Q&A: health insurance

Q: Hi, I am foreigner living in Korea now. How can I subscribe to health insurance?

A: Foreigners who have lived in Korea for a long term can be benefited from health care, when the several steps below are taken.
- First, you should be issued a certificate of foreigner registration(a certificate of domestic address notification, in case of Korean who have foreign country's nationality) from the Immigration Office.
- Second, turn in the certificate of foreigner registration to district National Health Insurance Corporation with passport and statement of wage proving your wage.
Then, you can be applied by district health insurance from the date of foreigner registration(the date of domestic address notification, in case of Korean who have foreign country's nationality), and insurance rate will have been also charged since the month including the date of foreigner registration(domestic address notification). However, in case of foreigners, eligibility for residence should be met in below.
ㅇ Eligibility for residence
- Visit and Stay with Family(F-1), Residency(F-2), Overseas Korean(F-4), Culture/ Art(D-1), Overseas Study(D-2), Industry Training(D-3), General Training(D-4), Press Coverage(D-5), Religion(D-6), Intra-Company Transfer(D-7), Corporate investment(D-8), Trade Management(D-9), Professor(E-1), Foreign Language Instructor(E-2), Research(E-3), Technological Guidance(E-4), Special Profession(E-5), Specially designated activities(E-7), Working Holiday(E-8)
The person who will reside by upper reasons, the person's spouse and children who are under twenty(F-3).

Q: How is insurance rate of foreigner or Korean abroad calculated?

A: Foreigner whose income can be figured out is applied by insurance rate of corporation subscriber. Foreigners who don't have income or hard to figure out one's income, average insurance fee per a household (local subscriber of the last year) is applied and 3-month fee needs to pay in advance. But in case of the international students, 30% is discounted to the insurance fee.
In case of Koreans who live in foreign countries, insurance rate is same as local Koreans. Some people who don't have income or hard to figure out one's income, average insurance fee per a household (local subscriber of the last year) is applied. For international students, 30% is discounted to the insurance fee.




Q: Can foreigners register for long-period convalescing?


A: If Koreans who live in foreign countries are subscribed to health insurance, it is available. Or foreigners under 65 who have senile disease and foreigners who is over 65, are also available to register for long-period convalescing.

Q: What is the apply standards for foreigners who have lived in Korea for long period / foreigners to get qualification of local subscriber?


A: 1. initial acquisition
- After three months from entering Korea. But for people who hasn't lived for more than three months, if it is apparent of staying in Korea for the reason of study/employment/marriage/immigration, the initial acquisition is the date that they entered Korea.


2. registration procedure
- Those who want to acquire the qualification of local subscriber, it is required to submit 'local subscriber's qualification acquisition·change report document' with the documents below.

① overseas residents : the documents need for insurance fee such as one copy of 'one's address report in Korea' or 'the prove of one's address report in Korea' , 'the prove of immigration (passport)' and 'income statement.'

② foreigners : 'the copy of alien registration' or 'the prove of alien registration' and the documents (※) below for each qualification.

③ Koreans who have other country's nationality : 'the copy of alien registration' or 'the prove of alien registration', 'one copy of one's address report in Korea' or 'the prove of one's address report in Korea' , 'the prove of immigration (passport)' , and the documents (※) below for each qualification.

※ People who are apparent of staying in Korea for the reason of study/employment (the initial acquisition is the date that they entered Korea.)
- study abroad: D2 or the international students of overseas residents who are under graduate school (only overseas residents need to submit proof of enrollment)
- employment: foreigners of D5, D7-D9, E1-E10, H2 and overseas residents (overseas residents need to submit proof of employment)
- etc.: foreigners of marriage immigration (need to submit proof of marriage)

3. application date : from 2008.12.17

※ is from Health insurance law enforcement regulation article 45-3.
The date (2008.12.17) before the local subscriber's qualification standard is the date of 'alien registration' or the date of 'one's address report in Korea'.