Having a Baby in Korea as a Foreigner: A Resident's Guide to Benefits, Leave, and Paperwork

Last Updated on September 16, 2026

Last verified: September 2026, against the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s April 2026 “Childbirth Support” guide, the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s 2025–2026 leave amendments, and direct Korean-language government sources. This is a living document. If something has changed, leave a comment and I’ll get it fixed.

This article is a compilation of information that our local Jax Monchick put together during her stay here in South Korea. If you’re looking to start a family in Korea, there is a lot of information you should be aware of and a lot of things are different if you and your partner are both foreigners versus when you’re married with a Korean citizen.

Things can change over time, but this is a great basis of information if you are starting a family here in Korea. Are you pregnant in Korea? Trying to get pregnant? Wondering about that pregnancy badge or maternity leave? It’s all here.

If you want the more personal, day-in-the-life side of this journey rather than the paperwork, I’ve written about that separately: Pregnant in Korea: Superstitions, Benefits, and What to Expect covers the cultural side, Giving Birth in Korea: What To Expect as a Foreign Woman covers labor and delivery itself, and After Giving Birth in Korea: Birth Certificates, Subsidies, and Vaccinations picks up right where this guide leaves off. This piece is the reference document. Those are the lived-experience ones.

Are you pregnant in Korea? Want to start a family in Korea? Here is where to start:

Quick Facts: What You Actually Get, At a Glance
Things to think about if you’re starting a family in Korea
Infertility Clinics
What to do when you find out you’re pregnant in Korea
Birthing In Korea
Heading home with a baby
FAQ

Quick Facts: What You Actually Get, At a Glance

Read this table first. Everything below explains it in detail, but if you only have two minutes, start here.

Benefit	Amount (2026)	Who Actually Qualifies
Maternity leave	90 days (120 for twins+, 100 for premature births needing NICU care)	All employees enrolled in Employment Insurance, regardless of nationality
Spousal (paternity) leave	20 days, within 120 days of birth	Employees enrolled in Employment Insurance, regardless of nationality
Pregnancy/childbirth medical voucher (National Happiness Card)	₩1,000,000 (single fetus) / ₩1,400,000 (multiples), plus ₩200,000 more in designated underserved birth areas	Anyone enrolled in NHI or a dependent, regardless of nationality
First Meeting Voucher (첫만남이용권)	₩2,000,000 (first child) / ₩3,000,000 (second or later)	The baby needs a Korean resident registration number (Korean nationality, dual citizenship, or recognized refugee status). Not automatic for a baby with two foreign parents.
Parental Allowance (부모급여)	₩1,000,000/month (age 0) / ₩500,000/month (age 1)	Same resident-registration-number requirement as above
Child Allowance (아동수당)	₩100,000/month, under age 9 in 2026 (ceiling rises to under 13 by 2030)	Same resident-registration-number requirement as above
National daycare support (보육료)	₩280,000–₩584,000/month depending on age	Requires Korean nationality + resident registration number, or falls under the Multicultural Families Support Act
Seoul foreign-child daycare support	50% (ages 0–2) / 70% (ages 3–5) of listed monthly amounts	Registered foreign children (ARC) attending daycare in Seoul
Gyeonggi foreign-child daycare support	₩150,000/month	Registered foreign children ages 0–5, 90+ days of residence in Gyeonggi
Infertility treatment support (IVF/artificial insemination)	Partial to full coverage, up to 20 IVF cycles and 5 artificial insemination cycles per childbirth	Requires at least one spouse to be a Korean national with valid resident registration, both enrolled in NHI

The one distinction that decides almost everything on this page: resident registration number vs. foreign registration (ARC). Most of Korea’s headline cash benefits for parents, the First Meeting Voucher, Parental Allowance, Child Allowance, national daycare support, are legally tied to the child having a Korean resident registration number (주민등록번호). A baby born in Korea to two foreign parents does not automatically get one. Korea follows jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent), not birthright citizenship by soil, so unless the child qualifies through a Korean parent, dual citizenship, or refugee status, these specific programs generally don’t apply. The benefits that are open to foreign nationals directly (maternity/paternity leave, the pregnancy medical voucher, infertility treatment support under certain conditions, and Seoul/Gyeonggi’s specific foreign-child daycare subsidies) are laid out benefit by benefit below.

Who is this information for?

Intended for couples who are considered foreign residents of South Korea, this may or not pertain to people married with a Korean spouse and members of the US military stationed here. Some of it will, but not all of it does so keep that in mind as you read. Specifically, if you have an Alien Resident Card (ARC) AND are enrolled in National Health Insurance (NHI) you will find some useful information here.

Things to think about if you’re starting a family in Korea

Important things to note:

What is a resident registration number, and why does it matter so much here? A resident registration number (주민등록번호) is issued to Korean nationals and certain legally recognized groups (dual citizens, recognized refugees, special contributors). It is different from the foreign registration number on your ARC. Most of the big monthly cash benefits for children are written into law around this number, not around visa status or years lived in Korea.

IVF: In Korea, if you’re interested in IVF, you must be married to a person of the opposite sex. This is a requirement by law.
IVF and government support: Government-funded infertility treatment support requires that at least one spouse be a Korean national with valid resident registration, and that both spouses be enrolled in and paying for National Health Insurance. If you and your spouse are both foreign nationals, IVF is not covered by this program. Where it does apply, the support is more generous than many readers expect: up to 20 IVF treatments (fresh and frozen embryo transfers) and 5 artificial insemination treatments per childbirth, plus coverage for some costs that used to be entirely out of pocket, like frozen egg thawing.

What is covered by NHI

Labor Standards Act: Article 74: Protection of Pregnant Women (임산부의 보호: 제74조)

Employers must give a pregnant woman 90 days (singleton) / 120 days (multiple births) of maternity leave, which can fall before and after childbirth, but at least 45 days (singleton) / 60 days (multiple births) must fall after childbirth.
As of the 2025 amendments, there’s now a separate 100-day maternity leave category specifically for premature births where the baby requires NICU care.
Employers must ensure that pregnant female workers can use the full amount of maternity leave at any time before giving birth if they claim to leave for reasons prescribed by Presidential Decree, which may include miscarriage or stillbirth, being over 40 years old at the time of requesting post-birth leave, or submitting a medical certificate indicating a risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.
Since February 23, 2025, leave for a miscarriage or stillbirth is tiered by how far along the pregnancy was, ranging from a few days for a very early loss up to the full leave period for a loss late in pregnancy.
This is not the case for abortions under artificial abortion surgery (except for cases underArticle 14 (1) of the Mother and Child Health Act).Miscarriage or stillbirth
1. Miscarriage or stillbirth
2. Female workers are over 40 years old at the time of requesting post-birth leave
3. Submits a medical certificate that indicates that there is a risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.
The first 60 (singleton) / 75 (multiple births) days of maternity leave in accordance with paragraphs 1 through 3 above, must be paid. However, in cases where maternity leave benefits before and after childbirth are paid pursuant to Article 18 of the Gender Equality Employment and Work-family Balance Support Act. The responsibility for payment is waived within the limits of the amount.
Employers cannot force pregnant female workers to work overtime and if the pregnant female worker requests less strenuous type of work from the employer, the employer must comply.
Employers shall reinstate the female worker to the same position within the company or to a position with equal wages as before leave after the maternity leave time period is terminated in accordance with paragraph 1.
Employers should allow pregnant workers in the first 12 weeks or after 36 weeks of pregnancy to reduce their working hours by 2 hours per day (for workers doing less than 8 hours a day, working time can instead be shortened to 6 hours a day), without any reduction in wages.

Employment Insurance (고용보험 / goyong bohom)

Employment Insurance is one of Korea’s four social security insurances. Its purpose is to encourage stable employment and provide an insurance premium to people who lose their job, including women who give birth (live or stillbirth) or miscarry and are unable to work afterward.

It’s mandatory for Korean citizens and optional for foreign employees. Your employer will more than likely NOT enroll you automatically when you start working for them. You’ll need to check with the admin at work to ensure enrollment.

If you’d like to take maternity leave before and after the baby is born, you MUST sign up for and pay into Employment Insurance at least 3 months before the baby is born.

Maternity leave via employment insurance

Who: Pregnant women enrolled in Employment Insurance for at least 180 days preceding the start date of maternity leave.

For companies eligible for priority support, the full leave (90 days, 120 for multiple fetuses) is paid from Employment Insurance. For large enterprises, the first 60 days (75 for multiple fetuses) are paid by the employer, with the remaining 30 days (45 for multiple fetuses) paid from Employment Insurance.

An employer who violates this is punishable by imprisonment for not more than two years or a fine not exceeding 20 million won (Article 110, Article 1 of the Labor Standards Act).

Spousal leave (updated): As of February 23, 2025, spousal leave increased from 10 days to 20 days, to be taken within 120 days of the child’s birth. Employers must allow workers to claim this leave and cannot dismiss or otherwise penalize an employee for taking it. If a company refuses to grant leave, it may be fined up to 10,000,000 won, or the person responsible may be sentenced to 2 years in prison.

How long:

Women: 90 days total. 45 days must be taken after birth; the remaining 45 can be taken before or after. Keep in mind: if your maternity leave overlaps regular vacation or red days you would have had off anyway, you don’t get to “make up” those days.
Spouse: 20 days (updated from the previous 10). Must be applied for within 30 days of the wife giving birth.

Who pays what:

Women: the first 60 days are paid by the employer; the remaining 30 days are paid by Employment Insurance coverage.
Spouse: paid through Employment Insurance, offsetting the employer’s obligation.

Wages: Maternity leave pay is based on the worker’s ordinary wage on the first day of leave. If the worker’s ordinary wage exceeds the government-set threshold, the employer pays the difference. Mock calculation of maternity leave benefits

How to sign up:

Through your employer (women): speak to the admin at your workplace. The website is in Korean; if you can’t read Korean, use the Google Translate Chrome extension, or ask someone who reads Korean well.

Through your employer (men), required documents for spousal leave benefits:

Spousal Maternity Leave application
A copy of the spouse’s maternity leave confirmation (first time only)
A copy of data (wage book, work contract, etc.) confirming normal wage
Data confirming whether a payment equivalent to normal wage was received from the employer during the leave period

Through the Employment Insurance Website (Korean only): available to self-employed workers with a valid ARC, and to foreign workers including short-term employees, professors, foreign industry trainees, and foreign workers with residence status.

New For 2026: Short-Term Parental Leave

This is a new option that didn’t exist when this article was first written, and it fixes a real problem a lot of parents in Korea run into.

Under Korean law, workers can already take parental leave (a separate, longer benefit from maternity leave) to care for children age 8 or younger, or in second grade or below, for up to a year per parent (up to 18 months for those who meet certain conditions). The catch used to be that any single stretch of leave shorter than 30 days wasn’t eligible for parental leave benefits, which made it hard to use for a sudden problem like a sick kid or a daycare closure.

As of the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s 2026 revised enforcement decrees, parents can now take 7 or 14 days of short-term parental leave once a year per child, and still receive parental leave benefits for it. This time comes out of your total parental leave entitlement but doesn’t count against the usual limit on how many times you can split your leave.

It can be used when a daycare or school closes, when a child is hospitalized or isolated due to illness, accident, or infectious disease, or for a school vacation (in which case the entire short-term leave period must overlap with the vacation, and you need to apply at least 30 days ahead). Benefits are calculated from your ordinary wage, with monthly payments capped at 2.5 million won for the first three months and lower caps after that.

Infertility Clinics

This is by no means an exhaustive list but is a good place to start if you’re looking for more information.

Seoul
- Cha Fertility Center: Seoul
  - Address: 416 Hangangdae-ro, Namdaemun-ro 5-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 중구 남대문로5가 한강대로 416)
- Cha Fertility Center: Gangnam
  - Address: 569 Nonhyeon-ro, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 강남구 역삼동 논현로 569)
- MARIA Fertility
  - Address: 20 Cheonhodae-ro, Yongshin-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 동대문구 용신동 천호대로 20)
- Hi Fertility
  - Address: 130-2 Gangseo-ro, Gayang 1-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 강서구 가양1동 강서로 130-2)
- Sarang-i IVF Center
  - Address: 175 Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 송파구 잠실동 175)
- MizMedi
  - Address: 295 Gangseo-ro, Balsan 1-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 강서구 발산1동 강서로 295)

What to do when you find out you’re pregnant in Korea

At the first doctor’s appointment

Pregnancy can be overwhelming and even more so when you’re abroad and don’t know the systems. Besides all the standard questions, ultrasound, and what happens next conversation with the doctor, you’ll want to be sure to walk out of that office with two pieces of paper.

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). Many doctors will only offer this document after hearing the heartbeat to establish viability, though some will give it to you earlier. Just ask.
2. They will ask how you will use the pregnancy certificate; tell them it’s for the National Happiness Card (국민행복카드).
3. Make copies of the certificate, because other offices you need to visit to get other services or benefits may keep them for their records.
Medical Certificate (진단서 / jindanseo) Fee: W15,000 Korean, W20,000 English
1. This is the official document stating you are, in fact, pregnant, and it must include your due date, which the doctor will most likely include along with how far along you were on the day of your first pregnancy ultrasound.
2. You will need this document when you tell your employer you are pregnant, sign up for prenatal insurance, and apply for the Pregnant Women First badge.
The doctor may also give you a small “pregnancy check-up” booklet you’re expected to bring to all subsequent check-ups.

National Happiness Card (국민행복카드 / gugmin haengbok kadeu)

What is the National Happiness Card? It’s the physical card (issued by BC Card, Lotte Card, or Samsung Card) that holds several government vouchers for pregnant women and parents, including the pregnancy/childbirth medical expense voucher and, if your baby qualifies (see the section on resident registration numbers above), several postnatal vouchers. You’ll keep using the same card from before birth through daycare age.

Vouchers

To check to see which vouchers you are eligible for, click here, and (using the Google Translate Chrome extension, if you can’t read Korean), answer the questions.
If you need further information, call NHIC at 1577-1000 or 02-390-2000 (English Helpline).
Health Insurance Pregnancy and Childbirth Medical Expenses Support

Health Insurance Pregnancy and Childbirth Medical Expenses Support, confirmed current as of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s April 2026 guide:

Who: Foreign nationals enrolled in NHI, or dependents thereof, who are pregnant or have given birth (including after miscarriage or stillbirth), or legal guardians of an enrollee’s dependent under age 2 in cases where the enrollee has passed away.
Amount: ₩1,000,000 for a single fetus, ₩1,400,000 for multiple fetuses, with an additional ₩200,000 for pregnancies in designated underserved birth areas.
Where it can be used: any medical institution where an OB/GYN works full-time. Oriental medical institutions have also been designated eligible since 2013, but double-check with your oriental doctor before going ahead with any procedure.
Card types: Credit (your Korean credit will be checked; payments deducted monthly), Check/Debit (must be linked to a bank account registered in the same name as your ARC; payments deducted at checkout), or Exclusive (issued when credit and check cards aren’t obtainable; no annual fee).

I’ve written a full standalone walkthrough of the application process, including which card issuer to call and what documents to have ready: How To Get The National Happiness Card For Pregnant Women In Korea. That article has the step-by-step; consider this the quick-reference version.

How to apply, in brief: register online, or in person at any bank listed (IBK, NH Nonghyup, Daegu Bank, Busan Bank, Kyungnam Bank, Woori Card, Post Office, Suhyup, Jeonbuk Bank, Jeju Bank, Gwangju Bank, SC First Bank), bringing your Pregnancy Certificate, ARC/passport, and pregnancy booklet if you have one. Samsung Card also has an English phone line (1688-8751); tell them you’re signing up for the “Mom Card” and they’ll walk you through it.

Pregnant Women First Badge (임산부 먼저 / imsanbu meonjeo)

Who: Pregnant women.

What: A badge designed to attach to clothing or a bag, so pregnant women can more easily get priority seating on public transit by making their pregnancy publicly visible.

Where: your local district health center (보건소 / bogeonso). Bring your Pregnancy Certificate and ARC/passport. Cut and paste 보건소 into Naver Maps to find the one closest to your house, appending the name of your gu (구) — for example, 마포구보건소 for Mapo District Health Office.

If you did not receive a Pregnancy Certificate, or haven’t yet confirmed you’re pregnant with a doctor, just bring your ARC to the local district health office and they will give you a pregnancy test first.

Extra: you may also receive some vitamins (folate/folic acid, and iron later in pregnancy). You’ll also get messages about air pollution and upcoming events, and it’s worth checking the schedule for free yoga and breastfeeding classes.

Local Community Center (주민센터 / jumin senteo)

Community centers are found in almost all neighborhoods and are a great resource for families, offering an array of free and affordable classes. All classes will be offered in Korean unless you luck out tremendously and find a teacher who also speaks English. Cut and paste 주민센터 into Naver Maps to find the one that services your neighborhood.

Do not confuse this with the Multicultural Family Support Center. In Korea, a multicultural family specifically means a foreigner married to a Korean citizen.

Prenatal Insurance (태아보험 / taeaboheom)

Major insurance companies (Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance, Meritz Fire and Marine Insurance, KB Insurance) offer insurance products for parents to prepare for their babies before giving birth. The sooner you sign up, the cheaper it is; sign up in your first trimester. It covers the baby until age 8 for things like hospital stays or treatment. Heungkuk Fire can sometimes accept applications even in the 2nd trimester and also works like a savings plan (which allows you to get some money back after the designated time), but you have to sign up for around 30 years, so be sure you actually want to do that.

It’s important to look into this prior to finding out if your baby will be born with any abnormalities. In my (Hallie’s) case, at one point, the doctor thought our daughter might be born with congenital heart disease or Autism, and she said before we find out, if we were looking to get the prenatal insurance we should do it. If you don’t, then the insurance won’t cover “pre-existing” issues. This is important to be aware of.

Birthing In Korea

If you’ll be giving birth in Korea, you can shop around a bit to find the place that best suits you. Maybe traveling further to a hospital with an English-speaking doctor is more comfortable for you, or just being closer to your house is more comfortable. In my (Hallie) personal experience, I switched doctors and hospitals three times before I found a birthing clinic I was happy with. They didn’t promote themselves as having English-speaking doctors, but mine spoke English just fine and had studied in Chicago. I say this so you don’t feel like you have to travel to the big hospitals often touted in English-speaking FB groups. There are a lot of options. Just make sure you know what to expect while you’re in labor in Korea. They still use enemas in Korea, and traditionally, expect you to be quiet while birthing.

One cost detail worth knowing: as of January 1, 2025, the government eliminated the patient copayment for insured C-section delivery costs, bringing it down from 5% to 0%, in line with natural delivery, which has long had no copayment on the insured portion. This doesn’t mean every hospital bill is zero. Non-insured items and extras are still separate.

I’ve written the full firsthand account of what labor and delivery actually felt like as a foreign patient here, hospital culture included: Giving Birth in Korea: What To Expect as a Foreign Woman.

Postnatal care centers/maternity hotels (산후조리원 / sanhu joliwon)

Traditionally, Korean moms spend a week or two in special postnatal care centers to recuperate. These centers replace the traditional care that was provided by the new mother’s mother after her first pregnancy. Here, women learn how to care for their newborn: change diapers, feed and burp, and bathe their baby, among other things. Foreign women are welcome to stay at a postnatal care center as well.

To find one, simply search “산후조리원” (sanhu joliwon) in your map app and see where they are located. Most women choose one within walking distance of their home, for two reasons: their husband can visit and even stay the night while still being able to take care of things at home, and Korean mothers use the stay as an opportunity to befriend other women who have just had babies too. After they leave the maternity hotels, they continue to meet up with other new moms, which is a great way to form baby social groups in your neighborhood.

Don’t wait to find one near you. Once women find out when they’ll be giving birth, they start going around to look at and book a stay at their local postnatal care center.

I stayed at one myself, and wrote up exactly what that experience was like, cost included: Korean Post-Natal Hotel: What Postpartum Care Is Like In Korea. If you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth it, start there.

If your household qualifies as low-income or falls under the Basic Livelihood Security program, note that there’s also a separate, subsidized Maternal and Newborn Health Care service (산모·신생아 건강관리사) that sends a professionally trained caregiver to your home rather than a stay at a facility. For families where both parents are foreign nationals, this is available to those holding F-2 (resident), F-5 (permanent resident), or F-6 (marriage migrant) visas, with valid registration.

Heading home with a baby

Congratulations on becoming a parent! Let the show begin! This section is in the order in which you should acquire all the legal documents to make your baby a legitimate citizen in your home country as well as a foreign resident in South Korea.

Getting home after the birth

Things to note;
- Some hospitals may provide a shuttle service for you and your newborn. Inquire a few weeks before your due date to get it all sorted if it’s an option.
- Car seat (카시트 or more commonly used 인명보호 장구를 “life-saving device”):
  - There isn’t much in Korean law about the use of car seats.
  - Road Traffic Act (도로교통법 /dorogyotongbop)
    1. Article 50 (Specifications for Specific Drivers) states some information about “life-saving devices,” but not specifically car seats.
    2. Since regular seat belts are made to only fit adults, the authorities are now requiring children under six years old to be secured in an infant or child car seat. Anyone who will be violating the said law will be imposed with a fine of W60,000 under the improper children and the handicapped protection traffic violation. The law, however, does not specifically indicate the required type of car seat for the mentioned age group.
- Public transit
  - If this is your only option to get home after the birth, just take the easiest route home, one with the least amount of transfers.
  - Be sure to take all the precautionary measures when carrying your newborn home from the hospital.
  - Calling a taxi and paying the extra fees will probably be worth not having to stress about navigating the public transit system right after giving birth.
- You just did the most amazing thing, give yourself this break!

Citizenship: Apply for Baby’s passport and social security card

Parents must immediately apply for a passport for their newborn and bring proof of the application within 30 days of birth to Immigration. Once the passport has been issued, they must return to Immigration to file the paperwork registering the baby as a foreign resident. The baby does not have to be present for that step.

Babies born in Korea to foreign nationals are not Korean citizens and must be registered as foreign residents.

American Passport, US Citizen Parent(s): Remember, this assumes two foreign parents, not one Korean spouse. If you’re a multicultural couple with one Korean and one American parent, there’s additional information worth knowing if your child will have both a legal Korean name and a legal English name. Here’s how we got the American passport and then the Korean passport for our daughter, so she could have both.

Here is information about how we got the American passport and then the Korean passport here so that our daughter could have both a legal Korean name and a legal English name.

US Embassy, Seoul OR US Consulate, Busan
- Apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) within 90 days after the birth
  1. Forms:
    1. Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) (Form DS:2029)
      1. CRBA is an official record confirming that the child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth (outside the US).
      2. Only the child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) can apply for the child.
      3. Fill out but do not sign. You’ll do that at the US Embassy.
    2. Passport Application. READ EVERYTHING….TWICE!
    3. One photo – 2″ x 2” (5cm x 5cm) photograph of your child
  2. Documents you’ll need:
    Originals or certified copies. All originals will be returned.
    1. Child’s birth certificate from hospital (Korean and English)
    2. Mother’s prenatal and hospital records
    3. Evidence of U.S. citizenship of the parent(s)
    4. Parents’ current and previous passports including those issued under other names and other nationalities.
    5. Evidence of you and your spouse’s relationship prior to the conception of the child.
    6. Marriage Certificate
    7. Divorce decrees/Death Certificates, if appropriate
    8. Fee: $215 ($100 CRBA and $115 Passport) USD or KRW
    9. Evidence of the American parent’s physical presence in the U.S.
      1. This one may take you the longest to round up all the documents you need to prove your physical presence in the U.S. Do this in the second or third trimester.
  3. DNA Examinations, if needed
    1. If it is not possible to conclusively determine the U.S. citizenship of a child at birth based on the documents submitted, the Consular Officer may request a DNA exam to establish parentage. This will involve the supervised taking of saliva samples from the parties involved by an accredited laboratory.
  4. Third-party attendance at passport and CRBA appointment interviews, if desired
- Schedule an appointment at the US Embassy in Seoul, but only after you’ve got everything from above! The Embassy is not the place where you want to figure out you forgot something. Double, triple, quadruple check your applications and documents.
  1. Child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) along with the child MUST BE PRESENT to sign the application before a U.S. consular officer.
- Fill out a return delivery courier slip at the Embassy. You will pay for this service in cash directly to the courier upon delivery.

Social Security Card:
- As of October 1, 2017, the US Embassy in Seoul doesn’t accept Social Security Card applications for U.S. citizens under the age of 12.
- Instead, you must go through the Social Security Administration’s Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Manila (Philippines). (March 27, 2020)Download, complete and sign Application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5-FS). All questions must be answered legibly.
  - Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Birth Certificate of the child
  - Send the completed Form SS-5-FS together with the following required documents. All documents submitted must be either originals or certified copies from a U.S. Embassy/Consulate. Uncertified photocopies are not acceptable.
  - Valid/Unexpired U.S. Passport of the child
  - Valid/Unexpired U.S. Passport or U.S. Government Issued ID (such as U.S. Driver’s License, U.S. Permanent Resident Card, U.S. State Identity Card or U.S. Military ID) of the parent who signed the Form SS-5-FS
    - Certified copies can be made at the US Embassy by appointment, free of charge for the purpose of SSN. On your appointment, present the original documents and inform the Consular Staff that you need certified copies which will be used as part of an application for a Social Security Number (SSN)/benefit.
- Mail documents using Fedex, UPS, or DHL with a tracking number.
- They will not return certified copies. They will copy and return original documents within one week by regular mail only. However, you may provide them with a prepaid self-addressed return label for the secure return of the documents. They can only accept return labels/airway bills issued by courier service companies (such as FedEx, UPS or DHL). Their local post office does not accept prepaid registered mail labels issued by foreign postal offices.
  - Address:
    - Social Security Administration
    - U.S. Embassy – Manila
    - 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita
    - Manila, Philippines 0930

Alien Resident Card (ARC) For Newborns with Foreign Parents

For children with two foreign parents in Korea, you need to register the child within 90 days of the child’s birth. The child will be registered under a Family Dependency (F-3) visa. The baby must have their passport to apply.

Forms:

Foreigners Registration Application (Sojourn Related Forms: Form No. 34)
Confirmation of Residence/Accommodation (Sojourn Related Forms, left-hand side)
1. Fill out Section One for the parent registering the child
2. Section Two: Landlord / Provider
  1. If your employer provides your home:
    1. Employer will fill out Section 2
    2. Employer will need to provide you with documents to prove your residence:
      1. Certified Copy of Register or Residential Lease Agreement
      2. Copy of your employer’s ID card (front and back)
  2. If you rent your home:
    1. Landlord will fill out Section 2
    2. Landlord will need to provide you will documents to prove your residence:
      1. Certified Copy of Register or Residential Lease Agreement
      2. Copy of your Landlord’s ID card (front and back)
  3. Power of Attorney form – generic form to allow you to sign on your child’s belf. Given to you at Immigration.
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) (you received this when applying for the passport)
Copies of both parent’s ARC (front and back)
Photo: 3.5cm x 4.5cm
Fee: 110,000

Make appointment (Only one parent has to be present. Baby does not have to be present.
ARC will be mailed to your home in about a month.

Register birth certificate with the local gu (구) office,

Register with National Health Insurance (NHI)

Either you or your employer can do this.
You’ll need a Certificate of Foreigner Registration

Make sure to get multiple copies of birth certificates in Korean and English.

If you want you can start researching daycares and put baby on the waitlists. Or do this when you’re pregnant so you can check out the daycares without the stress of having a baby with you.
If you have a baby less than one-year-old at home, you can get a 30% discount on your electricity bill of up to 16,000 won per month. Lasts a year.

What Benefits Does Your Baby Actually Get?

Resident registration number vs. foreign registration, one more time, because it matters this much: A baby with a Korean resident registration number (through a Korean parent, dual citizenship, or recognized refugee status) is treated, for benefit purposes, essentially like any other Korean child. A baby with only foreign registration (both parents foreign nationals, no claim to Korean nationality) is not automatically covered by most of the big national cash programs, even though the family may have lived in Korea for years and paid into the same tax and insurance systems as everyone else.

Benefit	Two Foreign Parents, Baby Has Only Foreign Registration	One Korean Parent (Multicultural Family) or Baby Has Korean Nationality	Low-Income / Basic Livelihood Security Recipients
Maternity/paternity leave	Yes, if enrolled in Employment Insurance	Yes	Yes
Pregnancy medical voucher (National Happiness Card)	Yes, if enrolled in NHI	Yes	Yes
First Meeting Voucher	Generally no	Yes, if the child has a resident registration number	Yes, if the child qualifies
Parental Allowance	Generally no	Yes	Yes
Child Allowance	Generally no	Yes	Yes
National daycare support (보육료)	Generally no	Yes, including full support regardless of income under the Multicultural Families Support Act	Yes
Seoul foreign-child daycare support	Yes (50% ages 0–2, 70% ages 3–5), if attending daycare in Seoul with valid ARC	Not needed; covered under national daycare support instead	N/A
Gyeonggi foreign-child daycare support	Yes (₩150,000/month), ages 0–5, with 90+ days of Gyeonggi residence	Not needed	N/A
Childbirth grant (cash, ₩700,000 plus ₩700,000 per newborn)	Generally no	Yes, if recipient of Basic Livelihood Security and married to a Korean national or raising a Korean-national child	Yes, under the same conditions
Local government childbirth congratulatory grants	Sometimes	Often	Often
Infertility treatment support	Generally no	Yes, if at least one spouse is a Korean national with valid registration, both enrolled in NHI	Depends on program

A few notes on the “generally no” column, since that’s the one that actually affects most readers of this article:

Many local governments (city or district level, separate from the national programs above) offer their own childbirth congratulatory grants, and some explicitly include foreign nationals with F-5 (permanent residency) or F-6 (marriage migrant) visas as eligible. This varies by district and changes often, so contact your local community service center (주민센터) directly rather than assuming either way.

Seoul and Gyeonggi are, as of this writing, the clearest confirmed examples of a local government stepping in specifically for registered foreign children where the national programs don’t reach. If you live elsewhere, it’s worth calling your city or provincial government directly to ask whether something similar exists locally; these programs have been expanding, and this article can’t track every municipality.

If any of this is genuinely unclear for your specific situation, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s general hotline (☎129) is the right first call, and it’s worth making before you plan a budget around a benefit you assume applies.

FAQ

Can foreigners get free healthcare for pregnancy in Korea?

Not free, but subsidized. If you’re enrolled in NHI, you’ll receive a National Happiness Card voucher worth ₩1,000,000 (₩1,400,000 for multiples) toward pregnancy and childbirth medical costs, and NHI covers a substantial share of routine prenatal and delivery care the way it does for any other insured condition.

Do foreigners get money for having a baby in Korea?

It depends entirely on your baby’s registration status. The pregnancy medical voucher applies regardless of nationality if you’re enrolled in NHI. The bigger cash programs (First Meeting Voucher, Parental Allowance, Child Allowance) generally require the baby to have a Korean resident registration number, which two foreign parents’ child typically won’t have unless a specific legal pathway applies. See the comparison table above.

Is IVF legal for unmarried couples in Korea?

No. Korean law requires you to be legally married, to a person of the opposite sex, to access IVF treatment.

Can a foreign national receive infertility treatment support?

Only if at least one spouse is a Korean national with valid resident registration and both spouses are enrolled in National Health Insurance. If both partners are foreign nationals, this specific government support does not apply, though the medical treatment itself is still available privately.

What’s the difference between Employment Insurance and National Health Insurance for pregnancy benefits?

NHI covers medical costs and the pregnancy voucher. Employment Insurance is what funds paid maternity and paternity leave. They’re separate systems with separate enrollment, and you may need both.

Can foreign residents use a Korean postnatal care center (산후조리원)?

Yes. I stayed at one myself and wrote about the experience in detail here.

Do you need to speak Korean to give birth in a Korean hospital?

No, but it helps to shop around. Plenty of doctors who don’t advertise themselves as English-speaking still are; I switched hospitals three times before finding the right fit, and my eventual doctor spoke fluent English despite not marketing that fact.

What happens if only one parent has an ARC?

This is a genuinely complicated case that depends on your specific visa situation and isn’t something I can responsibly generalize in a short answer.

Is daycare in Korea affordable for foreigners?

It runs roughly ₩400,000–₩500,000/month or more without subsidy for a family without Korean nationality or resident registration for the child, though Seoul and Gyeonggi both now offer partial subsidies specifically for registered foreign children (see the table above).

This is a lot of information and if you’ve made it this far and clicked on all of those links above, good for you. Having a baby in Korea, or anywhere for that matter, can be overwhelming. Just take everything one step at a time. You’ll get there… and congratulations.

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Having a Baby in Korea as a Foreigner: A Resident’s Guide to Benefits, Leave, and Paperwork