premium calculation.