School in South Korea: the school year starts on 1 March, the local school is open to you, and international schools

Q: What happens to child benefit and healthcare?

Child benefit stops . The SVB writes: you are not insured for child benefit if you live outside the Netherlands, even if you are still registered. The child-related budget then stops too. Only if a parent stays insured in the Netherlands, for example when posted abroad by a Dutch employer, can it be different. In Korea healthcare runs through the Korean health insurance, the NHIS. A foreigner without work becomes compulsorily insured after six months in Korea. If a parent works in Korea, the partner and children under 19 can be covered straight away. How you bridge the first six months, you read in healthcare in South Korea .

A foreign child may attend the local state primary school in South Korea. You enrol directly with the head teacher; for secondary school the education office assigns a school. The school year starts on 1 March. Lessons are in Korean, so many expat families choose an international school. Dutch child benefit stops when you leave.

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Written and checked by Auke on 26 October 2026, against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

A foreign child may attend the local state primary school in South Korea. You enrol your child yourself with the head teacher. For secondary school the education office of your region assigns a school. The school year starts on 1 March. Lessons are in Korean. That is why many foreign families choose an international school. It costs money, but your child can continue in English.

What does the Korean school year look like?

Part	What applies	Source
School year	two semesters; the first starts on 1 March, the second runs until the end of February	Enforcement Decree, article 44
Primary school (초등학교)	compulsory for Korean children from 1 March of the year after they turn 6	Education Act, article 13
Middle school (중학교)	follows primary school; also compulsory for Korean children	Education Act, article 13
Foreign child to primary school	the parent applies directly to the head teacher of the local school	Enforcement Decree, article 19
Foreign child to middle school	application to the education office (교육장) or the head teacher; the office assigns a school	Enforcement Decree, article 75
Level unclear	a provincial committee assesses the level	Enforcement Decree, article 98-2

The Dutch school year starts in August or September. If you arrive in the summer, your child joins the Korean school year halfway through. Discuss with the school which class your child enters.

Does your child have to go to school?

Under the law, Korean compulsory education applies to "all citizens". The law says nothing about foreign children. So your child may attend a Korean school, but the law sets no obligation. In practice you of course want your child to go to school. So choose before the move.

Mind the Dutch side. Only deregister your child from the school in the Netherlands once you know where it will go in Korea. How that works, you read in emigrating with children.

How do you enrol your child at a Korean school?

For primary school you go to the school in your own neighbourhood. The head teacher checks in the immigration service's records whether your child is in Korea and registered. If you do not want that, you bring the proof yourself:

proof of entries and exits or of your registration as a foreign national;
or proof that you live in the neighbourhood, such as your lease.

For middle school you go to the education office or the school. The office assigns the school. If your child cannot properly show its level, a provincial committee assesses it. Bring the school reports and the latest school statement from the Netherlands.

Some schools have a separate class for children returning from abroad or from a multicultural family. Where those classes are is up to the province. Ask the education office.

What about international schools?

International schools (외국인학교) are meant first of all for foreign children. A Korean child may only attend if it has lived abroad for at least three years in total, and usually for at most 30% of the places. That limit does not apply to your Dutch child.

Well-known schools in Seoul are Seoul Foreign School, which has been there since 1912 and offers the IB programme and the English curriculum, and Dulwich College Seoul, with the IB Diploma. At each school ask about the fees, the waiting list, which diploma your child will get and which papers the school wants to see.

Contact an international school as soon as you know which city you will live in. Ask about the application deadline and the waiting list: they are in no law, only the school itself knows them.

Will your child keep learning Dutch?

We could not find a school for Dutch language and culture (NTC) in Korea. Check the school finder of Stichting NOB yourself, which shows all NTC schools abroad.

What happens to child benefit and healthcare?

Child benefit stops. The SVB writes: you are not insured for child benefit if you live outside the Netherlands, even if you are still registered. The child-related budget then stops too. Only if a parent stays insured in the Netherlands, for example when posted abroad by a Dutch employer, can it be different.

In Korea healthcare runs through the Korean health insurance, the NHIS. A foreigner without work becomes compulsorily insured after six months in Korea. If a parent works in Korea, the partner and children under 19 can be covered straight away. How you bridge the first six months, you read in healthcare in South Korea.

Which residence status does your child need?

Your child needs its own residence status, which usually follows yours. With the digital nomad visa (F-1-D) minor children may come along. With the working holiday (H-1) they may not. Which route suits you, you read in residence routes in South Korea. If a partner comes along without a job of their own, also read emigrating with your partner.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.5: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to South Korea or go straight to step 3.5 in the open plan.

What this rests on

The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.

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