485 visa health insurance

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 2026 but are subject to change.

What is the 485 visa?

The 485 Temporary Graduate visa lets international students stay in Australia to live and work after finishing their studies. It has several streams, depending on what you studied:

• Post-Vocational Education Work stream: for graduates with skills linked to an occupation on the relevant list.
• Post-Higher Education Work stream: for graduates with a bachelor degree or higher.
• Second Post-Higher Education Work stream: an extra stay for some graduates who've lived and studied in a regional area.

You'll usually need to be 35 or under when you apply, and to have held a student visa in the last 6 months.

How OVHC Works for Families and Couples

For families and couples on a 485 visa, everyone needs health cover. A Couples or Family policy offers convenience under one provider. If planning a family, consider higher-level cover well in advance, as pregnancy-related services often have a 12-month waiting period. Dependent children (usually under 18) may be automatically included in family policies or will need to be listed by yourself.

What is the 8501 visa condition?

Visa condition 8501 requires you to “maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance during your stay in Australia”. It applies to most temporary Australian working visas and all student visas, and is designed to ensure that foreign visitors can meet any hospital or medical treatment costs they incur while in Australia.

If this condition applies to your chosen visa, you will need to purchase health insurance cover in order for your visa application to be approved. Working visa applicants need to take out Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) while student visa applicants must purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).

Contact the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs to find out whether the health insurance requirement affects you.

The benefits of a higher level of overseas visitor health cover

When you shop around for OVHC you will find that most private health funds offer an affordable policy that only satisfies the bare minimum of the health insurance requirements for the 485 visa. If you’re on a tight budget or only want cover for the absolute essentials, these types of policies will do just fine.

However, most health funds also offer slightly more expensive policies that provide a more comprehensive level of hospital cover and also allow you to add extras cover. Choosing one of these higher-level policies means you are covered for many more features, including:

• Treatment in a private hospital
• Your choice of doctor or specialist
• No excess or co-payment for public hospital stays
• Cover for medical repatriation
• Gap cover to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses
• Shorter waiting periods
• Extras benefits including optical, dental, physio, chiro, natural therapies, podiatry, health management programs and much more
• Cover for high-cost medical procedures, for example, pregnancy and eye lens surgery
• Cover for psychiatric services and rehabilitation

So while high-level cover costs more, the benefits it offers could be well worth the expense. It’s important to shop around and find a policy that meets all your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need health insurance for 485 visa?

  Yes. Condition 8501 of your visa application states that you must maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia.

• What exclusions apply to OVHC policies?

  OVHC policies generally exclude pre-existing conditions (often with a 12-month waiting period), elective cosmetic treatments, assisted reproductive services, and some high-cost procedures like organ transplants, with specific waiting periods also applying to pregnancy, psychiatric care, and rehabilitation.

• What happens to my health cover if I get permanent residency?

  Once you're a permanent resident, you can enrol in Medicare, which covers public hospital treatment and many GP visits. You can also switch from OVHC to regular Australian health insurance, which offers more policy choices. Before you switch, check whether you'll need to serve new waiting periods, and whether the Medicare Levy Surcharge or Lifetime Health Cover loading could apply to you.

• Can a non-resident get private health insurance in Australia?

  Not standard domestic health insurance — non-residents generally need to take out Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) or Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), private health insurance products designed specifically for non-residents of Australia.

• Can I get Medicare on a 485 visa?

  Generally, no. Most 485 visa holders aren't eligible for Medicare, which is why condition 8501 requires you to hold private health insurance. There are two main exceptions: if you're a citizen of a country with a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, you may get limited access, and you may become eligible once you've applied for permanent residency. Even with some Medicare access, you may still need OVHC to meet condition 8501.

Written by

Ceyda Erem

Senior writer

Add to Preferred Sources

Ceyda Erem is Finder’s senior writer for insurance and has almost 10 years of experience writing about personal finance. Formerly a copywriter for several business and finance clients, Ceyda has written hundreds of articles, guides, blogs and more to ensure Australians stay in the loop about how to best manage their money. She has a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Writing from Macquarie University. See full bio

Ceyda's expertise

Ceyda has written 244 Finder guides across topics including:

• Insurance