Moving abroad for work or study usually comes with a mental checklist: visa paperwork, housing, maybe a new language to fumble through. Health coverage often gets pushed to the bottom of that list, treated as an afterthought rather than a deciding factor.
That’s a mistake, because access to public healthcare varies enormously depending on where you land. Some countries fold temporary residents into their national systems almost automatically, while others keep public coverage strictly for citizens and permanent residents. The seven countries below stand out because they build formal pathways for work permit holders, students, and other temporary residents to plug into public healthcare, not just tolerate private insurance as a stopgap.
1. Germany
Germany treats health insurance as a legal precondition for residence, not an optional extra. Health insurance is mandatory for anyone staying in Germany, whether you are planning to move, work, study, or visit, and there are two main types, public and private, depending mainly on your income, employment, and residency status.[1] For most employees below a certain income threshold, enrollment in the statutory system, the gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, is automatic through payroll contributions rather than something a worker has to arrange separately.
The coverage is genuinely comprehensive once someone is enrolled. Public health insurance is the most common, covering around 90% of German residents, funded through social security contributions.[1] Temporary postings and academic exchanges get their own carve-out too, since workers temporarily posted or seconded by their employer to Germany and students undertaking a year abroad or an internship can access healthcare in Germany using a European Health Insurance Card or a Global Health Insurance Card.[2] The catch for longer stays is that travel or expat insurance only bridges the gap before a person starts work or study, after which switching to full statutory or private coverage becomes compulsory.
2. United Kingdom
Britain’s approach is refreshingly transparent: pay a fee upfront, get treated like everyone else. The Immigration Health Surcharge allows foreign migrants in the UK to access most National Health Services at no further costs and in the same capacity as ordinary residents.[3] As of 2026, the surcharge is charged at £1,035 per year for most adult applicants, or £776 per year for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, and child applicants under 18.[4]
Once that payment clears, the visa holder isn’t treated as a second-tier patient. Introduced in April 2015 under section 38 of the Immigration Act 2014, the surcharge gives visa holders access to the National Health Service on the same basis as permanent UK residents.[5] There are sensible exemptions built in as well, since applicants under the Health and Care Worker visa are exempt from paying the IHS entirely, a special exemption recognising the contribution of health and care professionals in the NHS and social care sectors.[3] Prescriptions, dental care, and optical services still carry the standard NHS charges that apply to residents, so the surcharge covers core treatment rather than absolutely everything.
3. South Korea
South Korea folds most long-staying foreigners into its National Health Insurance Service almost as a matter of course. South Korea operates a universal healthcare system known as the National Health Insurance Service, a mandatory social insurance system that provides comprehensive medical benefits to all residents, including foreign nationals.[6] The general rule is straightforward: any foreigner or overseas Korean who has stayed in Korea for over six months is subject to mandatory subscription to health insurance.[7]
Certain visa categories skip that waiting period entirely. If you hold a D-2 international student visa, you do not wait six months, since D-2 holders have been mandatory NHIS enrollees since March 1, 2021.[8] Workers hired by Korean companies are enrolled from the start of employment as workplace subscribers, and the system’s reach is considerable, given that it covers the entire population of over 51 million people, including registered foreigners, connecting over 98,000 medical institutions across the peninsula.[9] Short-term visitors on tourist visas remain outside the mandatory scheme, which keeps the system focused on people who actually settle in the country for a meaningful stretch.
4. France
France’s Protection Universelle Maladie, known as PUMa, is built specifically around residency rather than nationality or citizenship status. The logic is simple: once someone has lived in France long enough to be considered a stable resident, they qualify for the same public reimbursement rates as French nationals, regardless of whether they arrived on a work contract, a long-stay student visa, or a family reunification permit. This matters for temporary residents because the eligibility clock starts running the moment someone settles in, not after years of accumulated residency.
In practice, PUMa enrolls residents at a set reimbursement rate for most standard care after they clear the initial residency threshold, with a supplementary mutuelle plan typically covering the remaining share of costs. Students and salaried workers on multi-year visas generally register through their local health insurance fund (CPAM) using proof of address and a residence permit. The system isn’t entirely free at the point of use, since co-payments and the mutuelle premium still apply, but the public backbone of coverage extends well beyond citizens and permanent residents.
5. Japan
Japan runs a dual public insurance structure that scoops up nearly every foreign resident staying more than three months. Salaried employees are automatically enrolled in Employees’ Health Insurance through their workplace, while students, freelancers, and others without a qualifying employer join the National Health Insurance (Kokuho) program administered by local municipalities. Registration is tied to holding a valid residence card, which is issued to anyone with a mid- to long-term visa, so the system doesn’t distinguish sharply between someone on a five-year work visa and someone who’s lived in Japan for decades.
The coverage itself is genuinely useful rather than symbolic. Enrollees typically pay a modest co-payment for most treatments, with the public insurance absorbing the larger share of the bill and income-based caps limiting how much any single patient pays out of pocket in a given month. Premiums are calculated based on income and municipality, which means costs can vary noticeably depending on where in Japan someone is registered, but the underlying entitlement to enroll remains consistent nationwide.
6. Netherlands
The Dutch system takes a slightly different structural approach, requiring nearly everyone who works or resides in the country to purchase basic health insurance from a private insurer, but under strict government-set terms. This basisverzekering, mandated under the Health Insurance Act, must cover a legally defined package of care, and insurers cannot refuse an applicant or charge higher premiums based on health status. Temporary workers, including many posted employees and long-stay work permit holders, fall under this obligation almost as soon as they start earning income in the Netherlands.
What makes the Dutch model distinct is that it blends private administration with public-style universality. Anyone required to hold the basic policy pays roughly the same base premium regardless of age or pre-existing conditions, and low-income residents can apply for a government subsidy called zorgtoeslag to offset the cost. Failing to take out insurance within four months of becoming liable can trigger fines, which underscores how seriously the country treats coverage as a civic obligation rather than a personal choice.
7. Taiwan
Taiwan’s National Health Insurance program is frequently cited as one of the more efficient universal systems in the world, and it extends to foreign residents holding an Alien Resident Certificate once they clear a standard residency period. Workers with employment permits are usually enrolled through their employer from very early in their stay, since Taiwanese labor law generally requires employers to register foreign staff for coverage alongside local employees. Students and dependents typically qualify once their resident status has been confirmed for the required stretch of time, which in practice is often measured in months rather than years.
The appeal for temporary residents lies in the low cost relative to the breadth of coverage. Premiums are income-based and shared between the individual, employer, and government, keeping personal contributions relatively modest even for lower-income workers. Co-payments for outpatient visits, hospital stays, and prescriptions remain low by international standards, and the program covers a wide range of care from routine checkups to major surgery, which gives temporary residents a level of financial protection that private travel insurance rarely matches.
These systems don’t erase every out-of-pocket cost, and eligibility rules shift often enough that anyone relocating should double-check the current requirements tied to their specific visa category before assuming coverage kicks in automatically. Still, the seven countries above share a meaningful trait: they build public healthcare access into the immigration process itself, rather than leaving temporary residents to fend for themselves in the private insurance market.
