Key Summary
- DocumentsHome country family relationship documents + certification + Korean translation are required together.
- CertificationApostille for countries that have signed the agreement, and confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the home country according to the guidance of the Corporation for non-participating countries.
- TranslationSubmit either a notarized translation by a notary public or a translation by a foreign language translation administrator and a translation confirmation certificate.
- ResidenceStarting in April 2024, there will be a 6-month residence requirement in the country, excluding spouses and children under 19 years of age.
There are frequently asked questions. “I brought a family relationship document from my hometown. If I just pay this, will I be registered as a dependent?”
In most cases, that alone is not enough. When receiving foreign documents, the National Health Insurance Service requires authentication and Korean translation to verify that the documents have been officially issued. If you miss even one step here, your application will not be accepted or a request for supplementation will be requested.
Below, we will divide the home country documents required for registration of foreign dependents by country type.
How to prepare by country type
| Classification | Authentication method | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Apostille Convention countries | Apostille in home country (China, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, etc.) | Korean translation required |
| Non-member country | Corporation guidance standards: Check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your home country or check with the local Korean embassy (Nepal, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand before February 2027, etc.) | Korean translation required |
| Translation method | Translation notarized by a notary public or foreign language translation administrator and translation confirmation certificate | |
Vietnam has become an Apostille Convention country since September 11, 2026. Old information often lists Vietnam as a non-member country, so you must prepare according to the latest standards.
Check the 6-month residency requirement first
From April 3, 2024, foreigners and overseas Koreans must reside in Korea for more than 6 months to become dependents of an employed subscriber. However, spouses and children under the age of 19 (including spouse's children) can register immediately after entering the country. Exceptions are also given to study abroad (D-2), general training for elementary, middle and high school students (D-4-3), non-professional employment (E-9), permanent residence (F-5), and marriage immigration (F-6).
So, if you are bringing your parents with you, you will have to apply 6 months after entering the country. In the meantime, if you prepare your documents in advance, you can register as soon as you meet the requirements.
The scope of dependents and income/property standards are the same as for domestic citizens. Spouses, parents, children, etc. are eligible, and must meet requirements such as annual income of 20 million won or less.
What documents are needed?
The basic documents are the dependent qualification acquisition report, alien registration card, and home country documents proving family relationships. Home country documents have different names in each country. In China, they mainly provide notarized kinship certificates or household registers, in Vietnam, birth certificates and marriage certificates, and in the Philippines, birth and marriage certificates issued by PSA.
You must also take note of the document expiration date. Based on guidance from the Corporation's regional headquarters, domestic documents are considered to be 3 months from the date of issuance, and foreign documents are considered to be 9 months from the date of issuance (certification date). Since operations may vary slightly from branch to branch, it is best to check in advance if the documents are old.
Reporting is done by the employee or the company. You can submit it by visiting the corporation's branch office, by mail, or by fax, and companies can also report it via EDI. It is advised that if you report as a dependent within 90 days from the day you became an employee subscriber, you can be recognized retroactively to the date you became eligible, so if you think the documents from your home country will arrive late, it is recommended to request documents as soon as possible. In some countries, it takes several weeks to receive documents and complete verification in your home country.
Translation comes in one of two ways:
Translation must be in Korean. Immigration documents may also be translated into English, but health insurance dependent documents are based on Korean translation.
There are two ways to be recognized. The first is a Korean translation notarized by a notary public. This is a method of notarizing the translation and the original (or a copy of the original) together to form one document. The second method is to attach a translation confirmation certificate to the Korean translation translated by a foreign language translation administrator. In both methods, the translation must exactly match the original, and if the spelling of your name or date of birth is different from your alien registration card, you may be requested to supplement it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I submit it as an English translation?
Korean translation is the standard for health insurance dependent documents. If you only have an English translation, you must translate it back into Korean and attach a notarized translation or translation confirmation certificate.
Q. Do documents from non-member countries also need to be confirmed by the embassy in Korea?
The Corporation's guidance standards require confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the home country or from the Korean embassy in that country. Information requesting separate embassy confirmation will not be confirmed.
Q. Do documents that have received an Apostille require translation?
Required. Apostille only confirms that the document is real, but does not convert the contents into Korean.
Q. When can parents register?
If you are not a spouse or child under the age of 19, you can apply after entering the country and living in the country for more than 6 months.
Conclusion
Registration of foreign dependents must be completed with family relations documents from the home country, authentication of the documents, and Korean translation. If you are from a contracting country, you can obtain an Apostille, and if you are a non-member country, you can obtain confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your home country. For translation, you can prepare the translation with a notarized translation, an administrative agency translation, and a translation confirmation certificate. If you are a parent, also calculate the six-month residency requirement.
Nanum Global directly handles translation by foreign language translation administrators, issuance of translation confirmation certificates, and translation notarization. If you send us the documents you have from your home country, we will check to see if they are properly authenticated and how to translate them.
Are you having trouble preparing documents for your dependent’s home country?
If you send us the documents from your home country, we will check to see if the certification is correct and how to translate them.
