When do Working Holiday (H-1) residents enrol in NHIS?

H-1 is listed by NHIS among the residence statuses that can be covered by the public scheme, but the starting date depends on how you are insured.

If an H-1 holder starts work at a workplace covered by National Health Insurance, employee insurance generally begins from the covered employment start date. The employer and employee share the contribution under the employee-insured rules.

If the person is not employee-insured, H-1 is among the statuses eligible for local insurance and the general six-month continuous-stay rule applies. NHIS normally processes automatic enrolment using immigration and registration records. The actual record should still be checked if there was a status change, an extended absence or employment around the expected enrolment date.

Working Holiday travel or medical insurance and NHIS are different. A policy bought for the visa or for travel is a private contract with its own limits and exclusions. It does not automatically replace statutory NHIS enrolment. Exclusion from employee insurance is available only when the legal conditions are met and NHIS accepts the evidence of equivalent cover.

Practical checks

• Ask the employer whether it has reported employee-insured status.
• If you are not employee-insured, calculate six months from the entry history NHIS recognises, not only from a visa issue date.
• Keep your registered address current so that bills and notices arrive.
• Ask NHIS to confirm any exclusion rather than relying on an insurer or visa checklist.

Read when foreign residents enrol generally and how contributions are calculated. Return to the NHIS guide.

Official sources

• NHIS — foreign-resident eligibility and applicable residence statuses
• National Health Insurance Act, Article 109
• Long-term foreign-resident health-insurance rules

Last verified: 18 September 2026.