Health insurance is not optional for international students
International students living in Korea are automatically enrolled in National Health Insurance. It is not a policy you apply for: once you meet the conditions, enrolment happens by law and premium bills start arriving. Private travel insurance or a policy from your home country cannot be used instead, and there is no option to decline. When the rules were revised in July 2019, foreign nationals staying six months or longer became individually insured subscribers (지역가입자) as a matter of principle, and students fall under that rule.
Many students only find out when several months of premiums arrive in a single bill. Premiums accrue from the date your coverage starts, so receiving your first notice late does not waive the months before it.
When coverage starts — it depends on your visa
The starting date is set by your residence status.
- D-2 (degree study) — coverage starts on the day you complete alien registration. If this is your first entry, your arrival date is the reference point. There is no waiting period.
- D-4 (general training, language programmes) — coverage starts six months after your date of entry. In other words, a student who arrives for a language programme has no health insurance for the first six months, and pays the full cost of any medical care during that time.
If you enter on a language programme and switch to a degree course (D-2) before those six months are up, you become eligible from the date of the change. You may well need a doctor during a language programme, so decide before you fly how you will cover that six-month gap — a university group policy, private student insurance, or something similar.
What it costs
A student's premium is not based on income or assets. It is set from the previous year's average household premium for individually insured subscribers, so you are billed even with no income in Korea. In return, study visa holders receive a 50% reduction.
As of 2026 the student premium is 79,320 KRW per month, half the pre-reduction amount. The figure moves each year with the contribution rate and the average premium, so check the new amount when the year turns. At roughly 950,000 KRW a year, it is a fixed cost that is easy to leave out of a study budget.
Bills are issued monthly and can be paid by automatic bank transfer, virtual account, or credit card. Setting up automatic transfer is the simplest way to avoid missing a due date.
What it covers
Once enrolled, you pay only part of the bill at clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies.
- Outpatient care — insurance covers roughly 40~70% of the cost. Your share depends on the type of institution: local clinic, hospital, or general hospital.
- Inpatient care — insurance covers about 80%. Because hospital stays are expensive, this is where having coverage makes the largest difference.
- Pharmacies — prescription medicines are treated the same way when they are covered items.
Cosmetic and plastic procedures, some health-screening items, and treatments classified as non-covered (비급여) are excluded. Dental work splits between covered and non-covered depending on the procedure.
Unpaid premiums block your visa extension
This is the part that matters most to students. Since 1 August 2019, the Ministry of Justice has restricted residence permits for foreign nationals who owe health insurance premiums.
- With three or fewer missed payments, your permit is shortened to six months or less.
- From the fourth missed payment, your stay can be refused.
- If you use a hospital while in arrears, you pay the full cost of care yourself. You remain enrolled, but the benefits are suspended.
Since 2023 the Ministry of Justice and the National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단, NHIS) have shared arrears data, so an immigration officer sees your payment record at the counter as you apply. Students routinely try to clear months of unpaid premiums days before an extension appointment and wreck their schedule in the process; paying on time each month is the cheapest route in the end.
What to do after you enrol
- Change of address — when you move, update your health insurance address along with your residence report so bills reach you. Arrears caused by an undelivered bill still count as arrears.
- Change of status — moving from D-4 to D-2, or to D-10 after graduation, can change both your subscriber category and your premium.
- Leaving Korea or taking a leave of absence — if you will be out of the country for an extended period, ask the NHIS whether you can report a suspension of benefits or a change in your status. Without that report, premiums keep accruing while you are away.
- Health insurance card — most hospitals accept your Alien Registration Card as identification, but some institutions ask for the insurance card itself.
Where to check
- National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단) — enrolment status, premium amounts, payment history. Counselling for foreign nationals is available in several languages.
- Your university's international office — the most accurate source on timing around admission and on whether a group policy applies.
- HiKorea (하이코리아) — for how arrears interact with a change or extension of residence status.
Premium amounts, reduction rates, and the rules on when coverage starts change from year to year. The figures in this article are as of 2026; always confirm the amount and the requirements that apply to you through official channels such as the National Health Insurance Service, your university's international office, and HiKorea.
Sources
- 성신여자대학교 국제교류처 「2026년 외국인 유학생 건강보험료 변경 안내」
- 법무부 「외국인 비자연장 전 세금·건강보험료 체납 확인제도」
- 국민건강보험공단 「장기체류 재외국민 및 외국인에 대한 건강보험 적용기준」
Information on this page is current as of September 2026.