Korea’s National Health Checkup by Age: What Expats and Foreign Residents Need to Know
Information as of October 14, 2026.
South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) offers subscribers a general health checkup, with extra tests added at certain ages, plus screening for six cancers. This guide explains which tests are added at which age, using official pages from the NHIS, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Cancer Information Center, and what the NHIS’s own English pages say about foreign residents.
Are foreign residents covered?
According to the NHIS’s English information page for foreigners, foreigners and overseas Koreans who have lived in Korea for six months or more are automatically enrolled in National Health Insurance as local (self-employed) subscribers. Some visa holders (E-9 non-professional employment, F-5 permanent residents and F-6 marriage migrants) are enrolled from their entry or alien registration date. Holders of A (diplomatic), B (tourist), C (short-term) and most G-1 visas are not enrolled. Enrolled foreigners “receive the same insurance payment benefits as citizens”, and the page lists health checkups among those benefits. (NHIS, for foreigners)
The same page says the general checkup is for employee-insured people, local-subscriber heads of household, and household members and dependents aged 20 and over. People eligible for the following year are selected each November. If you think you qualify but weren’t selected, the page says to ask at an NHIS customer centre (branch office). The NHIS’s Korean page lists the same groups. (NHIS, for foreigners, NHIS general checkup)
What the sources don’t say: whether people who aren’t enrolled in NHIS (for example tourists, or people with foreign insurance who are exempt) can get the national checkup. Parts of the English foreigner page also look out of date: it refers to 2021 and lists five cancer screenings rather than six. Confirm details with NHIS, which runs an English-language line on 033-811-2000. (NHIS English benefits page)
What every checkup includes
Consultation, body measurements (height, weight, waist, obesity), vision and hearing, blood pressure, chest X-ray, blood tests (haemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, AST, ALT, gamma-GT, creatinine, eGFR), urine test and a dental check. (NHIS, National Rehabilitation Center)
Extra tests by age
| Age | Added general checkup items | Cancer screening |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Hepatitis B, lifestyle assessment, dental plaque test | Stomach (every 2 years) and breast (women, every 2 years) begin |
| 40s | Depression screening once; cholesterol panel (women from 40, every 4 years) | |
| 50 | Lifestyle assessment | Colorectal (every year) begins |
| 54 | Bone density (women) | Lung, for high-risk people aged 54–74 (every 2 years) |
| 56 | Hepatitis C antibody, lung function (Ministry of Health and Welfare list) | |
| 60 | Lifestyle assessment; bone density (women, Ministry list) | |
| 66 | Bone density (women), lung function, physical function, cognitive test (then every 2 years) |
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare, NHIS, National Cancer Information Center. Men get the cholesterol panel from age 24, every four years. (NHIS)
The lists don’t fully match: the Ministry of Health and Welfare page (updated June 30, 2026) includes hepatitis C and lung function at 56 and bone density at 60. The NHIS checkup page (checked October 14, 2026) does not, and lists bone density at 54 and 66 only. Both are government sources, so this could not be settled independently. Your personal checkup form shows which tests you’ll actually get.
Cancer screening methods and cost
Methods: stomach, endoscopy; colorectal, a stool blood test followed by colonoscopy if the result is abnormal; breast, mammogram; cervical, a cervical cell test; liver, ultrasound plus an AFP blood test; lung, low-dose chest CT. (National Cancer Information Center)
Cost: the general checkup is free. For cancer screening, NHIS pays 90% and you pay 10%, except for colorectal and cervical screening, which NHIS covers in full. (NHIS English benefits page, NHIS cancer screening) The NHIS Korean page also says people in the lowest 50% of premium payers pay nothing; this comes from NHIS alone. Sedation for endoscopy and H. pylori tests cost extra, and you pay for them yourself. (National Cancer Information Center)
FAQ
How often is the general checkup?
Every two years, by birth year; non-office workers get one every year. (NHIS, for foreigners, NHIS general checkup)
What should I bring?
The checkup form NHIS sends you and your ID. (National Cancer Information Center)
I’m on my company’s insurance. Is my spouse covered?
NHIS lists dependents aged 20 and over as eligible for the general checkup. On dependent status itself, NHIS says foreigners and overseas Koreans who entered Korea on or after April 3, 2024 must have lived in Korea for six months or more, or hold a qualifying status (D-2, D-4-3, E-9, F-5 or F-6), before they can become dependents. The six-month residence requirement does not apply to a spouse or to children under 19 (including the spouse’s children). The rule follows an amendment to Article 109 of the National Health Insurance Act that took effect on April 3, 2024. (NHIS)
Can I get the checkup in English?
The sources don’t say whether clinics offer the checkup in English. The NHIS phone line has English-speaking consultants (033-811-2000).
This article summarises public information from NHIS, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Cancer Information Center. It is not medical advice. Ask a doctor or other medical professional about which tests to have, what your results mean and whether you need further tests or treatment. Written by the Haesul Global health desk with AI assistance.
Sources
- National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), Information on the National Health Insurance Scheme for Foreigners and Korean Nationals Living Abroad (English), https://www.nhis.or.kr/nhis/policy/wbhada02410m01.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- NHIS, Insurance Benefits (English site), https://www.nhis.or.kr/english/wbheaa02600m01.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- NHIS, 외국인·재외국민 가입자관리 (dependent/local subscriber rules for foreigners), https://www.nhis.or.kr/nhis/policy/wbhada02400m01.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- NHIS, 일반건강검진 (general health checkup), https://www.nhis.or.kr/nhis/policy/wbhada19700m01.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- NHIS, 암검진 (cancer screening), https://www.nhis.or.kr/nhis/policy/wbhada19800m01.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- Ministry of Health and Welfare, 건강검진 (general checkup items, updated June 30, 2026), https://www.mohw.go.kr/menu.es?mid=a10706020200 (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- National Cancer Information Center (National Cancer Center), 국가암검진 사업 (national cancer screening), https://www.cancer.go.kr/lay1/S1T261C262/contents.do (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
- National Rehabilitation Center, 국가건강검진 (national checkup items), https://www.nrc.go.kr/checkup/html/content.do?depth=nc&menu_cd=03_01 (2026년 10월 14일 확인)
