national health insurance

• National Health Insurance consists of workplace health insurance and regional health insurance, and is a social insurance system in which subscribers jointly bear insurance premiums and receive insurance benefits when using medical services.
• All foreigners staying in Korea for more than six months are automatically enrolled in the National Health Insurance and receive insurance benefits at the same level as Korean citizens.
• If you fail to pay National Health Insurance premiums, you will not be able to receive insurance benefits, which may result in restrictions on high medical expenses and visa extensions.

Membership conditions (including foreigners)

Foreign nationals who meet any of the following requirements may apply for insurance.

• Work subscriber
  • Persons working as employees or business owners at a workplace covered by health insurance
• Local subscriber
  • Persons not eligible for workplace enrollment who hold the following residency statuses and their spouses and children under 20 years of age: F-2, F-4, D-1~9, E-1~5, E-7~8, F-1 (provided that spouses and children are Korean nationals).)
  • However, starting in 2024, the mandatory regional membership provision applies to foreigners who have resided in Korea for more than 6 months.

Registration Procedures and Required Documents

Enrollment Procedure

In the case of regional subscribers

• 01.

  

  Foreign entry
  
  

• 02.

  

  Alien Registration
  (Registration is mandatory within 90 days of entry.)

• 03.

  

  Automatic enrollment in National Health Insurance
  (No need to apply separately)

• 04.

  

  At the National Health Insurance Service
  Sending membership and payment notices

• 05.

  

  Monthly health insurance premium payment
  
  

Insurance premium burden and payment method

Benefits and same applies

• Insurance benefits for foreigners apply in the same way as for Korean citizens. However, please note that requirements for dependent registration and residency have been strengthened.
• For more details, please visit the National Health Insurance Service website. (https://www.nhis.or.kr/nhis/index.do )

National Basic Living Security System

What is the Basic Livelihood Security System?

• It is a system that provides benefits such as livelihood, housing, medical care, and education to people facing hardship, guaranteeing a minimum standard of living and supporting self-reliance.
• Beneficiaries can receive livelihood benefits, housing benefits, medical benefits, education benefits, childbirth benefits, funeral benefits, self-sufficiency benefits, etc.

Applicable to foreigners

A person who has registered as a foreigner pursuant to Article 31 of the [Immigration Control Act] and falls under the following cases

• A person who is married to a South Korean national and whose spouse is pregnant, either themselves or their South Korean national spouse.
• A person who is married to a South Korean national and is raising a minor child of South Korean nationality
• Persons who share livelihood or residence with a spouse's lineal ancestor who is a South Korean national
• A minor with South Korean nationality who has divorced a spouse who is a South Korean national or whose spouse has passed away
• A person raising a child or a person pregnant with the fetus of a deceased spouse

Person recognized as a refugee by the Minister of Justice pursuant to Article 2 of the [Refugee Act]
*2025 Ministry of Health and Welfare standards

Main types of salary

※ Standard Median Income (2025): 1 person 2,392,013 won / 2 people 3,932,658 won / 3 people 5,025,353 won / 4 people 6,097,773 won (Notification of the Ministry of Health and Welfare)

How to apply

inquiry

• Health and Welfare Counseling Center 129 (Counseling available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
• Ministry of Health and Welfare - Basic Livelihood Security https://www.mohw.go.kr/menu.es?mid=a10708010000
• BGCF Expert Consultationhttp://lifeinpusan.thesome.com/sub4/sub3_1.php

Emergency Welfare Support System

What is the Emergency Welfare Support System?
It is a system that helps low-income households facing difficulties in maintaining their livelihoods due to crisis situations by providing necessary support, such as livelihood, medical, and housing assistance, quickly and temporarily, enabling them to overcome the crisis.

Who is eligible for emergency assistance?
"Emergency support recipien
An emergency support recipient is a person in a crisis situation who is in urgent need of support (Article 5 of the Emergency Welfare Support Act). Among foreigners residing in Korea, if a person falling under any of the following qualifies as an emergency support recipient (Article 5 of the Emergency Welfare Support Act), they may receive emergency support.
(Article 5-2 of the Emergency Welfare Support Act and Article 1-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Emergency Welfare Support Act)

• A person married to a South Korean citizen
• A South Korean national who is divorced from their spouse or whose spouse has passed away, and who is caring for a lineal ascendant or descendant holding South Korean nationality.
• Person recognized as a refugee
• Persons who have suffered damage due to fire, crime, or natural disaster without fault of their own.
• Other persons whom the Minister of Health and Welfare deems in need of urgent support

(Source: Emergency Welfare Support Act, effective October 23, 2025)

crisis situation

• Loss of income due to the death, running away, disappearance, or detention of the primary income earner
• In the case of a serious illness or injury
• In cases of neglect, abandonment, or abuse by a household member
• Cases where it is difficult to maintain a harmonious family life with household members due to domestic violence, or where sexual violence is suffered by a household member
• Cases where it is difficult to live in a residence or building due to fire, natural disasters, etc.
• In cases where actual business operations become difficult due to the suspension, closure, or fire at the workplace of the principal or secondary income earner
• In cases where income is lost due to unemployment of the primary or secondary income earner
• In cases where grounds specified by local government ordinances occur in accordance with standards set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare Ordinance: cases where grounds specified by local government ordinances occur, such as minimal income-generating activity (nursing, caregiving, or child-rearing of household members), suspension or undetermined status of basic livelihood support, suspension of water or gas services, or long-term arrears in social insurance premiums or housing rent.
• Other cases determined and notified by the Minister of Health and Welfare
  https://www.mohw.go.kr/menu.es?mid=a10708010100

Pre-pregnancy health care

purpose

• Promoting sexual and reproductive health among men and women of childbearing age and providing opportunities for the early detection of high-risk factors for pregnancy and childbirth, thereby supporting healthy pregnancy and childbirth, including infertility prevention.

Support target

• All men and women aged 20 to 49 (regardless of marital status or children)
• Couples (including engaged couples and common-law couples) aged 15 to 19 are eligible to apply.
• Foreign nationals are eligible to apply only if they have a Korean spouse.

Support details

• Inspection items
  • Women: Ovarian function test (AMH), gynecological ultrasound
  • Male: Semen analysis (detailed sperm morphology analysis)
• Inspection fee support amount
  • Women: Up to 130,000 won
  • Men: Up to 50,000 won

Application procedure

• 1. Application for Test Fee Support

  e-Health Center Online Application or Visit Health Center Application

  Prosecutor Applicant

• 2. Issuance of inspection request form

  Application reception and issuance of inspection request forms (system)

  Local government (public health center)

• 3. Test and result consultation

  Test administration and results consultation
  *Inspection within 3 months from the date of application

  Participating medical institutions

• 4. Test fee billing

  e-Health Center or Health Center Claim
  *Claim within 1 month of the inspection date

  Subject

• 5. Payment of inspection fee

  Payment of inspection fee after verification of submitted documents
  *Payment within 3 months from the claim date

  Local government (public health center)

Application documents

Childbirth, Maternal, and Newborn Health Care Support

• Families expecting a child or those who have recently given birth can receive various health care and care support services provided by public health centers and the government.
• If you carefully check the application period and support criteria, most services can be used for free or with a partial co-payment.

Maternal and Infant Health Care Services

• The public health center provides the following basic health care services for families with pregnant women and new mothers.

First Meeting Voucher (Birth Celebration Voucher)

• This is a birth celebration voucher system that all families can receive immediately after childbirth.
• More than 2 million won per baby is provided as National Happiness Card points.

Supported by

• Children born on or after January 1, 2024, who have been assigned a Resident Registration Number
• Even foreign parents can apply if the newborn has been assigned a Resident Registration Number or Registration Number in Korea.

Source: Republic of Korea Policy Briefing (Republic of Korea Official e-Government Website)

Support amount

• Usage Period: Within 2 years from the date of birth
• Eligible Industries: Usable in most industries (except entertainment, gambling, duty-free shops, etc.)

How to apply

• Application Location: Public Health Center or Community Center with jurisdiction over the newborn's registered address
• Online Application: Bokjiro Official Website
• Required documents: Application for Social Security Benefits (Social Service Voucher), ID card, Family Relationship Certificate (if necessary)
• For applications by proxy: A power of attorney and a copy of identification are required.

Maternal and Newborn Health Care Service

• This is a service where a professionally trained healthcare professional visits the home to care for both the mother's recovery and the baby's health.

Eligibility and Application Method

• Eligibility: Families with newborns who are registered as residents or foreigners
• If both spouses are foreign nationals, only holders of F-2 (Residence), F-5 (Permanent Residence), or F-6 (Marriage Immigrant) visas are eligible.
• Application Period: From 40 days before the due date to within 60 days after delivery
• Application Location: Public Health Center at the mother's address or Bokjiro website

What is provided

Basic examination items that pregnant women must undergo

• The following are prenatal examination items recommended by public health centers or medical institutions nationwide, and some items may be performed additionally depending on health status or risk factors.

• 
  general blood test
  (Anemia, red blood cells, white blood cells, etc.)
• 
  blood type test
  (ABO, Rh factors)
• 
  Syphilis test
  
  
• 
  Hepatitis Test
  (HBsAg, antibodies, etc.)
• 
  urine test
  (Proteinuria, diabetes indicators, etc.)
• 
  ultrasound examination
  (Fetal development, position, presence of structural abnormalities, etc.)
• 
  Maternal infectious disease tests, such as rubella antibody tests and hepatitis B antibody tests
• 
  Additional detailed examinations in case of other high-risk factors or abnormal findings

• Pyeongtaek Public Health Center: Located at 56, Pyeongtaek 5-ro, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do (Bijeon-dong).
• Pyeongtaek City Songtan Health Center: Located in Ichung-dong, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do.