Healthcare in Korea for foreign residents, expats and investors

Can foreign residents join Korea's National Health Insurance?

Yes. A foreigner with alien registration and an eligible status of stay is enrolled in National Health Insurance automatically after 6 months in Korea. Employees are enrolled through their employer from the start of work, and some statuses are enrolled from the day of entry.

National Health Insurance says enrolled foreigners get the same coverage as Korean citizens.

• Foreign regional (self-employed) subscribers other than F-5 and F-6 pay each month's premium in advance, by the 25th of the previous month, and are charged at least the national average premium.
• If a foreign regional subscriber's premium is unpaid for 1 month or more, insurance benefits stop until the arrears are paid.
• An employee's spouse and children under 19 can be registered as dependents without the 6-month wait. This applies to people who entered on or after 3 April 2024.
• You can apply to be excluded if you already have equivalent coverage, for example under an employment contract or a foreign policy taken out before alien registration.

What do you need to register first?

A foreigner who will stay in Korea for more than 90 days must apply for alien registration at the immigration office for their place of stay within 90 days of entry. Health insurance enrollment and many everyday services depend on that registration.

• Hi Korea (hikorea.go.kr) is the official immigration e-government site, in Korean, English and Chinese. You can book a visit to the immigration office there.
• A mobile alien registration card has the same legal effect as the physical card.
• Staff of foreign embassies, consulates and international organizations and their families are exempt, but may register voluntarily.

Do you need a referral to see a doctor in Korea?

No, not for most care. With National Health Insurance you can go directly to any clinic or hospital except a tertiary general hospital, the highest tier of hospitals. To be treated under insurance at a tertiary hospital, you need a referral letter from another doctor.

• No referral is needed at a tertiary hospital for emergencies, childbirth, dental care and family medicine, among other listed exceptions.
• Since 20 May 2024, clinics and hospitals check your identity at each insured visit. Bring your alien registration card, passport or driver's license.

How do you find a hospital where you can communicate?

Search by specialty and area, then ask the hospital your questions in writing before you go. If you do not speak Korean, use a service that works in your language: an app with translation, a medical information helpline, or a three-way interpretation line.

• The TripDoc app lets you search and compare hospitals by specialty and area and consult them through real-time AI translation, and its voice interpreter helps during the visit. Without installing the app, you can also search hospitals on the web at app.tripdoc.kr.
• The Medical Korea Information Center on 1577-7129 gives information on medical services in Korea in English, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, daily from 09:00 to 18:00.
• Invest KOREA (KOTRA) lists Seoul hospitals and pharmacies with English service on its Health & Medical page, and its Investment Consulting Center on 1600-7119 gives foreign investors and their families free advice on settling in Korea.
• The Danuri Helpline on 1577-1366 offers three-way phone interpretation, for example with a hospital, for marriage immigrants and multicultural families.

Where do you buy medicine, including at night?

Prescription medicines are sold at pharmacies only against a prescription from a doctor in Korea. Prescriptions from other countries cannot be used. Over-the-counter medicines need no prescription, and a small set of basic medicines is sold at 24-hour convenience stores.

• Registered 24-hour convenience stores may sell 13 designated household medicines in four groups: fever and pain relievers, cold medicines, digestives and pain-relief patches. They sell one package of each item per purchase and do not sell them to children under 12.
• Local governments designate public night pharmacies, which by national rule open every day from 20:00 to 01:00. Local hours can differ.
• The national E-Gen pharmacy search, in Korean, lists pharmacies open after 22:00. Phone before you go, because hours change.
• The TripDoc app shows night pharmacies and pharmacies on a map based on your location, and the web version at app.tripdoc.kr has the same pharmacy and night pharmacy categories.

What should you do in a medical emergency?

Call 119 for an ambulance and 112 for the police. If you do not speak Korean, say "English please" or "Interpreter please" when the call is answered and the operator will connect an interpreter. A 119 ambulance is free for genuine emergencies, and no referral is needed for emergency care.

• Keep your home address in Korean on your phone so that you can read it out.
• The TripDoc app shows emergency rooms and night clinics on a map based on your location, for when you need to go yourself.

Which helplines answer in foreign languages?

Several public helplines answer in foreign languages. They differ in who they serve and when they are open, so save the ones that fit you. In an emergency, always call 119 first.

From abroad, 1345 is +82-2-1345 and the National Health Insurance Service is +82-33-811-2001.

What should newcomers set up in the first weeks?

A few steps in the first weeks make it much easier to get care when you need it. Most of them take minutes, and employers and relocation teams can include them in onboarding.

1. Apply for alien registration within 90 days of entry if you will stay longer than 90 days.
2. Check when your National Health Insurance starts: through your employer, from entry, or after 6 months.
3. Save 119, 1345 and your home address in Korean on your phone.
4. Find the clinic and the pharmacy nearest to your home and work, and a night pharmacy for evenings.
5. Install an app, or bookmark a website, that shows hospitals, emergency rooms and pharmacies near you and helps you talk to a hospital in your language.

How can employers and organizations help international staff?

Organizations that bring foreigners to Korea can prevent most healthcare problems by covering three points in onboarding: when health insurance starts, how to see a doctor and buy medicine, and which numbers to call.

TripDoc provides a ready-made description of its app and materials for settlement guides and onboarding packs.

• Tell new staff whether they are enrolled through the company and from which date.
• Share the helplines on this page that match your staff's languages.
• Link to this guide from your own material, or ask TripDoc for materials through the page for organizations.