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If you're expecting a visit from your overseas parents, they will most likely need Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) while they're in Australia. The only exception is if your parents are from a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. Those countries are listed below.
If your parents are from any other country, if they're coming from India for example, then it's a good idea to get them covered by an OVHC policy. Depending on the policy, OVHC can cover your parents for accidental injury, heart procedures, cancer treatments, joint reconstructions, pregnancy, gastric banding and much more.
There's no one best health insurance for visiting parents, as the available policies can vary depending on which visa they're on. Use the tabs and tables below to compare the appropriate policies from different Australian health funds.
Overseas Visitors Health Cover is a type of health insurance that is specifically designed for overseas visitors to Australia. Most Australian funds offer a range of policies depending on whether you are travelling for business or for pleasure, and most will let you choose options ranging from inexpensive basic cover to more valuable comprehensive protection. Most OVHC policies will pay for:
The following countries have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia. If your parents live in one of the countries listed below, they will be eligible for certain benefits. If your parents’ country is not on this list then they do not get any Medicare benefits in Australia.
Country | Entitlements | Period of cover |
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Belgium |
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Finland |
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Italy |
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Malta |
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Netherlands |
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New Zealand |
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Norway |
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Republic of Ireland |
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Slovenia |
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Sweden |
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United Kingdom |
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Even if your parents are from one of these countries, they may not be sufficiently protected by Medicare. For example, if they are visiting from Italy, Medicare will only cover them for six months and with certain benefits. You may still need an OVHC policy even if they are eligible for Medicare.
The following table shows the kinds of Overseas Visitors Health Cover offered by some of Australia's best health funds:
Fund | What’s covered? | More info |
---|---|---|
![]() | Visitor Saver: covers the basics in a shared room in a public hospital. Services include:
Visitor Value: covers you for a shared room in a private or public hospital, plus some out-of-hospital medical expenses such as x-rays and GP visits. Services include:
| More info |
![]() | Australian Unity offers three levels of cover: Basic, Mid and Top Overseas Visitors Cover. The benefits include:
| More info |
![]() | HCF Overseas Visitors Health Cover provides cover for various situations including:
| More info |
![]() | nib offers four levels of overseas visitors cover including: Budget, Basic, Mid and Top Visitor Cover. Benefits include:
| More info |
Fund | What’s covered? | More info |
---|---|---|
Allianz Care Australia | Budget Visitors (Hospital Only) provides cover towards:
Standard Visitors Cover provides cover towards all the same in-hospital services plus:
| More info |
Bupa | Standard Visitors Cover provides:
Standard Visitors Cover with Top Extras provides high cover for:
Extras Cover includes:
| More info |
hbf | Standard Overseas Visitors Cover includes:
| More info |
Medibank | Medibank’s Overseas Visitor Health Insurance includes:
| More info |
Your parents might be able to apply for a parent category visa to visit you in Australia. This could allow them to stay in the country for up to two years as a temporary resident or live here as a permanent resident.
To be eligible they must:
There are different types of parent category visas:
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