National Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea: Rules and Exclusions (2026)

National health insurance for foreigners in Korea is not optional once you meet certain conditions — it becomes mandatory based on your visa type, your work status, and how long you have stayed in the country.

This guide explains who must join, which visa types are covered, how you may apply for exclusion if you already have equivalent coverage, and what benefits the insurance actually pays for, based only on the official guidance from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).

At a glance

Item	Details
Who it applies to	Foreigners and overseas Koreans registered with the Immigration Office who work at an insured workplace, or who have stayed in Korea over six months as a self-employed insured person
Two insurance tracks	Employed insured (through a workplace) or Self-employed insured (individual registration)
Self-employed mandatory rule	Any foreigner or overseas Korean staying in Korea over six months must join, effective from July 16, 2019
Where to apply	National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)
Exclusion possible for	Employee insured persons who can prove equivalent medical benefits under foreign law, foreign insurance, or an employer contract
Exclusion deadline	Submit the Employee Health Insurance Withdrawal Application within 14 days of the date the acquisition of eligibility was reported
Cost	Set by co-payment rates and contribution deciles, not a single fixed fee — see the co-payment tables below

Who Must Join National Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea

There are two separate tracks: the employed insured and the self-employed insured. Which one applies to you depends mainly on your work situation, not only on your visa type.

If you work for a company in Korea

Foreigners and overseas Koreans who register with the Immigration Office and work at a workplace where national health insurance is covered are compulsorily subscribed as employed insured. This also includes people employed or appointed as public officials, teachers, or staff members of a private school. A self-employed person who employs a foreign worker must submit the report of acquisition of employee insured eligibility to NHIS, covering both the employer and the employee.

If you are not employed by a company

Any foreigner or overseas Korean who has stayed in Korea for over six months is subject to mandatory subscription to the self-employed insured category, a rule in effect from July 16, 2019. This covers people with a sojourn qualification listed in rule annex 9 who registered as foreigners under Article 31 of the Immigration Control Act, people who reported their place of residence under Article 6 of the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans, and overseas Korean nationals who registered their address under Article 6 of the Citizen Registration Act.

Which Visa Types Are Covered by National Health Insurance for Foreigners in Korea

The official guidance lists specific visa categories that qualify for the self-employed insured track. If your visa is on this list and you meet the residence condition above, you are expected to join.

Category	Visa Types
Culture, training and business	D-1 Culture & Arts, D-2 Students, D-3 Industrial training, D-4 General training, D-5 Press coverage, D-6 Religious workers, D-7 Intra-company transfer, D-8 Investment, D-9 Trade and management
Employment and research	E-1 Professor, E-2 Foreign language teaching, E-3 Research, E-4 Technological guidance, E-5 Professional employment, E-6 Arts and entertainment, E-7 Specific activities, E-9 Non-professional employment, E-10 Labor abroad
Residence and family	F-1 Visiting for cohabitation, F-2 Residence, F-3 Dependents, F-4 Overseas-based Korean, F-5 Permanent resident, F-6 Marriage immigration
Working visit	H-1 Tourism employment, H-2 Visiting employment

⚠️ D-2 (Students) and D-4 (General training) visa holders had their registration to the self-employed insured temporarily deferred until February 28, 2021, according to the official guidance. Confirm the current status of this on the official page before assuming it still applies.

How to Apply for Exclusion

Exclusion from national health insurance for foreigners in Korea is only described for the employee insured category, under enforcement decree of the National Health Insurance Act Article 76 and enforcement regulation of the same law Article 61.

You may apply if you can prove either of the following:

You get medical benefits equivalent to the medical care benefit based on foreign acts or a foreign insurance policy
You get medical benefits equivalent to the medical care benefit based on a contract with your employer

Steps to apply:

Submit the Employee Health Insurance Withdrawal Application form to NHIS, together with the required documentary evidence.
Submit this within 14 days of the date your acquisition of eligibility was reported.
If accepted, the date of acquisition of eligibility becomes the date of loss of eligibility, so the exclusion is treated as effective from that date.

⚠️ The official guidance does not describe an exclusion process for the self-employed insured category — only for the employee insured.

Adding a Dependent to Your Coverage

You can add family members as dependents if they are mainly supported by you as the employed insured, and their income and property fall below the standards set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Total income from business, finance, pension, employment, and other sources under 20 million KRW per year
No business registration and annual business income under 5 million KRW (housing rental income earners are excluded from this exception if they have any such income)
If the dependent is married, both spouses must meet the income requirements — if either fails, both are excluded from dependent status
Property tax base generally under 540 million KRW, or under 900 million KRW combined with annual income of 10 million KRW or less

Eligible relationships include the spouse of the employed insured, lineal ascendants and descendants (including those of the spouse) and their spouses, and unmarried siblings who meet the income and property tests and are over 65, under 30, disabled, or eligible for national merit or veterans compensation.

Foreigners and overseas Koreans applying as dependents must submit an alien registration card or domestic residence report card, plus a document from a foreign government or competent authority confirming the family relationship, generally dated within 9 months of confirmation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Apostille.

What Does the Insurance Cover?

National health insurance provides two kinds of benefits: benefits in kind and benefits in cash.

Healthcare benefits: diagnosis, tests, medical materials, treatments, surgeries, preventive care, rehabilitation, hospitalization, nursing, and transportation
Health checkups: general checkup free of charge, plus cancer checkups for stomach, colorectal, breast, cervical, liver, and lung cancer (cost shared 90% NHIS / 10% beneficiary, with no co-payment for colorectal and cervical cancer checkups)
Compensation for co-payment above the annual ceiling
Reimbursement of assistive appliance expenses for the disabled (90% of purchase price by item type)
Pregnancy and childbirth expense support

Co-payment rates

Care setting	Co-payment
Inpatient	20% of total treatment cost (5% for registered cancer patients, 10% for registered rare/incurable disease patients)
Outpatient — tertiary (higher-level general) hospital	60% of total treatment cost and other expenses
Outpatient — general hospital	50% (Dong administrative district) or 45% (Eup, Myeon administrative district)
Outpatient — hospital	40% of total care benefit expenses
Outpatient — pharmacy	30% of total care benefit expenses

Co-payment ceiling (2026)

Contribution decile	Up to 120 days	Over 120 days
Decile 1	900,000 KRW	1,430,000 KRW
Decile 2–3	1,120,000 KRW	1,810,000 KRW
Decile 4–5	1,730,000 KRW	2,450,000 KRW
Decile 6–7	3,260,000 KRW	4,040,000 KRW
Decile 8	4,460,000 KRW	5,800,000 KRW
Decile 9	5,360,000 KRW	6,980,000 KRW
Decile 10	8,430,000 KRW	10,960,000 KRW

For pregnancy and childbirth, subscribers or dependents receive 1 million KRW per pregnancy for a single fetus (1.4 million KRW for multiple fetuses), with an additional 200,000 KRW for pregnant women registered and residing in an under-served birth area for at least 30 consecutive days.

Common Mistakes and What Depends on Your Case

Requirements shift depending on your visa type, your employer, and how NHIS classifies your workplace, so treat the details above as a starting point rather than a fixed rulebook for every case.

Assuming the self-employed rule applies before you have actually stayed in Korea for six months
Missing the 14-day window to submit the Employee Health Insurance Withdrawal Application after your eligibility acquisition was reported
Assuming a family member automatically qualifies as a dependent without checking the income and property limits
Assuming the D-2/D-4 deferral for the self-employed insured is still current without checking the official page

⚠️ The guidance does not list a specific fee amount or processing time for enrollment or exclusion, so confirm current figures and timelines with NHIS before you apply.

Frequently asked questions

Who is required to join national health insurance for foreigners in Korea?

Foreigners and overseas Koreans working at an insured workplace are compulsorily enrolled as employee insured. Anyone else who has stayed in Korea over six months, and holds an eligible visa or residence registration, is subject to mandatory enrollment as self-employed insured from July 16, 2019.

Which visa types are covered?

The covered visas include D-1 through D-9, E-1 through E-7, E-9, E-10, F-1 through F-6, H-1, and H-2, according to the official guidance. D-2 and D-4 holders had self-employed registration deferred until February 28, 2021.

Can I be excluded if I already have private insurance?

If you are an employee insured, you can apply for exclusion by proving you get medical benefits equivalent to the health insurance benefit through a foreign law, a foreign insurance policy, or a contract with your employer, submitted within 14 days of your eligibility acquisition report.

Is there an exclusion option for the self-employed insured?

The official guidance only describes the exclusion process for the employee insured category. It does not list an equivalent exclusion process for the self-employed insured.

What does national health insurance for foreigners in Korea actually pay for?

It covers healthcare benefits like diagnosis and treatment, health and cancer checkups, reimbursement above the annual co-payment ceiling, assistive appliance costs for the disabled, and pregnancy and childbirth expense support.

If you are unsure which track applies to you, check your visa type against the list above and confirm your work status with your employer or the Immigration Office. National health insurance for foreigners in Korea is managed by NHIS, so contact your local NHIS branch or check the official page for the latest rules, deadlines, and required documents before you apply.

Last checked: September 13, 2026. Rules, fees and required documents in Korea change often, and some depend on your visa type and district office. Always confirm the current details on the official pages below before you go.