Life In Korea (한국의 삶)

How To Get The National Happiness Card For Pregnant Women In Korea

With becoming pregnant in Korea comes a whole new set of rules, information, Korean vocabulary lists, shops to find, doctors to meet and well, just a lot of stuff to learn about. One of those things is the Pretty Mom card (고운맘카드) or National Happiness Card (국민행복카드) which all pregnant women, foreign and Korean alike, as long as they’re paying into the National Health Insurance system can get. This card is a pregnancy benefit that pregnant women can apply for in Korea and if you’re wondering how, this is the guide for you. 

pregnant in Korea: the pretty mom card, pregnancy benefits in Korea

If you’re pregnant in Korea, one of the first things you have to do is get the National Happiness Card from the Korean government to help pay for everything you need:

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Having a child is of course an expensive feat and the expenses just don’t stop, so my mom tells me. The Pretty Mom Card, which changed names to the National Happiness Card is supposed to help offset the high cost of having a child in Korea and it is certainly helpful. The card can be used at any hospital or clinic for pregnancy related visits. 

pregnant in Korea: the pretty mom card, pregnancy benefits in Korea

How to get the National Happiness Card In Korea

Visit the doctor and get some paperwork

Go to the doctor and after it has been confirmed that you are in fact pregnant, the doctor will provide a piece of paper that you can take to the bank. All doctors and clinics are aware of this form and at ours they automatically provided it to us. If it is not handed over, be sure to ask for it.

What to get from the doctor:

  1. Pregnancy Certificate (임신확인서 / imsin hwaginseo) 
    1. At the top of the certificate, it will say 건강보험 임신 – 출산 진료비 지급 신청서 (Application for Medical Insurance Premium for Pregnancy and Childbirth). In the middle of the page, you’ll see 임신 출산 확인 (Pregnancy and Fertility Check)
    2. Many doctors will only offer this document after hearing the heartbeat to establish viability. Though, some will give it to you earlier. Just ask. 
    3. They will ask how you will use the pregnancy certificate. Tell them it’s for the National Happiness Card (국민행복카드). More on that below.
    4. MAKE COPIES of the certificate because other offices that you need to visit to get other services/benefits may keep them for their records. 
  2. Medical Certificate (진단서 / jindanseo)Fee: W15,000 Korean, W20,000 English
    1. This is the official document that states you are, in fact, pregnant. 
    2. It must include your due date which the doctor will most likely include along with how far along you were on the day you went in for your first pregnant ultrasound. 
    3. You will need this document when you tell your employer you are pregnant, sign up for prenatal insurance, and “Pregnant Women First” Badge.
  3. The doctor may also give you a “pregnancy check-up” record which is a small booklet that you’re expected to bring with you to all of your subsequent check-ups.

Go to the bank

Head to KB or Shinhan Bank, or call your bank and see if they offer the card, more do now, and take your paper and your alien registration ID. You do not have to have a bank account with the bank already to get the card, but if you do, they will have your info on file.

Once there, a clerk will help you fill out the application form and explain that someone from the credit card company will call you to confirm the information. If you cannot speak Korean, the phone call will be in Korean, make sure you let the clerk at the bank know and they can call the English number and have you make the confirmation while you are at the bank in English, or another language of your choice. If you do not do this, expect a phone call from a Korean speaker within the week ahead and be prepared with your ID number and relevant information.

pregnant in Korea: the pretty mom card, pregnancy benefits in Korea

Use the card

Once the information has been confirmed, the card will be mailed to you at home and you can start using it immediately. You can learn more about how you can use the National Happiness Card (국민행복카드). This card is used to house vouchers from the Ministry of Health and Wellness to assist with certain circumstances. There are several vouchers that can be tacked onto this card, but you must be approved for each one. This card is what you will continue to use from pre-birth and continue after birth for things like daycare.

* Indicates which vouchers are offered to foreign/foreign (non-Korean) married couples


Are you having a baby in Korea? There are a lot of things that you might have questions about and things that are a bit different. I wrote quite a few posts on my experience having a baby in Korea. Check them out here:


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7 Comments

  • Saji

    Hi,

    Do we have to pay any amount for this card or is it completely free? Can we use the amount in card freely and we need not pay back any amount after usage? Do we have to register our card once we get it?

    Please guide. Thanks in advance.

    • Hallie

      The card is free to acquire and can only be used for purchases that go toward the development of your baby so it can go to pay the doctor fees, etc.

  • Jelly Belly

    Hi! I’m an expecting mom in Korea, and I just received the Mom card from Shinhan bank. I was trying to work out some details of the card with my Korean co-worker, who is telling me totally different information. According to her, there is no such thing as the government providing “free money” as a childbirth incentive. She says the card I received is a credit card that can be used to earn points and get discounts. Now I have no idea what is going on. Did Shinhan give me the wrong card? Where can I go to find out for sure? Is there a website? TIA 🙂

    • Hallie

      Does it say 고운맘 somewhere on it? If it doesn’t they may have given you a different card, however if you took the form in that your doctor should have given you, the bank teller would have known what you wanted. Your coworker is mistaken, the card does exist, but maybe you have the wrong one for some reason. You can go back to the bank and ask if it is the go-oon mom card and see what they say.

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