600 visa health insurance

Do you need health cover for the 600 visa?

Yes, you need some sort of health cover on a 600 visa, as you're liable for any medical expenses while you're visiting Australia. Exactly how much cover you need and how you get it will chance based on your country of origin and your specific visa conditions. Some 600 visas are subject to condition 8501, which means you will need to get an adequate OVHC policy. More on this below.

How to get health cover on a 600 visa

There are 3 ways you can get cover for a 600 (tourist) visa:

• Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC): This is heath insurance made for visitors to Australia, sold by an Australian company. It's custom made for the Aussie medical system and designed to suit the needs of visitors, workers, or students. Some OVHC policies will be made to suit the 8501 requirement, but many of them won't be.
• Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA): There are 11 countries that have an agreement with Australia to provide medical care for their residents. For many casual visitors, this is enough. However, it's not necessarily enough to satisfy condition 8501.
• Travel Insurance: If your visa is not subject to condition 8501, then travel insurance might be enough to cover your medical costs when you visit Australia. You can use a provider in your country, or get inbound travel insurance from Australia.

When OVHC is mandatory (condition 8501)

For some visitors on a 600 visa, health insurance may be mandatory. If your visa is subject to condition 8501, you must have adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia.

Condition 8501 might be attached to the following Visitor (subclass 600) visas:

• Tourist (In Australia)
• Tourist (Outside Australia)

Condition 8501 doesn't apply to the following Visitor (subclass 600) visas:

• Business Visitor
• Sponsored Family
• Approved Destination Status
• Frequent Traveller.

Note that not all OVHC policies are 8501 compliant. You'll need to make sure you policy covers 8501 standards when you sign up.

What is OVHC?

Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) is a type of private health insurance tailored to visa holders coming to work, live and visit Australia, like those on the 600 visa. It can cover you things including:

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

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Product	Visa Compliant	Hospital cover	Dental	Pregnancy cover	GP visits	Medical repatriation	Price
Promoted Allianz Care Australia Budget Working Cover						$20,000	From $66.40 per month	Get quoteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS 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 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...
Australian Unity Mid Overseas Visitors Cover						$20,000	From $132.85 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS 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...
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 person living 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.

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.

Finder survey: How many claims have people of different ages made on their Overseas Visitor Health Cover?

Reciprocal health care agreements on a 600 visa

Australia's public healthcare system, Medicare, generally only covers Australian citizens and permanent residents. You may be partially covered by Medicare if you're visiting Australia from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) in place.

Cover varies based on the country you're visiting from but generally includes:

• Free or reduced-cost treatment in a public hospital
• Subsidised prescription medicines
• Medicare benefits for out-of-hospital medical treatment and doctor's visits.

If you're a visitor, you aren't generally eligible for Medicare unless you are from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement in place with Australia. You may be partially covered by Medicare if you're from one of the following countries that Australia has an RHCA with:

Frequently asked questions

• What is OVHC and why do I need it?

  OVHC stands for Overseas Visitor Health Cover, which is a type of health insurance for visitors to Australia on a temporary visa. This insurance covers the cost of medical treatment and hospital care for the duration of your stay in Australia. It is required for individuals who hold a 600 visa and is necessary in order to meet the visa's health requirement.

• What types of OVHC policies are available?

  There are several types of OVHC policies available to visitors to Australia on a 600 visa. These include basic policies that cover the cost of treatment for certain conditions, as well as more comprehensive policies that cover a wider range of medical services. Some policies also offer additional benefits such as ambulance cover and private room accommodation.

• What companies offer OVHC to 600 visa holders?

  There are several companies that offer OVHC to visitors to Australia on a 600 visa. Some examples of these companies include Allianz Care Australia, Bupa and nib. It is important to compare the policies and prices offered by different companies to find the one that best meets your needs and budget. You should also make sure that the policy you choose meets the requirements of the 600 visa, as not all policies may be accepted.

• Does OVHC include out-of-hospital services?

  Neither Medicare nor OVHC usually includes out-of-hospital services like dental, physiotherapy and optical. However, lots of policies allow you to add extras cover onto your OVHC policy for as little as $3 per week.

• Are there waiting periods before I will be covered?

  Yes, a waiting period is the time you need to serve before you can submit a claim. The Australian government sets the waiting periods for hospital treatments, so they are the same no matter which health insurer you choose.

  • 12 months for pre-existing conditions (excluding psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care).
  • 12 months for pregnancy and maternity services.
  • 2 months for all other hospital treatments and services.

• Is the 600 or 651 the best tourist visa to visit Australia?

  It depends on your personal circumstances. The 651 visa is for eligible passport holders from a select group of countries for stays up to 3 months at a time. The 600 visa is for people who don't hold an eligible passport or for stays longer than 3 months and up to 12 months.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.

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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