Health insurance in South Korea: local scheme and expatriates

In South Korea, foreigners who work for an employer covered by the public scheme are in principle automatically enrolled in the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). Those who reside for more than six months without salaried employment are also subject to mandatory enrollment, depending on their type of stay.

This does not dispense one from considering supplementary or international coverage, particularly for hospitalization, care outside the country of residence, and repatriation situations. This sheet describes what the local scheme provides, according to official NHIS documentation, and points to verify before choosing.

The Korean public scheme in brief

The NHIS is the Korean national health insurance scheme. According to its information page for foreigners, benefits available to enrolled foreigners are the same as those for Korean nationals: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of illnesses or injuries, as well as childbirth, death, and health promotion.

Please note: this scheme operates with the insured sharing the costs. The details of the out-of-pocket expenses are not specified in the NHIS presentation. You must therefore verify this directly with the NHIS or your employer before drawing conclusions regarding your health budget.

Who is enrolled, and how

Employee of an insured company

Foreigners and overseas Koreans who reside and work in a company attached to the scheme are mandatorily enrolled. This concerns persons registered with the immigration office and employed in a workplace covered by the scheme, as well as persons employed as civil servants, teachers, or staff of private educational institutions.

If you work for a small independent employer who employs a foreign worker, it is the responsibility of that employer to declare to the NHIS the acquisition of the insured status of their employee.

Non-salaried resident

According to the official page, any foreigner or overseas Korean who has been staying in Korea for more than six months is subject to mandatory enrollment, effective July 16, 2019. This concerns persons registered as foreigners, depending on the type of residence permit. The list of visas concerned includes in particular the D, E, F, G, and H categories detailed on the NHIS page.

If you are a student or in training, have your affiliation date confirmed by your institution and the NHIS. Do not rely on an old transitional period to infer your current rights.

Possible exclusion from the scheme for employees

A foreign employee may request an exclusion if they justify equivalent benefits under foreign legislation, foreign insurance, or a contract with their employer. The NHIS page specifies that a request filed within 14 days following the declaration of affiliation may take effect from the initial date of affiliation. This deadline therefore concerns the effect of the request; it should not be presented as a general prohibition on filing subsequently. Have the eligibility and the effective date confirmed by the NHIS.

If your company posts you with coverage already in place, contact the employer and the NHIS promptly with supporting documents. Retain your protection until written confirmation: international insurance is not, by itself, sufficient to obtain an exclusion.

Contributions

Employee

The monthly contribution is calculated by multiplying the monthly salary by the contribution rate. It is shared equally between the employee and the employer and deducted from the salary. According to the NHIS, it applies retroactively starting from the date of hire.

Non-salaried resident

The contribution corresponds to a contribution score multiplied by a value per point, according to the same method as for Korean residents. If the calculated amount is lower than the average contribution, the average contribution is charged. The rate and the value of the point are not specified in this official presentation: do not estimate them without consulting the NHIS.

Contribution reductions

The NHIS page indicates reductions for certain situations: religious status (D-6), humanitarian status (G-1-6 and G-1-12), students (D-2, D-4, F-4) with a degressive rate over several years, people living on an island or in an isolated area, and inhabitants of rural or fishing zones. These rates depend on precise conditions and dates. They must be confirmed at the time of your enrollment.

If you wish to group contributions by household, you must provide a document proving the family tie, such as a marriage certificate, and request a collective invoice. The page specifies income and asset thresholds to respect for this option.

Dependent family members

The spouse, direct ascendants and descendants, and their spouses may, subject to conditions of income, assets, and dependency, be recognized as dependents of the insured employee. The published criteria include annual income ceilings and a property tax base ceiling.

For foreigners, specific documents are requested: foreign registration card or residence declaration card, proof of family or marital ties issued by a foreign authority with an apostille or confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a notarized Korean translation. Proof less than nine months old is required in some cases. These deadlines and formalities must be verified with the NHIS for your situation.

What the public scheme does not always resolve

First, compare your NHIS rights and the possible insurance from your employer. For the international contract studied, check the hospital expenses remaining to be covered, the free choice of facility, stays outside of Korea, and assistance. A payment guarantee requires the agreement of the insurer and the acceptance of the hospital; evacuation and repatriation follow the conditions of the contract and the medical decision of the assistance.

For routine care, the insured generally pays upfront and then requests a reimbursement. For expensive or recurring care, direct payment can sometimes be organized after agreement from the insurer and acceptance by the provider, but this is not a general rule.

Hospitalization remains the basis of a solid contract. Optical, dental, and maternity are added reinforcements according to your needs, not as isolated contracts. The term "first-euro" means reimbursement without prior base-scheme coverage, not the absence of a deductible.

Points to verify before deciding

• Your visa type and your status (salaried or non-salaried): they determine the mode of enrollment in the NHIS.
• The conditions of exclusion and the effective date confirmed by the NHIS if you already have equivalent coverage.
• The level of real cost participation in the Korean scheme, which the general presentation does not detail.
• The situation of your family: income and asset conditions to be recognized as a dependent, apostilled and translated documents.
• What you expect in addition to the public scheme: hospitalization abroad, repatriation, care outside of Korea.

Travel advice published for visitors does not prove a resident's rights. Only the documentation from the NHIS and your employer is authoritative for your enrollment.

Next step

If you are leaving for South Korea or are already settled there, an Izem Expat advisor can help you understand the articulation between the local scheme and international coverage. You can request offers with an advisor, without necessarily going through the diagnostic. You can also, if you wish, use the Diagnostic to clarify your needs before the discussion.

Consult other country sheets · Understand the guarantees of an international insurance