Visitor health insurance for 601 visa holders

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Product	Hospital cover	Dental	Pregnancy cover	GP visits	Medical repatriation	Price
Promoted Frank Mid Workers Plus Bundle					$20,000	From $125 per month	Get quoteMore info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Promoted CBHS International Overseas Worker Top Hospital and Medical			Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $184.99 per month	Get 8 weeks free with CBHS International Health Overseas Workers Cover. Offer ends 30 June 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteMore info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Promoted Frank Basic Workers Cover			Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $60 per month	Get quoteMore info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS International Overseas Worker Base Hospital			Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $59.97 per month	Get 8 weeks free with CBHS International Health Overseas Workers Cover. Offer ends 30 June 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteMore info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Basic Overseas Visitors Cover					$20,000	From $80.95 per month	More info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS International Overseas Worker Mid Hospital and Medical			Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $95.98 per month	Get 8 weeks free with CBHS International Health Overseas Workers Cover. Offer ends 30 June 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteMore info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Allianz Care Australia Budget Visitors Cover					$5,000	From $148.7 per month	More info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Mid Overseas Visitors Cover					$20,000	From $132.85 per month	More info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Allianz Care Australia Standard Visitors Cover					$5,000	From 603.3 per month	More info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Top Overseas Visitors Cover					$20,000	From $207.70 per month	More info Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Pricing is based on a single live in the State of New South Wales on a visa , and is not from a country that Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with and is not eligible for cover under Medicare. Prices are accurate for 2025 but are subject to change.

Do I need health insurance on a 601 visa?

Yes, you need health insurance on a 601 visa. The 601 visa is subject to condition 8501, which requires travellers to have adequate health insurance while they're in Australia. This can come from an OVHC policy or a reciprocal health care agreement, if you're from one of the countries that has one.

More broadly, it's always a good idea to have solid health insurance when you come to Australia. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) policies are designed specifically for visitors.

Countries that can get a 601 visa

To qualify for a 601 visa, you must need to visit Australia for genuine tourism or business purposes. You must not work while in Australia (although you can conduct business visitor activities, such as attending conferences and negotiating contracts) and you must not study for more than three months. Acceptable tourist activities include holidays and seeing family and friends.

To be eligible for a 601 visa you must also hold a passport from one of the following countries or regions:

The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA)

Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy. If you're from one of these countries, you can access the public health system Medicare.

However, Medicare doesn't include everything. For instance, it doesn't cover ambulance fees or out of hospital services like dental, optical and physio – but health insurance can. For that reason, it's still a good idea to have some additional coverage - either an OVHC policy or a good travel insurance policy.

What does OVHC pay benefits towards?

If you're not covered by an OVHC policy during your Australia trip, you could be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical expenses if things go wrong. A few of the benfits that OVHC can pay for include:

• Hospital treatment, accommodation and theatre fees
• Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
• Emergency ambulance transportation fees
• Prescriptions and General Practitioner (GP) consultations

How to provide evidence of your health insurance arrangements

"If applicants are required to provide evidence of their health insurance arrangements, any the following may be considered acceptable, unless a particular visa subclass instruction requires other specific information:

• a copy of the insurance policy;
• a written letter or cover note from an acceptable insurance provider, certifying that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the prescribed adequate level of cover;
• evidence that the visa applicant has lawfully enrolled with Medicare via Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RCHA);
• evidence that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by health insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the adequate level of cover required under policy, with the understanding that the applicants will either enrol with Medicare under a RHCA or enrol in a private insurance arrangement after arrival; or
• for citizens from the Republic of Ireland that may access RCHA, evidence that they hold an Irish passport.

Family members applying separately from the primary visa applicant or visa holder must produce evidence as per above, which clearly indicates that they, as dependant applicants, will be covered upon arrival in Australia by a policy with an adequate level of cover."

— Kaku Caro is a lawyer in LegalVision's Corporate Immigration team. He has previous experience in the areas of commercial litigation, corporate and personal immigration. He also has experience advising on visa eligibility and preparing visa applications such as partner visas, employer-sponsored work visas, parent visas, and general skilled migration visas.

FAQs about the 601 visa

• Can OVHC pay benefits towards dental?

  Yes but you'll usually need to add extras cover to your policy. This can also cover you for out-of-hospital services like optical, physio and chiro.

• What health funds offer cover for 601 visa holders?

  Several Australian private health funds offer policies specifically designed to meet the cover needs of overseas visitors. These policies are known as Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) and they include cover for things like hospital accommodation and treatment, inpatient pharmaceuticals and emergency ambulance.

  The table below includes a brief rundown of the OVHC options available from Australian health funds.

  Health fund	Overseas Visitor Health Cover policy features	Find out more
  	HIF offers two competitive cover options for foreign visitors on non-working visas: Visitor Saver and Visitor Value. Both policies cover: Emergency ambulance Shared-room hospital accommodation Inpatient medical bills Theatre fees Pharmaceutical drugs Surgically implanted prostheses Visitor Value also includes shared-room accommodation in a private hospital, as well as cover for out-of-hospital expenses such as x-rays and GP visits.	More info
  	Australian Unity OVHC offers protection against health care costs all around Australia. Depending on the OVHC policy you may be covered for some or all of these services: Doctor and specialist fees Hospital treatment and accommodation Theatre fees In-hospital pharmaceuticals Emergency ambulance Day surgery and procedures	More info
  	nib provides four levels of OVHC to visitors: Budget Visitor Cover, Visitor Cover, Basic Visitor Cover, Mid Visitor Cover and Top Visitor Cover. All policies include cover for: Ambulance services Hospital accommodation and treatment Theatre fees Inpatient pharmaceuticals and repatriation Top and Mid policies also include extras cover for services like optical and dental.	More info
  	Allianz offers two levels of OVHC: Budget Visitors Cover and Standard Visitors Cover. Both policies cover: In-hospital doctor’s fees Hospital accommodation Theatre and intensive care fees Surgically implanted prostheses In-hospital pharmacy Emergency ambulance Medical repatriation Standard Visitors Cover also includes benefits for out-of-hospital care, for example GP visits and pathology.	More info
  	Bupa offers Standard Visitors Cover and Guardian Plus Visitors Cover to foreign citizens visiting Australia. Both policies include cover for inpatient medical services such as: Hospital treatment and accommodation Theatre fees In-hospital pharmaceuticals Doctor’s fees Both policies also include cover for GP visits and outpatient pharmaceuticals, while Guardian Plus Cover also includes extras such as dental, optical, physio and natural therapies.	More info
  	HBF offers two levels of cover of visitor health insurance: Standard Overseas Visitor Cover and Comprehensive Overseas Visitor Cover. Both policies cover more than 5,000 procedures in addition to providing cover for: Shared-room hospital accommodation Theatre fees Gap cover Emergency ambulance The Comprehensive policy also includes expensive procedures such as heart treatment and cataract surgery, as well as repatriation and out-of-hospital medical costs.	More info
  	Overseas Visitor Health Insurance from Medibank Private covers: Hospital accommodation Doctor’s fees Medical treatment costs Inpatient pharmaceuticals It also covers out-of-hospital treatment costs such as GP visits, x-rays and pathology, along with all emergency ambulance costs.	More info

• What is the 601 visa?

  The subclass 601 visa is more commonly known as the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). This electronic document allows foreign citizens to travel to Australia on short-term visits for tourism or business. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to consider a 600 visa instead.

  The ETA replaces the need for visitors to receive a visa label or stamp in their passport and also removes the requirement for application forms. In most cases the ETA can be issued electronically by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection via travel agents and airlines around the world.

  Once you have been granted an ETA, you are authorised to travel to and enter Australia. The ETA is automatically linked to your passport and it allows you to enter Australia as many times as you want in a 12-month period. The maximum duration of any one stay is three months.

• How do I apply for a 601 visa?

  The visa application requirements for the 601 visa vary depending on your country of origin. Contact your nearest immigration office for information on the details and documentation you need to provide during the application process. All documents you provide must be certified copies of original documents.

  You must be outside Australia when you apply for an ETA and you must apply at least two weeks before you travel. Passport holders from a select few countries – Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States – are eligible to apply for an ETA online, while all other passport holders will need to apply at either an immigration office outside of Australia, a travel agent or an airline.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

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