The Australian government's immigration website says that "you must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia" if you are subject to the 8501 visa condition.
Most Australian visas come with the 8501 visa condition. This means you need to take out health insurance for coming to Australia. There are several Australian insurers that offer cover tailored to visa holders.
"Most Australian visas come with the condition that the visa holder must maintain adequate health insurance. This is called condition 8501. Health insurance has been mandated by the Australian government to ensure that visa holders make appropriate arrangements to cover any medical or hospital care they may require while in Australia, so that they can pay for the care they require should they fall sick or get into an accident. This ensures the visa holder's access to healthcare while in Australia without the need to rely on public funding, or having to pay for the full cost of health care out of pocket."
| Response | |
|---|---|
| 0 | 45.45% |
| Between 5 and 10 | 27.27% |
| 1 | 18.18% |
| 2 | 9.09% |
The 8501 condition applies to most working visas, including:
You can meet the 8501 health insurance requirement by taking out Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC). This is a type of health insurance designed specifically for visa holders coming to Australia.
The policies below all meet the 8501 condition. They can all send you a certificate within 48 hours of taking out a policy. You can attach this to your visa application. The start date should be when you expect to arrive in Australia, so you won't start paying for your policy until then.
You aren't obligated to get health insurance if you are from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia.
You will be eligible for Medicare – Australia's public healthcare system – if you're from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta or Italy.
However, it still may be worth getting health insurance. The Australian immigration website says:
"all visitors to Australia are strongly recommended to make their own arrangements for private health insurance (regardless of whether or not it is a visa condition)."
RHCAs also don't generally cover ambulance transportation, medical evacuation and some out of hospital services such as dental care – but many Overseas Visitor policies can.
"When I transitioned from a working holiday visa to a working visa in 2017, I was subject to condition 8501 meaning I had to maintain adequate health insurance. At the time, I was on a budget and just chose the cheapest one I could find (which was HBF) that met this condition."
The 461 visa is make for relatives of New Zealanders living in Australia. While kiwis have access to Medicare, 461 visa holders don't, and will need to take out health insurance (OVHC).
Read on to find out why international students need Overseas Student Health Cover, and what sets Allianz Care Australia OSHC apart from other similar insurance products.
Get cover quickly and easily for your stay in Australia.
Find out what health insurance you need for the 590 Visa and how to get cover for pre-existing conditions.
If you’re applying for a TSS visa to work in Australia, we explain what’s changed from the old 457 visa and help you find Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).
Compare overseas visitors cover from Medibank.
Compare OVHC options from HBF, and see which one is right for you.
Everything you need to know about the health insurance requirements of the 408 visa and how to find the right cover.
Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements in place with 11 countries, allowing visitors from those countries to access subsidised medical treatment under the Medicare system while in Australia.
If your parents are planning to visit you in Australia from another country, they will first need an appropriate visa, and secondly need health insurance while they are here. This guide explains how to do both.
Why compare with us
Our customers trust us
Hi Gary,
Thanks for writing this very useful article.
Is it right to say there is only one provider for non-working visitor visa for subclass 600 with health 8051 requirements?
i.e Allianz
And the covers are
Allianz Australia Budget Visitors Cover
Allianz Care Australia Standard Visitors Cover
If not can you state the others I might have missed?
thanks
Hi Varun,
All the insurers in the table provide appropriate cover for 8051 visa holders, including Allianz, HCF and Frank. There may be others who don’t currently partner with us as well.
You can contact each insurer for more information by clicking “get quote” or “more info”.
Best of luck!
Hi,
I wanted to know which all insurers provide OVHC that meets the 8501 requirement for VIsa Visitor subclass 600. It is for my parents aged around 68 and 75.
Thanks,
Ranjit
H Ranjit,
All of the insurance policies on this page meet the 8501 requirement.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Gary