Overseas Cover

Overseas Visitors' Health Cover

This page provides information about health insurance eligibility for overseas visitors to Australia.

Overseas visitors on temporary visas are not eligible for Medicare benefits unless they are from a country with which Australia has a 'Reciprocal Health Care Agreement'. Currently, Australia has agreements with the United Kingdom, Malta, Finland, Sweden, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. If you are visiting Australia from these countries, you are generally covered for medically necessary treatment in a public hospital. If you are unsure of your Medicare eligibility status, you should check with your local Medicare office, which is listed in your local telephone book.

A number of private health insurers and general insurers provide health cover for overseas visitors. Benefits available, membership costs and eligibility can vary between insurers.

Most overseas visitors’ health cover products have limited cover for pharmaceuticals. Overseas visitors may face significant out of pocket costs if they need treatment with pharmaceuticals, particularly oncology (cancer treatment).

Lifetime Health Cover and the private health insurance rebate do not apply to overseas visitors' health cover. GST is applied to the cost of overseas visitors' health cover policies.

If you have any questions about overseas visitors' health cover, please call the Department on: 1800 020 103 (free call – anywhere in Australia)

If you would like to make an enquiry via email, please send to: privatehealth@health.gov.au

If you would like to contact us via post, please write to:

Overseas Visitors' Health Cover Enquiries
Private Health Insurance Branch
Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 86
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2602

If you have any questions about visa requirements, please contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship by telephone on 131 881 or sending an email to health.policy@immi.gov.au.