Overseas visitors health cover (OVHC) is private health insurance designed specifically for people coming to Australia on a temporary visa. It's mandatory on some visas, but you may be exempt if you're a citizen of a country with a reciprocal health care agreement. If you're a student, you may need overseas student health cover.
OVHC can cover the following:
Cheaper policies will cover emergency ambulance rides and treatment in a hospital, plus accommodation fees. Other common services include cover for hernias, cancer and joint replacements.
Extras cover includes out-of-hospital care such as dental, optical, physiotherapy and chiropractic. Some more expensive OVHC policies will cover these treatments automatically. In other cases, you may need to take out a separate extras policy in addition to basic OVHC cover.
This is when you need to make an appointment at a doctor's clinic, known as a General Practitioner (GP) in Australia, because you're feeling unwell or have some other health issue that may require medication.
If you are on medication, it's likely worth getting a policy that will cover your prescriptions. Otherwise, medicine can be quite expensive in Australia.
If you become seriously unwell or suffer a life-altering disability, most overseas visitor policies will pay to fly you home under medical supervision.
There are some conditions and treatments that OVHC won't typically cover. Here are a few of the most common:
If you plan on working in Australia, your visa application will generally require you to have OVHC in place by the time you enter Australia, unless you're a citizen of a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.
"Migrants need to have health insurance from the time that they enter Australia. For example: Scenario 1) John Doe applies for a visa offshore and the visa is granted. He will arrive in Australia at 4:00am on 20/09/2022. He should get a health insurance policy that starts at 12:00am 20/09/2022. Scenario 2) Jane Doe is already in Australia under a particular visa that requires her to have health insurance, and applies for a subsequent visa onshore that also has this requirement. As she should already have a health insurance policy, she should continue to pay for this policy on an ongoing basis."
If you're from 1 of the 11 specific countries in the list below, you're eligible for Medicare and won't be required to have OVHC (although we still recommend it). That's because your country and Australia have an agreement called a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA).
Here are the countries that have an RHCA with Australia:
If you're changing to another visa, your best bet is to just carry on with the OVHC cover that you already have. For example, if you are on a temporary graduate visa (485) and are switching over to a temporary skill shortage visa (482).
If you've got your PR, then you are not required to keep your OVHC – but make sure you don't cancel before you get it. Once your PR has been approved, you will be eligible for private health insurance like most Australians.
You know that visa requirement we've been talking about? That's requirement 8501, and it means your visa may not be approved if you don't have health cover in place when you arrive in Australia.
To meet condition 8501, your insurance must meet the following criteria:
"Applicants generally provide a letter or policy statement from the insurance provider indicating that the person(s) have made adequate arrangements for health insurance. Generally speaking, health insurance is not a requirement for the visa to be granted. Rather, it is a visa condition imposed as part of the visa grant, commencing when they enter Australia."
To provide evidence you have adequate health insurance in place, most insurers will send you a copy of your policy as soon as you purchase it. You can attach this to your visa application.
"I arrived in Australia from the UK with no clue about health insurance, medicare or bulk billing! However, getting OVHC was a requirement for my visa. I took out a policy with Allianz, which covered the visa condition 8501. Policies with GP and dental visits cost quite a lot more, so i just got a basic policy for $80 that would cover me if i needed to go to Emergency. Luckily, i haven't had to use the policy much, but it's been great having peace of mind while also keeping the Australian Government happy!"
| Health fund | Hospital cover for overseas visitors | Extras cover available or included? | More info |
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| More info |
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| Health fund | Hospital cover for overseas visitors | Extras cover available or included? | More info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Care Australia |
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| More info |
| Australian Unity |
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| More info |
| Bupa |
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| More info |
| Frank Health Insurance |
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| More info |
| hbf |
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| More info |
| HCF |
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| More info |
| hif |
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| More info |
| IMAN |
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| More info |
| Medibank |
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| More info |
| nib |
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| More info |
No scary talk - let's face it, we all hate phone calls (sorry mum). Our mission is to bring you all the key stuff you need to know about OVHC without needing to call for help.
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If you’re an international student travelling to Australia on a student visa, you’ll need to take out Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
hi what is the best choose for us for insurance my subclass visa 188 we need basic cover
Hi Hossein,
Thank you for your question.
finder.com.au is a comparison and information service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice or product recommendations.
The table on the top of this page lists the name of insurers who offer cover for working visa health cover. If you would like to compare your options with help from an adviser you can do so by clicking green ‘Enquire now’ button and completing the contact form. Once you have done so, an adviser will be in touch to help you.
All the best,
Zubair
Looking for health insurance retirement visa subclass 410
Female 85 years old, currently with Bupa.
Thanks
Rob
Hi Rob,
Thank you for your question.
finder.com.au is a comparison and information service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice or product recommendations.
However, Bupa does provide cover for 410 visas. You will need to contact Bupa directly for further information.
All the best,
Zubair