Get a free health checkup

Foreigners are also eligible for free health checkups.

If you are enrolled in NHIS, you can get free health checkups just like Korean people. Your visa type does not matter.

How to check if you are eligible:
→ Check in the The건강보험 (official NHIS app) (official NHIS app) app
→ NHIS website (National Health Insurance Service (NHIS))
→ Phone: National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)
→ A notice may also come by mail

Whether I am eligible this year is decided by my birth year. In even-numbered years, people born in even-numbered years are eligible, and in odd-numbered years, people born in odd-numbered years are eligible.

General health checkup: What do they check?

The general health checkup checks your basic health condition.

Basic checkup items:
→ Height · Weight · Waist circumference · BMI
→ Blood pressure
→ Vision · Hearing
→ Blood test (blood sugar, cholesterol, liver function, kidney function, anemia)
→ Urine test
→ Chest X-ray

Additional items by age and gender:
→ Hepatitis B (age 40)
→ Hepatitis C (newly added in 2025)
→ Bone density (women aged 54 and 66)
→ Cognitive function (age 66 and older, every 2 years)
→ Mental health (ages 20 and 30, then every 10 years)
→ Lifestyle habits assessment

Cost: completely free (0 KRW)
Time needed: about 1~2 hours

Cancer screening: It checks for 6 types of cancer.

Depending on your age and gender, you can get up to 6 types of cancer screening.

Stomach cancer — age 40 and older, every 2 years
→ Gastroscopy or upper gastrointestinal contrast examination

Colorectal cancer — age 50 and over, every year
→ Fecal occult blood test (if positive, colonoscopy)

Liver cancer — high-risk group age 40 and over, every 6 months
→ Liver ultrasound + blood test (AFP)

Breast cancer — women aged 40 and over, every 2 years
→ Mammography

Cervical cancer — women aged 20 and over, every 2 years
→ Cervical cytology test
→ This is 100% free! (For other cancers, 10% is paid by the person)

Lung cancer — high-risk group aged 54–74 (smoking history of 30 pack-years or more), every 2 years
→ Low-dose chest CT

For the bottom 50% by income, all cancer screenings are free.

Where and how do I get it?

The process is simple.

Step 1: Check eligibility
→ Check in the The건강보험 (official NHIS app) (official NHIS app) app or on the NHIS website
→ Phone: National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)

Step 2: Find a health checkup institution
→ Search for a nearby health checkup institution on the NHIS website
→ Most local hospitals and Clinic / local doctor's office (1st tier) are health checkup institutions
→ University hospitals are also available

Step 3: Reservation and Visit
→ Most places need a phone reservation
→ What to bring: Alien Registration Card (ARC) (or Health Insurance Card)
→ No food for 8 hours before the test (because of the blood test)
→ It is good to go early in the morning

Step 4: Check the results
→ Receive the results by mail or online after about 15 days
→ You can also check in the The건강보험 (official NHIS app) (official NHIS app) app
→ If there is an abnormal finding, you will get guidance for a second checkup

Checkup period: Every year from January to December (any time within that year)

Children can also get free checkups.

Foreign children can also get infant health checkups for free.

Eligible: Infants and young children under 6 years old enrolled in NHIS
Number of times: Total 12 times from birth to under 6 years old
Cost: Completely free

Checkup timing (based on age in months):
→ 1st: 14–35 days after birth
→ 2nd: 4–6 months
→ 3rd: 9–12 months
→ After that, continue every 6 months to 1 year

Examination items:
→ Physical growth (height, weight, head circumference)
→ Development assessment (language, social skills, motor development)
→ Vision and hearing test
→ Oral checkup (dentist)
→ Health education

What foreign parents should know:
→ If you miss the checkup time, it moves to the next round (no retroactive application)
→ The results come out in Korean, so you may need interpretation help