Can I pause my National Health Insurance (NHI) IC Card if I leave Taiwan and reactivate it when I return?

If you are planning to leave Taiwan for more than 6 months, you can apply to pause your NHI IC Card. You will not be required to pay the insurance fee while you are out of the country and can reactivate your card when you return to Taiwan.

  1. If you do not to apply for suspension:

    If your NHI status (Gold Card/ARC) is still valid upon returning to Taiwan, you will need to pay the insurance fee for the period you were abroad. If you no longer have NHI status (Gold Card/ARC has expired) upon returning to Taiwan, you will be required to pay back the insurance fee for the period you were abroad once you regain NHI status.

  2. If you apply for suspension:

    For those who return to Taiwan within 6 months, even if you have suspended your NHI coverage before going abroad, you will need to pay the insurance fee for the period you were abroad upon returning to Taiwan. Furthermore, according to the NHI Act , individuals who have suspended their NHI coverage due to overseas travel must wait 3 months after resuming coverage before they can apply for suspension again. Please check the NHIA information regarding NHI IC Card suspension . For more information, please contact the NHI IC Card Consultation Hotline: 0800-030598 or email them.