Single-payer National Health Insurance (NHI) funded by income-based premiums from employers, employees, and government, covering nearly the whole population, including long-term foreign residents. Here is what that actually means for an American or Briton living in Taiwan: what the public system gives you, what it does not, and where private cover fits.
Can you use the public system?
- Working for a local employer: Yes, from arrival as a legal resident
- Self-employed: Yes, once you complete residence registration
- Retired or not working: Yes, once you complete residence registration
Foreigners with an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) employed by a Taiwan-registered employer are enrolled in NHI from their first day of employment, with the employer handling registration and premium withholding. Non-employed ARC/APRC holders, including retirees, dependents, and Gold Card holders not locally employed, must complete 6 continuous months of residence (one trip abroad under 30 days is tolerated, with days away deducted from the count) before they can enrol as an individual insured person or dependent; premiums are then set at 5.17% (2026 general rate) of a standard insured amount, adjusted for the number of dependents. There is no US or UK-specific reciprocal deal; the 6-month clock applies uniformly regardless of nationality.
Waiting period: 6 months of continuous residence for non-employed ARC/APRC holders (retirees, dependents); one under-30-day trip abroad is tolerated with days away deducted; no wait for those enrolled through a Taiwan employer.
If you are retiring here
A non-working retiree has no public cover at all for their first 6 months of residence and must carry private insurance during that gap; once the 6 months are up, enrolment in NHI is straightforward and premiums are modest (around 5% of a standard assessed amount), with no special arrangement for US or UK nationals.
What public cover will not give you
- the 6-month pre-enrolment gap itself, during which non-working residents have no public cover at all
- private hospital rooms and elective or cosmetic procedures
- some advanced dental work (orthodontics, prosthetics) requires top-up payment
So do you need private health insurance?
Not a general residence-permit requirement once NHI-enrolled, but genuinely necessary during the mandatory 6-month pre-NHI window for non-working residents, and commonly used afterward to supplement private rooms and non-covered treatments. Proof of health insurance is also a condition of the main residence routes here, so most expats need a policy in place before they apply.
Loading the insurance checker…
Compare expat health insurance for Taiwan · Read the full Taiwan guide
General information, not insurance, immigration or medical advice. Rules change and individual situations differ; check the official position before you commit. Researched from official sources, July 2026.