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LIFE IN KOREAPosted by Pablo 🇨🇴 Colombia · 1 month ago
Is the national health insurance mandatory for students?
got told it's automatic after 6 months and that it's around 70k a month whether you use it or not.
is that right? and is there a cheaper private option or is it just compulsory
is that right? and is there a cheaper private option or is it just compulsory
9 comments
OFFICIAL ANSWER
TaehyunALLO TEAM
Operations & Local Support · Seoul
Yes, it is compulsory, and yes, roughly what you were told — but the detail matters.
How it works for D-4 students:
1. Enrolment is automatic after six months of residence. You do not sign up; you are registered and the bills start arriving. Since 2021 there is no opting out for long-stay foreign residents.
2. The student rate for 2026 is around 70,000 to 75,000 won a month. Foreign students pay a reduced rate compared to other foreign residents, which is a real discount, not a technicality.
3. You pay it whether you use it or not. It is a tax-like contribution, not a subscription.
4. Unpaid bills matter. Arrears show up at visa extension and immigration can and does refuse extensions over them.
What you get for it is the part people underestimate. NHIS covers about 60 to 70 percent of medical costs, and Korean healthcare is cheap to begin with. A GP visit runs 3,000 to 6,000 won after coverage. A dental cleaning is around 15,000. An MRI that would be four figures elsewhere is a fraction of that. Prescriptions are inexpensive. For a year of study, most students come out ahead the first time anything goes wrong.
On private insurance: you can buy travel or expat cover in addition, and some students do for the first six months before NHIS kicks in. But it does not replace NHIS and it does not exempt you. If you want cover for those first six months, buy travel insurance from home before you fly — it is far cheaper than the equivalent bought in Korea.
Practical note: register your address correctly and keep it updated, because that is where the bills go. Students who move and do not update it are the ones who discover six months of arrears at extension time.
How it works for D-4 students:
1. Enrolment is automatic after six months of residence. You do not sign up; you are registered and the bills start arriving. Since 2021 there is no opting out for long-stay foreign residents.
2. The student rate for 2026 is around 70,000 to 75,000 won a month. Foreign students pay a reduced rate compared to other foreign residents, which is a real discount, not a technicality.
3. You pay it whether you use it or not. It is a tax-like contribution, not a subscription.
4. Unpaid bills matter. Arrears show up at visa extension and immigration can and does refuse extensions over them.
What you get for it is the part people underestimate. NHIS covers about 60 to 70 percent of medical costs, and Korean healthcare is cheap to begin with. A GP visit runs 3,000 to 6,000 won after coverage. A dental cleaning is around 15,000. An MRI that would be four figures elsewhere is a fraction of that. Prescriptions are inexpensive. For a year of study, most students come out ahead the first time anything goes wrong.
On private insurance: you can buy travel or expat cover in addition, and some students do for the first six months before NHIS kicks in. But it does not replace NHIS and it does not exempt you. If you want cover for those first six months, buy travel insurance from home before you fly — it is far cheaper than the equivalent bought in Korea.
Practical note: register your address correctly and keep it updated, because that is where the bills go. Students who move and do not update it are the ones who discover six months of arrears at extension time.
Was this helpful?Updated 1 month ago
9 comments
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You can still post anonymously after signing in.70k a month feels like a lot until you get sick once. i had a stomach thing, clinic + medication + follow up was under 20,000 won total
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dental too. cleaning was 15k. i got two years of dentistry done while i was there because it was cheaper than going home
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ok that reframes it completely, thanks
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PAY IT. i ignored two bills thinking it was optional and it came up at my visa extension. sorted it but it was a stressful week
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they really do check. it's linked to your ARC number, there's no hiding from it
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the first 6 months before it kicks in is the gap. get travel insurance from home for that period, way cheaper than buying anything in korea
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update your address when you move. mine went to my old goshiwon for 4 months and i had no idea until the letters caught up with me
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same thing happened to me. it's a 5 minute thing at the community centre, just do it
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you can pay it in the convenience store with the barcode on the bill btw, don't overthink it
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