Compare Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC)

What is overseas visitors health cover?

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.

What is Condition 8501?

Condition 8501 is a mandatory health insurance requirement for certain Australian visas. If your visa is subject to this condition, you must maintain adequate health cover for the duration of your stay in Australia.

This typically means holding Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) that meets government requirements. Failing to maintain valid health insurance could affect your visa status.

To ensure compliance:

• Check if your visa has Condition 8501 before arriving in Australia.
• Purchase an OVHC policy that meets visa requirements.
• Keep your health insurance active while in Australia.

Even if you're eligible for Medicare under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA), you may still need OVHC to meet Condition 8501. Always review your visa conditions carefully.

Providing evidence of OVHC coverage

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.

"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."

Kaku Caro

Immigration Lawyer - LegalVision

What does OVHC cover?

OVHC is made to cover most of the medically necessary medical costs you're likely to have while you're in Australia. However, it doesn't cover everything. Here's what is typically covered:

Hospital care

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.

Doctor's appointments

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.

Prescribed medicine

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.

Repatriation

If you become seriously unwell or suffer a life-altering disability, most overseas visitor policies will pay to fly you home under medical supervision.

Extras (out-of-hospital services)

Some OVHC policies will cover out-of-hospital services, known as 'extras'. This includes dental, optical, physiotherapy and other services that you might need. These aren't covered by the most basic plans, so you'll either need a more comprehensive OVHC policy, or to take out a separate extras health policy (which you are allowed to do, even if you're not an Aussie citizen).

How to find the best overseas visitor health cover in Australia

We hate to break it to you, but there is no "best overseas visitor health cover" in Australia.

The best OVHC policy comes down to 3 questions: does it meet your visa conditions, does it cover the healthcare you're actually likely to need and does the price make sense for how long you're staying? If you're only here to satisfy condition 8501, a basic hospital policy will do the job. If you'll be in Australia for a few years, it's worth paying more for GP visits, prescriptions and extras, as out-of-pocket healthcare adds up quickly here.

To make things a little easier, we've selected some of our top picks for OVHC for different types of visitors, including students and those looking for top value cover.

Value

Frank Mid Workers Plus Bundle

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One of the highest scores of all OVHC policies on Finder

Student

Allianz Care Australia Overseas Standard Student Health Cover

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Competitively priced

How to find cheap OVHC cover

If you just need to tick the visa box, you don't have to spend big. The cheapest OVHC policies on Finder start at $59.50 a month — these are basic hospital-only policies that meet condition 8501, cover emergency ambulance and treatment in hospital, and not much else.

Here are the cheapest 8501-compliant policies you can compare on Finder:

"I arrived in Australia from overseas 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 a month 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!"

Alex Holderness

Head of publishing

Overseas visitor health cover for couples and families

If your visa requires you to have health insurance and the other members of your family are coming over on the same visa as you, everyone will be required to have OVHC. Most insurers offer singles, couples and family policies so that you can all be covered under the same policy.

That said, some couple policies can be really expensive for some visas, especially student visas. This tends to happen when you're both covered for pregnancy related claims and because you're a young couple, therefore considered by insurers as more likely to have kids soon.

What's not covered by overseas visitor health cover (OVHC)?

There are some conditions and treatments that OVHC won't typically cover. Here are a few of the most common:

• Ambulance rides that aren't considered an emergency
• Elective cosmetic surgery such as a nose job or breast implants
• Treatment arranged in advance of your arrival in Australia
• IVF and other assisted reproductive services
• Services provided outside of Australia

Do you need overseas visitor health cover?

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.

• Visas that may require OVHC

  Here's a list of visa classes (with numbers and names) that could require Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) in Australia:

  Visa Subclass	Visa Name
  BVA 010	Bridging Visa A
  BVB 020	Bridging Visa B
  BVC 030	Bridging Visa C
  BVE 050	Bridging Visa E
  403	Temporary Work International Relations
  405	Investor Retirement
  407	Training
  408	Temporary Work Activity
  410	Retirement
  417	Working Holiday
  461	NZ Citizen Family Relationship
  462	Work and Holiday
  482	Skills in Demand
  485	Temporary Graduate (Graduate Work, Post Study Work, Replacement Stream)
  500	Student
  590	Student Guardian
  600	Visitor (Tourist)
  771	Transit
  870	Sponsored Parent

Health insurance for foreigners in Australia

Most foreigners in Australia can't use Medicare, so they need private health insurance to cover medical and hospital costs. Which type you need depends on your visa:

• Temporary visa holders (visitors, workers, working holiday makers): you'll usually need Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC). It's mandatory if your visa has condition 8501.
• International students on a 500 visa: you'll need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your whole stay.
• Permanent residents: you can enrol in Medicare and buy regular Australian health insurance. You'll also need our guide on health insurance for permanent residents.
• Visitors from a reciprocal health care agreement country: you may get limited Medicare access, but you may still need OVHC to meet your visa conditions. For more information about reciprocal health care agreements, check out our guide.

Not sure if you're eligible for Medicare? Check with Services Australia. Then compare visa-compliant policies in the table above.

When should you get overseas visitor health cover?

If you're applying for a visa that requires health insurance, it's important to have Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) in place at the right time. Here's what you need to know:

• Before you apply for your visa - Many visas require proof of OVHC at the time of application. Check your visa requirements and arrange cover in advance.
• Before you arrive in Australia - If your visa has already been granted offshore, make sure your policy starts from the date you land.
• If you're already in Australia - If you're applying for a new visa onshore and your current visa requires OVHC, you should maintain continuous cover to meet the conditions of your visa.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

If you're from one of the 11 countries listed below, you're eligible for Medicare under an agreement between your country and Australia called a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA).

This gives you access to Medicare but doesn't automatically satisfy visa condition 8501 - if your visa carries that condition, you may still need OVHC for the length of your stay, so always check your visa grant letter rather than assuming the RHCA has you covered.

The RHCA allows you to receive publicly funded healthcare for:

• Medically necessary care outside of hospital
• Medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, including inpatient and outpatient services
• Certain prescription medicines at the general rate

Even if your visa doesn't require it, we suggest considering OVHC as well. RHCA benefits are limited, and private cover can help with:

• Ambulance services, which may not be fully covered under the RHCA
• Treatment in private hospitals or as a private patient in a public hospital
• Services not covered by Medicare, such as dental, optical and physiotherapy

Countries with an RHCA

If you're from any of the following countries, you can access Medicare under an RHCA:

• Belgium
• Finland
• Italy
• Malta
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Republic of Ireland
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

OVHC vs travel insurance: which do you need?

If your visa has condition 8501, you'll generally need OVHC. Travel insurance is made for short trips and may not meet your visa's health insurance requirements, so check with your insurer or the Department of Home Affairs before relying on it.

Some visitors hold both: OVHC to meet their visa conditions and travel insurance for flights, luggage and trips outside Australia. Compare travel insurance if you need cover for those too.

Frequently asked questions

• Is OVHC private health insurance?

  Yes. OVHC is private health insurance, designed for international visitors on a temporary visa. You can only get it from an Australian private health insurance provider.

• Can you get dental with OVHC?

  Yes. Some OVHC policies provide cover for dental treatment including general dental services like cleanings and simple fillings as well as major dental work like root canals, crowns and bridges.

  Not all insurers offer it, but the ones that do usually include it in their top-level policies only. You can also get dental cover by purchasing a standalone "extras" policy on top of your OVHC.

• How does OVHC work for pregnancy?

  Most OVHC policies will cover pregnancy, but at a reduced rate compared to other covered treatments. That's because not everyone needs pregnancy-related services and it's generally not considered an unexpected medical need.

  Insurers who cover pregnancy at a reduced rate (typically in a basic policy) will pay your hospital accommodation fees in a public hospital, but the rest will be up to you, including doctors fees, delivery fees, blood tests, ultrasounds and anaesthesia.

  However, some insurers do offer higher levels of private pregnancy cover that also include your choice of an obstetrician. These insurers will offer full cover for pregnancy within their mid- or top-level policies.

  For private pregnancy, you will have a waiting period of 12 months before you can use it. That means you will have to buy your policy well before you get pregnant.

• Can you get overseas visitors health cover with no waiting periods?

  Sometimes. If you've already served your waiting periods with another insurer, you won't need to serve them again when you switch to a similar policy. Some insurers also waive general waiting periods if you take out visa-compliant cover before or soon after you arrive in Australia. Otherwise, expect to wait around 2-6 months for most treatments and 12 months for pre-existing conditions and pregnancy.

• How much does OVHC cost?

  OVHC starts from around $53 a month for a basic hospital-only policy that meets condition 8501. Mid-level policies with medical and GP cover typically cost $100–$170 a month, while comprehensive policies with extras can run to $600+ a month. Your visa type, age and whether you're covering a partner or family all affect the price.

• Do you need to inform your health fund if your visa status changes?

  If you are switching to another visa that also requires you to have health cover, you'll probably need to ask your insurer for proof of cover to provide with your visa application. Otherwise, it's not necessary to let your insurer know about your visa change unless you want to make changes to your policy, cancel your policy or switch to a new policy.

• Does extras cover satisfy the health insurance conditions of your visa?

  No, if your visa requires you to have health insurance, a standalone extras policy won't cut it because it won't cover in-hospital treatments. Only an OVHC policy will meet your visa requirements, although you are free to purchase a standalone extras policy on top of your OVHC for additional cover.

• Do I need OVHC if I'm eligible for Medicare?

  It depends on your visa. If your visa has condition 8501, you may still need OVHC even if you can access Medicare under a reciprocal health care agreement, so check your visa grant letter. If your visa doesn't require health cover, OVHC is optional, but it covers things Medicare doesn't, including:

  • Emergency ambulance rides
  • Treatment in a private hospital, or as a private patient in a public hospital, with your choice of doctor
  • Dental and other extras (on some policies)
  • Medical repatriation to your home country

  If you're eligible for Medicare and earn more than $105,000 per year and you don't have private health insurance, you will be required to pay a tax called the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

• How does switching OVHC work?

  You'll need to get a clearance certificate from your current health fund, before you switch to your new one. Once you switch, you won't need to serve any waiting periods if you already served them on your previous fund.

• Can I claim OVHC on my tax return?

  No. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), these are not complying health insurance policies and you will not be eligible for the private health insurance rebate.

• Do I need OVHC if my country has a reciprocal health care agreement?

  Possibly, yes. A reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) gives you access to some Medicare services, but it doesn't automatically satisfy your visa conditions. If your visa carries condition 8501, you may still need to hold OVHC for the length of your stay, so always check your visa grant letter rather than assuming the RHCA has you covered.

• What's the difference between OVHC and OSHC?

  OVHC is for visitors and workers on temporary visas, while Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is specifically for international students on a student visa (subclass 500). They're not interchangeable, which means if you're studying in Australia, your visa requires OSHC, not OVHC.

• Can I get OVHC after I arrive in Australia?

  Yes, you can buy OVHC once you're already in Australia. But if your visa has condition 8501, you're expected to hold adequate cover from the moment you arrive, as a gap in cover could put your visa at risk, so it's best to have a policy in place before you land.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

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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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