Who has to enroll, 2026 premiums, how to register, family registration, what happens if you fall behind, and how to use it at the hospital.
As of October 2026
If you get hired by a Korean company, you become a workplace subscriber (the type where the company covers half the premium) from your first day of work.
Otherwise (freelancers, unemployed, language-course students, etc.), once you've stayed in Korea for 6 months or more, you're required to enroll as a National Health Insurance local subscriber (the type where you pay the full premium yourself as an individual — explained in detail below).
Study (D-2) and elementary/secondary training (D-4-3), permanent residency (F-5), marriage immigration (F-6), non-professional employment (E-9), and some others don't need to wait 6 months — coverage starts the moment you enter and register.
As of 2026, the average local-subscriber premium is 158,630 won/month, and for students it's around 79,320 won/month (per the National Health Insurance Service).
Falling behind on premiums brings something scarier than the medical bill itself — a disadvantage when your stay is reviewed for extension or change of status — so make sure to read that part of this guide first.
First, two terms worth nailing down.
There are exactly two types of National Health Insurance subscriber in Korea.
① Workplace subscriber — someone employed by a Korean company and enrolled in the "4 major social insurances." The premium is deducted automatically from your paycheck, and the company pays half.
② Local subscriber — someone not employed by a company (unemployed, freelancer, self-employed, or a newly arrived student, etc.). With no employer behind you, you pay the full premium yourself.
Throughout this guide, think of these two terms simply as "employed by a company or not."
The basic rule is simple. Unless you're registered as a workplace subscriber through employment at a Korean company, any foreigner who stays in Korea for 6 months or more is automatically enrolled as a National Health Insurance local subscriber.
You don't need to apply separately — as of 2026, once your stay passes 6 months, the National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단) typically enrolls you automatically by cross-referencing immigration records.
The visa statuses below, however, are subject to enrollment immediately upon entry and registration, with no 6-month wait.
Conversely, diplomatic (A), tourist transit (B), short-term visit (C), and other (G-1) visas are, in principle, not subject to mandatory enrollment.
That said, G-1 splits by sub-code — people denied refugee status but granted humanitarian stay permission (G-1-6) and their families (G-1-12) have been allowed to enroll as local subscribers as an exception. The most accurate way to check your own visa's exact sub-code is to ask the Immigration Office.
The two types also calculate premiums differently. A workplace subscriber pays 7.19% of salary (as of 2026), split 50/50 with the company, while a local subscriber is assessed separately on income, property, and vehicle, and pays the full amount themselves.
| Visa Status | When Coverage Starts |
|---|---|
| Study (D-2), permanent residency (F-5), marriage immigration (F-6), non-professional employment (E-9), etc. | Immediately upon entry and registration |
| Other long-stay visas (including D-4 language training) | Automatically enrolled after 6 months of stay |
| Tourist/short-term (B, C), diplomatic (A), other (G-1, except certain sub-codes) | Not subject to mandatory enrollment |
The content below is for local subscribers. A workplace subscriber simply pays 7.19% of salary, split 50/50 with the company, with no income or property assessment — so the average-premium and tax-assessed-value discussion below doesn't apply to them.
Foreign local subscribers are assessed the exact same way as Korean local subscribers — on income, property, and vehicle — this isn't a case of skipping the assessment.
Note that not every vehicle counts — a car is only factored into the premium if it's under 9 years old and either has an engine displacement over 1,600cc, or is 1,600cc or under but valued at 40,000,000 won or more.
However, if the amount calculated that way comes out lower than the average premium across all local subscribers as of the end of November the previous year, that average amount is charged instead (per the National Health Insurance Service).
Since a newly arrived foreigner usually has almost no income or property record in Korea, the calculation often comes out below the average — so in practice, this average premium is the one that ends up applying.
| Category | 2026 Monthly Premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General local subscriber (average basis) | 158,630 won (140,210 won health insurance + 18,420 won long-term care insurance — a separate premium funding elder and disability care, bundled with health insurance and billed automatically) | Up about 5,840 won from 2025 (152,790 won) (per the National Health Insurance Service) |
| Students (D-2, D-4) | 79,320 won | About a 50% reduction from the general rate |
However, if the head of household (the person representing a household of people living together — if you live alone, you're automatically the head of your own household) holds permanent residency (F-5) or marriage immigration (F-6) status, this average-based floor doesn't apply at all — the premium is calculated purely on that person's actual income and property.
If the head of household is a recognized refugee (F-2-4) or their family member (F-1-16) and is a minor, a separate rule applies that charges whichever is larger: the actual calculated amount or the monthly minimum.
The student discount is reported to not apply if any of the following hold.
Annual income over 3,600,000 won, property over 135,000,000 won, or every member of the household being a minor, among others — if you're unsure whether you fall into one of these, it's safest to confirm with the Service.
Premiums are prepaid — due by the 25th of each month for the following month's coverage.
You don't report your income and property data yourself; the Service checks it automatically by cross-referencing National Tax Service and property registration data.
This reassessment doesn't happen on an ongoing basis — it's done once a year, based on figures as of the end of November, and applied to the following January through December — it's safest to confirm directly with the Service how the first year after entry is specifically calculated.
If you're a workplace subscriber, you don't need this process at all — the company enrolls you automatically when it files your 4-major-insurance registration at hire. The steps below are for local subscribers (or anyone automatic enrollment didn't catch).
If you meet the requirements, you're often enrolled automatically — the National Health Insurance Service processes this by cross-referencing immigration records.
But in case automatic enrollment didn't happen, or you need to verify or manually register, here's the process.
Visit a National Health Insurance Service branch or a foreigner-dedicated service center.
Find the nearest branch on Naver Map →
Bring your Alien Registration Card (ARC), proof of income or a certificate of no income, and proof of address (a lease agreement, etc.).
Take a number, submit your documents at the counter, and a staff member will calculate and explain your premium.
Your health insurance card is mailed to your registered address.
At the hospital, staff can look up your enrollment directly by your ARC number, so you can still get treated even without the physical card.
If language is a concern, call the National Health Insurance Service customer center at 1577-1000 and press 6 for multilingual support.
A dependent is a family member registered under a workplace subscriber's (an employee who pays premiums) coverage, who receives the same health insurance benefits without paying their own premium.
A workplace subscriber's spouse, parents (direct ascendants), and children (direct descendants) can be registered as dependents if they meet the income and property requirements.
Siblings can be added only if they are under 30 or aged 65 or over, or are disabled or a person of national merit.
The biggest advantage is receiving the same benefits with no additional premium — but not everyone qualifies; you have to pass the income and property screening below.
Income requirement: combined annual income (including all wage, business, interest, dividend, pension, and other income) must be 20,000,000 won or less.
Business income is stricter — if you have a registered business, even a small amount of income disqualifies you; without a registered business, you're disqualified once it exceeds 5,000,000 won a year.
Property requirement (based on the property tax's tax-assessed value, not market price): if the tax-assessed value is 540,000,000 won or less, only the income requirement needs to be met; between 540,000,000 and 900,000,000 won, annual income must also be 10,000,000 won or less; over 900,000,000 won, you're disqualified regardless of income.
A separate threshold of 180,000,000 won in tax-assessed value applies to siblings.
Also keep in mind that the Service re-checks income and property every November as part of its regular review.
The documents you'll need:
an original Certificate of Family Relations (가족관계증명서) issued by your home country's government, plus consular certification or an apostille, and (if not in Korean) a certified Korean translation.
For local subscribers, a different mechanism called "household-based premium aggregation" applies instead — rather than one person being added as a dependent, the income and property of everyone living in the household are combined and the whole household's premium is calculated at once. The exact calculation depends on household composition, so it's most accurate to ask the Service directly.
Arrears information is shared with the Ministry of Justice.
So falling behind on premiums can put you at a disadvantage when your stay extension or visa change is reviewed — this isn't just a matter of a bigger medical bill; it can affect your stay itself.
Under Article 76-6 of the Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act (국민건강보험법 시행령 제76조의6), if your total number of monthly premium arrears is under 3, you keep receiving insurance benefits without a "benefit suspension" (coverage stops and you pay the full hospital bill yourself) — and arrears you've already paid off don't count toward that number.
Also, even for treatment received during a benefit suspension, if you pay off the arrears in full within 2 months of the Service notifying you of the suspension, you can receive "retroactive recognition" (paying off the arrears later gets that earlier treatment treated as if it had been covered all along).
The bottom line is simple: the best move is to never fall behind, and if things get tight, don't just tough it out — ask the Service about an installment plan or reduction first.
Show your Alien Registration Card (ARC) at reception and staff can look up your enrollment immediately. You don't need to carry the physical insurance card separately.
| Facility Type | Patient's Share |
|---|---|
| Clinic | About 30% |
| Hospital | About 40% |
| General hospital | About 50-60% |
The exact share can vary by department or test type, so treat the figures above as a reference.
For a visa renewal or a submission to your company, you sometimes need a certificate of insurance status (자격득실확인서) (a document proving your National Health Insurance enrollment).
You can get it issued instantly on the Service's website, app, or by phone (1577-1000).
You're automatically enrolled once you pass 6 months of stay, so keep track of the date from your entry day.
Make sure your premium notices are actually reaching your registered address, and if they're not showing up, don't wait it out — the surest thing is to call the Service (1577-1000) first to check your enrollment status and premium.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I just not enroll and get away with it? | It's not a criminal offense, but the downsides are fairly severe. If you're found unenrolled while subject to mandatory enrollment, you can be billed retroactively for all the premiums at once, and if you fall into arrears, your bank account can be seized without a court judgment. While in arrears, your health insurance benefits are cut off entirely, so you have to cover the full hospital bill yourself, and under the Ministry of Justice's restriction on visa extensions for people in arrears, your stay may only be extended in short increments of up to 6 months — in the end, toughing it out ends up far more expensive and inconvenient. |
| Can I skip it if I already have travel insurance or private insurance? | No. National Health Insurance is a mandatory public system, separate from any private insurance. You're subject to enrollment once you meet the requirements, regardless of whether you hold private insurance. |
| What happens if I quit my job? | Once you leave the company, you lose workplace-subscriber status, and if you meet the requirements, you're switched to local subscriber. This switch is reported to sometimes not happen automatically, so it's safest to confirm directly with the Service after leaving your job. |
This article is for general informational purposes — the specific conditions for premiums and the system can change over time. Confirm your exact situation directly with the National Health Insurance Service (1577-1000).