Foreigners can be covered with the NHI program on the condition that they satisfy some requirements for their coverage.
As of 2005, the number of foreigners covered by the NHI program was 215,198.
Those who have registered as foreigners at the Immigration Office and meet the required conditions
can make an application for enrollment to the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC).
Those who are the employers or the employees of workplaces in Korea can be covered as an insuree
in the category of the employee insured. Those who are excluded from the employee insured category
and have one of the following statuses of sojourn : F-2, F-4, D-1 9, E-1 5, E-7 8 or F-1, as well as
those who are the spouses and children under 20 years of age of the same, can be covered as an insuree
in the category of the self-employed insured.
For the employee coverage :
foreign workers shall make an application for NHIC enrollment to their workplace employer, who is by law responsible for
submitting the workers' application to the National Health Insurance Corporation with the required documentation.
The enrollment is retroactive to the date the applicant was first employed.
For the self-employed coverage :
foreigners shall make an application for enrollment at the nearest NHIC field office located within their residential area,
together with their certificate of foreign registration and passport, and any other relevant documents.
The enrollment is retroactive to the date the applicant was first registered as an alien in Korea.
For the employee insured :
and will be deducted from the monthly salary (50% of the contribution is shared by the employer). Irrespective of the actual date of enrollment,
the obligation of contribution payment is retroactive up to the date the enrollee was employed.
For the self-employed insured :
The contribution amount for those who have an income is calculated by [monthly salary X contribution rate]
and, for those who have no income, their contribution amount shall be equal to
[the average monthly contribution of the Korean self-employed in the previous year] ,
which amounts to approximately 48,000 won. The obligation of contribution payment is retroactive
up to the date the enrollee was registered as an alien in Korea.
For foreign students insured :
The contribution amount can be reduced by 30% and contribution payments shall be made in advance every three months.
The insurance benefit entitlements for foreigners are exactly the same as those
for Korean nationals. Similarly, when the foreigner insured person or the dependents
receive health care services at health care facilities, just like Korean enrollees,
they should pay the amount of co-payment required for the services covered.
