Q1: What is National Health Insurance (NHI)? What is the coverage of the NHI program?
A1: NHI is a compulsory social insurance, every Taiwanese citizen with household registration 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 insured are legally obligated to pay for their premium and have equal rights to access medical care when they fall ill.
Q2: What is the qualification for foreign professionals to be an insured of NHI? How to enroll in the NHI program?
A2: People who obtain an employment in Taiwan, get the work permit under the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals and their ARCs, shall enroll in the NHI program by their company (formally known as the “group insurance applicant”) from the day they are employed. Additionally the foreign professionals, foreign special professionals, and foreign senior professionals become employers or self-employed owners of professional business in Article 10 item 1, subparagraph 1, paragraph 4 of the National Health Insurance Act in Taiwan, shall apply as a group insurance applicant through National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) branch office, then finish the enrollment for themselves from the day their business is founded.
Q3: What are the qualifications for spouses, minor children, and children in age of majority who are unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability of foreign professionals to enroll in National Health Insurance?
A3: Those who obtain the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), spouses, minor children, and children in age of majority who are unable to live independently due to physical or mental disability of foreign professionals, foreign special professionals, and foreign senior professionals under Article 10 item 1, subparagraph 1, paragraph 4 of the National Health Insurance Act and Employers or self-employed owners of professional business, shall be the dependents of the foreign professionals, foreign special professionals, and foreign senior professionals and enroll in the NHI program through their companies.
Q4: How premiums are calculated and collected for foreign professionals, as well as their dependents?
A4: The premiums for wage-earners, the insured of category 1 are based on their monthly salary basis, for employers and self-employed owners of professional business are their profitable income regarding to the payroll bracket table, and reported by their group insurance applicant. The formula of premiums: 【Insured amount X insurance premium rate X contribution ratio X (1+number of dependents)】Premium will be withheld from employee’s paycheck then be transferred to the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA). The premium for those dependents are same as the insured and shall pay by the insured.
Q5: Qualifications for foreigners to join the National Health Insurance:
A5:
- Foreign resident who holds a resident certificate in Taiwan shall participate in National Health Insurance after a full 6 months of residence (having continuously stayed in Taiwan for 6 months, or having stayed in Taiwan for actual 6 months with a departure for less than 30 days, and the actual duration of residence should exclude the number of days staying abroad). However, those who have been employed legally can join NHI upon the date of employment. From December 1, 2017 newborn foreign infant who obtains a resident certificate in Taiwan shall join NHI upon the date of birth.
- In accordance with the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which went into force on Oct. 25, 2021, spouses, minor children, and physically or mentally disabled adult children who are unable to live independently, having obtained documentary proof of residence, shall immediately join the NHI as dependents of the foreign professionals, foreign special professionals, and foreign senior professionals upon receipt of their resident certificates.
- Foreign resident will lose NHI entitlement once his/her resident certificate expires, and should withdraw from the NHI.