National Health Insurance

National Health Insurance is a compulsory social insurance, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign national living in Taiwan with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll in the program. The participants are legally obligated to pay for premium and have equal rights to access medical care when they fall ill.

1. A foreign resident who holds a Resident Certificate in Taiwan may apply for National Health Insurance after a full 6 months of residence (having continuously stayed in Taiwan for 6 months, or having stayed in Taiwan for 6 months with a departure for less than 30 days; the actual duration of residence excludes the number of days spent abroad). However, those who become legally employed may apply for NHI on the date of employment. From December 1, 2017 onward, a newborn foreign infant who obtains a Resident Certificate in Taiwan will be eligible for NHI upon the date of birth.
2. In accordance with the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which went into force on Oct. 25, 2021: foreign special professionals and foreign senior professionals who meet the criteria for being insured as employers or self-employed business owners may apply for NHI immediately upon receipt of their Resident Certificates. This policy extends to their dependents (spouses, minor children, and adult children who are unable to live independently) who have obtained their own Resident Certificate(s).
3. A foreign resident will lose NHI entitlement once their Resident Certificate expires, and they will be withdrawn from the NHI.

You can apply online or visit your local district office to apply for a NHI IC Card. For more information, please visit the National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare’s website .

According to Article 9 of the National Health Insurance Act, without a regular employer, even if they join an occupational union or have a dependent with household registration, must have resided in Taiwan for at least 6 months to join the National Health Insurance. However, if your dependent is a Foreign Special Professional or holds an Employment Gold Card and is already insured, you can immediately join the NHI, according to Article 21 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals.

If you reside in Taiwan but are unable to meet the requirement of continuous residence for at least 6 months due to frequent overseas travel, and you have a need for medical insurance, we recommend purchasing a life insurance policy through domestic companies to cover it.

The following documents need to be prepared:

1. Application For NHI Card
2. National Health Insurance Coverage Application Form
3. Declaration form for establishment of a national health insurance unit
4. Copy of the Employment Gold Card
5. The Ministry of Economic Affairs company registration approval letter

For more details, please contact the Health Insurance Consultation Hotline :

Tel: +886-800-030-598

Mobile: +886-2-4128-678

• Taipei Divisions: +886-2-2191-2006
• Northern Divisions: +886-3-433-9111
• Central Divisions: +886-4-2258-3988
• Southern Divisions: +886-6-224-5678
• Eastern Divisions: +886-3-833-2111

According to Article 16 of the Enforcement Rules of the National Health Insurance Act and the announcement from the former Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Executive Yuan No. 0940068264 dated January 2, 2006, mainland spouses and children family reunion of the Gold Card holders can be covered by the National Health Insurance if they have stayed in Taiwan for at least six months.

Once you are employed by a Taiwanese organization or are qualified to be insured as an employer or self-employed business owner under Article 10 Paragraph 1 Subparagraph 1 Item 4 of the National Health Insurance Act, your spouse and your minor children and adult children who are unable to live independently will be covered under your enrollment as ‘dependents’.

If you are not employed or self-employed in Taiwan, your dependents must wait 6 months after holding a Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) before they may apply for health insurance. During this waiting period, they can only leave Taiwan once, and said period cannot exceed 30 days.

To enroll your dependents in NHI, please bring your Gold Card, their ARCs, and your stamps to the National Health Insurance Administration .

Please refer to article 21 of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals .

Should you have any questions regarding your dependents’ NHI, please call the health insurance consultation line

If you are using a landline, please call: +886-800-030-598

If you are using a mobile phone, please call: +886-2-4128-678

The premiums for wage-earners, the insured of category 1 are based on their monthly salary. For employers and self-employed owners of professional business it is based on their profitable income with regards to the payroll bracket table and reported by their group insurance applicant. The formula of premiums is as follows:【Insured amount X insurance premium rate X contribution ratio X (1+number of dependents)】The premium will be withheld from the employee’s paycheck and then be transferred to the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA). The premiums for those dependents are same as the insured and shall be paid by the insured.

For more detailed information about how premiums are calculated, please refer to NHIA’s website or contact the Health Insurance

Consultation Hotline:

Tel: +886-800-030-598

Mobile: +886-2-4128-678

Taipei Divisions: +886-2-2191-2006

Northern Divisions: +886-3-433-9111

Central Divisions: +886-4-2258-3988

You can bring the following documents to the National Health Service Office, post office, household registration office, or district office to handle the procedures:

1. A recent 2-inch half-length, front-facing, bareheaded photo without tinted glasses, with clear facial features (natural expression, not exaggerated). The photo should not be edited and must be clearly identifiable. Free photo services are available at NHI service counters, but background retouching is not provided. Photos can be provided on a CD, but USBs are temporarily not accepted to prevent possible hidden malicious programs.
2. Original identity documents of the cardholder (and agent, if applicable).
3. A handling fee of NT$200.

For more information, please refer to the NHI website – NHI Services – NHI Card Application and Registration – How to Apply for an NHI Card – Replace or Reissue NHI Card .

Additionally, you can use the NHI Express APP to handle the replacement or reissue of the NHI card. Please refer to this PDF guide.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) states that those who change their UI number, do not need to update their NHI IC Card until they enroll in another insurance.

If you are planning to leave Taiwan for more than 6 months, you can apply to pause your NHI IC Card. You will not be required to pay the insurance fee while you are out of the country and can reactivate your card when you return to Taiwan.

1. If you do not to apply for suspension:

   If your NHI status (Gold Card/ARC) is still valid upon returning to Taiwan, you will need to pay the insurance fee for the period you were abroad. If you no longer have NHI status (Gold Card/ARC has expired) upon returning to Taiwan, you will be required to pay back the insurance fee for the period you were abroad once you regain NHI status.

2. If you apply for suspension:

   For those who return to Taiwan within 6 months, even if you have suspended your NHI coverage before going abroad, you will need to pay the insurance fee for the period you were abroad upon returning to Taiwan. Furthermore, according to the NHI Act , individuals who have suspended their NHI coverage due to overseas travel must wait 3 months after resuming coverage before they can apply for suspension again. Please check the NHIA information regarding NHI IC Card suspension . For more information, please contact the NHI IC Card Consultation Hotline: 0800-030598 or email them.

You should rely on your working spouse or first-degree relative (parents or children) to apply for insurance as dependents. If they are not working or you have no direct blood relatives in Taiwan, please apply for insurance at the district office in the place of your residence.

For more detailed regulations, please refer to Article 18 of the Enforcement Rules of the National Health Insurance Act .