Pregnancy and Childbirth Support (Foreign Mothers and Foreign Children)

At a glance

• Pregnancy and childbirth medical voucher: for health insurance subscribers or dependents who are pregnant or have given birth (including miscarriage and stillbirth), issued on the National Happiness Card.
• Foreign baby: a foreigner born in Korea must obtain a status of stay within 90 days of birth. The fee is 80,000 KRW.
• Child Allowance: for children with Korean nationality, 100,000 KRW a month for each eligible child.
• Parental Benefit (부모급여): for children under age 2 (2026).

Who must apply

• The medical voucher is for health insurance subscribers or dependents who are pregnant or have given birth (including miscarriage and stillbirth). If the subscriber or dependent who gave birth has died, the legal representative of an infant under age 2 is also eligible.
• The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) verifies identity by alien registration for a foreign mother, or by domestic residence report for an overseas Korean with foreign nationality.
• A foreigner born in Korea must obtain a status of stay within 90 days of birth.
• Child Allowance is for children with Korean nationality. It applies even if the parents are foreigners as long as the child is a Korean national, and also covers multiple nationals, children recognized as refugees, and persons of special merit under the Framework Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea. The child must have a properly issued resident registration number.
• Parental Benefit is for children under age 2 (2026).
• Who can register as a pregnant woman at a public health center differs by local government. Mapo-gu Public Health Center includes foreign women who married a Korean national and are pregnant or have given birth, or foreigners raising a child with Korean nationality.
• Goyang City public health center states that registration is not possible if both spouses are foreigners.

Where to apply

• Apply for the medical voucher (National Happiness Card) at an NHIS branch or partner financial institution, or online through NHIS or the financial institution.
• A foreign mother applying for additional support for areas with limited childbirth care (분만취약지) submits the documents by visiting an NHIS branch, by mail or by fax.
• For a newborn's status of stay, book a visit on Hi Korea and apply in person at the competent immigration office.
• Apply for Child Allowance at an eup/myeon/dong community center, on Bokjiro (복지로) or on Gov24 (정부24). Only birth parents can apply online.
• Apply for Parental Benefit at an eup/myeon/dong administrative welfare center (possible together with the birth report) or online on Bokjiro or Gov24.
• Pregnancy registration and tests are done at the public health center for your address (example: Mapo-gu Public Health Center maternal and child health center 02-3153-9090).

What to prepare

• Medical voucher: submit the issuance application to NHIS with a certificate confirming the pregnancy or birth.
• Additional payment for areas with limited childbirth care (foreign mothers): additional payment application and a certificate of alien registration (for overseas Koreans, proof of domestic residence report). It must be issued within the last 7 days.
• Newborn status of stay: application, passport or foreigner entry permit, and additional documents for each status of stay.
• Pregnancy registration at a public health center (Mapo-gu example): ID, maternal handbook, pregnancy confirmation.
• Goyang City public health center registration: ID, documents confirming resident registration, pregnancy confirmation issued by a hospital (with the due date).

Cost

• Check the support amount of the medical voucher in the government notice.
• The voucher can be used for the mother's medical expenses, medical expenses of infants under age 2, and prescribed drugs and treatment materials.
• For the mother, the voucher can be used until the day 2 years after the date of birth (or miscarriage or stillbirth).
• The fee for a grant of status of stay is 80,000 KRW. Diplomatic, official and agreement statuses and others are exempt.
• Child Allowance is 100,000 KRW a month for each eligible child, paid on the 25th of every month.
• Parental Benefit (as of 2026) is 1,000,000 KRW a month at age 0 and 500,000 KRW a month at age 1. If the child uses a daycare center, the difference of 416,000 KRW is paid at age 0.
• Pregnancy tests at Mapo-gu Public Health Center are free.

Procedure

• Step 1: After the pregnancy is confirmed, get a pregnancy confirmation from the hospital and apply for the medical voucher (National Happiness Card) with NHIS (branch or online) or a partner financial institution.
• Step 2: Check whether you can register as a pregnant woman at the public health center for your address, and register. Whether foreigners are covered differs by local government.
• Step 3: If the baby is a foreigner, book a visit on Hi Korea and apply for a grant of status of stay at the competent immigration office within 90 days of birth. Processing takes about 3 weeks to 3 months.
• Step 4: When the status is granted, a grant stamp is placed in the passport or a sticker is attached, and the status and period of stay are written in.
• Step 5: If the baby has Korean nationality, file the birth report within 1 month of birth.
• Step 6: If you apply for Child Allowance and Parental Benefit within 60 days of birth, they are paid retroactively from the month of birth.

Common sticking points

• Do not miss the deadline for a newborn's status of stay (90 days from birth).
• When applying for additional support for areas with limited childbirth care, the certificate of alien registration must be issued within the last 7 days.
• If both parents are foreigners and the baby is also a foreign national, the baby is not eligible for Child Allowance (nationality requirement).
• Whether foreigners can register at a public health center differs by local government, so check first with the health center for your address.
• Enquiries: Health and Welfare Call Center 129, NHIS 1577-1000.

This guide is general information and does not assess any individual case. Laws and amounts can change, so check the original text via the official links and with the competent office.