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Overview of National Healthcare Insurance Policy
Korean people pay healthcare premium on a monthly basis according to the size of their income. If you subscribe to the National Healthcare Insurance scheme, you are able to obtain the benefit of medical services at an affordable price when you need them. All Koreans are required to subscribe to the National Healthcare Insurance Plan except those low-income beneficiaries of National Medical Care.
National Healthcare subscribers are classified into employment subscribers and local subscribers. All employees of any business, public servants and school personnel along with their dependent family members belong to the category of employment subscribers while all others belong to that of local subscribers.
The employment subscribers pay 50% of their health premium with the remaining 50% paid by their employers. When a healthcare insured person receives medical treatment, he or she pays a portion of the medical bill and the rest is paid by the healthcare insurance fund.

Foreigners eligible for National Healthcare Insurance
Those foreign nationals and holders of an Alien Registration Card who are employed by a business that falls under the category of employment health insurance subscribers and who are hired as public servants and school personnel are considered as employment subscribers. In this case, you are must have stayed in Korea no less than three months.
However, Korean nationals residing abroad who have stayed in Korea less than three months or foreign nationals who will obviously will be staying for longer than three months due to fixed reasons such as study or employment commitments are not subject to the three-month stay precondition.

How to subscribe to healthcare insurance
If a spouse with a job is already insured
- You can have yourself registered as a dependent family member of your spouse. Your spouse is required to submit the necessary documents to the Healthcare Insurance Corporation
- Necessary Documents: Declaration of Acquiring Certification of Dependent Family, Alien Registration Card, Resident Registration Card of spouse, Family Relations Certificate
ㆍDependent: refers to an unemployed spouse who lives on the income of a husband or wife.
If a foreigner has a job
- foreigner with a job automatically obtains healthcare insurance
- The company that a foreigner works for is required to submit the Alien Registration Card and other necessary documents to the Healthcare Insurance Corporation.
If neither the Korean spouse nor the foreigner has a job
- Self-employed people or daily-based temporary workers are eligible to subscribe to the local healthcare insurance scheme.
- Visit the nearest branch office of the Healthcare Insurance Corporation for subscription details. You are required to submit the application and the Alien Registration Card. A foreigner alone can make an application.

Benefits to subscribers
You can get a discount on medical fees from a clinic or hospital although you have to cover some portion of the fees.
You are also eligible to have a free medical check-up, which is conducted variably depending on age, but typically every two years.

Payment of insurance premium
Subscribers with job
- Payment of premium: The employer pays for the premium by taking a portion of the subscriber’s monthly salary.
Local insurance subscribers
- The premium is paid on a monthly basis. A foreign resident and foreigner are required to pay the monthly premium before or on the 25th of the month for three consecutive months after arriving
(however, the qualification is accrued through retroactive acquisition your insurance premium to be charged is added up to the very first premium).
- Cautions: If you prove that your are a spouse of a Korean national you can have yourself registered as a dependent family member in the domestic household you belong to and have your premium paid based on the payment requirement of domestic nationals.

Counseling Office or Inquiry Office
You may visit the Website of National Healthcare Insurance Corporation or call ☎1577-1000 or ☎02-390-2000(English counseling) for more details on health insurance premium, qualification, benefits and etc.
Website of National Healthcare Insurance Corporation：http://www.nhic.or.kr