Healthcare Reimbursement in South Korea: Who Reimburses What Depending on Your Situation

The social security agreement between France and South Korea was signed on 6 December 2004 and has been in force since 1 June 2007. CLEISS states that it coordinates invalidity, old-age and survivors’ insurance, with totalisation of insurance periods and payment of pensions wherever the person lives; sickness and work accidents are not part of it. For a retiree, CLEISS indicates that no provision allows care received in Korea to be reimbursed under the French pension. The carte Vitale therefore opens no reimbursement on site, and it is the status that designates the payer. See the glossary entry on the bilateral social security agreement.

The NHIS is the default payer: any registered foreigner who has resided in Korea for 6 months or more must enrol, and an employee of a covered employer is enrolled from the start of employment. The French embassy cites three categories that can request the exemption: seconded workers, CFE members and holders of recognised private insurance. The request is renewed every year and the NHIS examines it; it must be filed within 14 days of the enrolment declaration. For details of the Korean scheme, see the guide to the Korean healthcare system. The notions of reimbursement base and out-of-pocket cost help compare offers.

The local-contract employee is declared to the NHIS by their employer from the start of employment, with no condition on length of stay. The contribution, deducted from salary, is shared equally between employee and employer, and the benefits are those of a Korean insured person, with a co-payment of 30 to 60% for outpatient care and 20% for hospitalisation. See the glossary entry on the local contract.

The seconded employee of a French employer can remain enrolled in French social security (Sécurité sociale). CLEISS specifies that the France-Korea agreement does not cover sickness: the continuation falls under French law on secondment outside an agreement, for a duration of 3 years, renewable once only. French contributions are paid as if the employee were working in France, and local contributions may be added. Care is reimbursed within the limit of French benefits, on paid invoices accompanied by form S 3125c “care received abroad”, sent to the fund of enrolment. Sick leave is reported to the fund within 48 hours. CLEISS notes that health costs may be higher than in France and advises reviewing the supplementary insurance. The agreement also maintains family benefits for a seconded employee whose children accompany them.

A seconded employee can request the NHIS exemption, which alone decides whether to grant it. See seconded or expat and the glossary entry on the seconded worker.

The self-employed person or digital nomad has no Korean employer to enrol them. The NHIS treats them as a regional insured person after 6 months of residence, with a contribution calculated on a points system based on income and assets, and a minimum premium. Three routes exist: the NHIS, the CFE, or international insurance with an exemption requested from the NHIS. The workation visa itself requires insurance covering care and evacuation (see the page working in South Korea). See also digital nomad insurance.

The student holding a D-series visa (studies, training) is among the statuses eligible for the NHIS for a stay of more than 6 months. A CFE plan for people under 30 exists (see the glossary entry on the youth plan) and the guide to student insurance abroad compares the solutions.

The retiree does not fall under the S1 form, which applies in Europe, and the agreement reimburses no care. CLEISS recommends voluntary CFE membership or private insurance, in addition to NHIS enrolment after 6 months of residence. The CFE retirees’ plan is reserved for people with no occupational activity who hold a pension from the French basic scheme, with no health questionnaire. During a temporary stay in France, a retiree who receives a pension based on at least 15 years of insurance in France and who carries out no activity is covered; beyond one month of hospitalisation, prior medical approval from the fund is needed. See the guide to retiree health insurance abroad and the page on retiring in South Korea.

The spouse and children are attached to the NHIS as dependants if the conditions on family tie, income (less than 20 million KRW a year) and assets are met, or enrol themselves; the CFE and international insurers offer family contracts. For a seconded employee, accompanying dependants follow the holder in the French scheme. See expat family insurance.

The CFE is a voluntary social protection body. In France, its reimbursements go through the CPAM of Marne-la-Vallée (a local branch of the French health insurance); abroad, it reimburses according to rates or flat amounts specific to the country of care, applied to actual expenses. The difference with the price billed remains at the member’s expense: the guide to CFE reimbursements details this mechanism.

• Waiting period: none if enrolment takes place before departure or within three months of moving abroad; beyond that, three months before age 45 and six months from age 45 (see the glossary entry on the waiting period).
• Medical questionnaire: the CFE does not ask for one and cannot exclude a member.
• Maternity: conception must come after enrolment; daily allowances exist for employees who have kept the optional cover for at least 10 consecutive months.
• Stays in France: care received during a stay of less than three months in France is covered.

International health insurance at the first euro reimburses actual costs within its ceilings, after any deductible, waiting periods and exclusions. The French embassy notes that healthcare is very expensive in South Korea: direct billing, a suitable annual ceiling and medical evacuation should be compared from one contract to another.

The working holiday holder presents, to obtain their visa, health insurance valid for the whole stay, with minimum cover of 40,000,000 KRW (about €26,400) according to the Working Holiday Info Center guide; if the stay exceeds 6 months, NHIS enrolment becomes compulsory. For France, the guide cites the intergovernmental agreement among the cases of cover under a foreign law that may justify an exclusion; as CLEISS reminds us that the agreement does not cover sickness, the examination of the request is up to the NHIS. See working holiday insurance and the guide to working holiday insurance proof.

The tourist stays 90 days without a visa. The NHIS is for foreigners registered with immigration: a tourist stay therefore requires travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation, and the French embassy reminds us that healthcare is very expensive in South Korea. See long-stay travel insurance.

On returning to France, the PUMa opens on stable and regular residence, in principle with a 3-month waiting period. CLEISS specifies that, for countries whose agreement is limited to pensions, foreign periods count only for retirement and not for immediate health insurance. Holders of a French pension have no waiting period, occupational activity opens rights from the first hour worked, and CFE contributions can be taken into account, with a transitional right of 3 months. See returning to France and the guide to reducing the waiting period.

• Consultation: the NHIS leaves 30% at the patient’s expense at a clinic, 40% at a hospital, 50% at an urban general hospital (45% in a rural area) and 60% at a tertiary hospital; the seconded employee is reimbursed under French rules; the CFE applies its country scale; a first-euro contract reimburses actual costs within its ceilings.
• Hospitalisation: 20% at the patient’s expense with the NHIS, 5% for a registered cancer, 10% for a rare or incurable disease, under an annual ceiling depending on income; French scheme for the seconded employee; CFE or international contract for the rest.
• Medicines: 30% at the patient’s expense at a pharmacy with the NHIS; CFE scales or international contract ceilings in other situations.
• Dental: care follows the NHIS co-payment by establishment, with implants excluded from the ceiling calculation; the CFE and international contracts apply their scales or annual ceilings.
• Optical: glasses and lenses are not among the benefits described by the NHIS; their cover is read in the table of benefits of the chosen contract.
• Maternity: the NHIS pays an allowance of 1 million KRW (about €660) per single-foetus pregnancy; the CFE requires conception after enrolment; international contracts set their own waiting period.

The conversions on this page rely on the ECB reference rate of 02/10/2026: 1,513.44 KRW per €1. The reimbursement guide and the page on expat health insurance give benchmarks; Expavy helps you weigh these options against your situation.