Health insurance for visitors
If you're visiting Australia on a 600 visa, overseas visitors health cover (OVHC) can pay for any unexpected medical bills. Compare OVHC policies below.
Key takeaways
- If you plan to holiday down under, you need cover for unexpected medical costs.
- The best solve is a visitor OVHC policy, which can be had for a few bucks a day.
- Even with travel insurance, OVHC is still a good idea, because they are specific to the Aussie health care system.
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How we picked theseFinder Score for overseas health insurance
To make comparing overseas health insurance even easier, we developed the Finder Score. Factors like price, hospital cover, extras cover, emergency travel, and more are weighted and scaled across 50+ policies from 15+ providers to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the policy.
Do visitors need health insurance?
Unlike some other Australian visas, it's not a requirement for tourists to get health insurance for the 600 visa. However, just because it’s not mandatory, doesn’t mean you don’t need cover. The Department of Immigration strongly recommends private health insurance for anyone coming to Australia on a 600 visa. This is for two very important reasons:
- Without it you'll need to pay for all your own medical costs in Australia, whether it’s a dental check up or a trip to the hospital emergency room after a serious accident.
- Injury and sickness is unpredictable, particularly while travelling, so getting health insurance for tourists is an important part of the pre-flight checklist for experienced travellers.
What do I get with OVHC?
Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) is a type of health insurance designed specifically for visitors to Australia. It can cover you for:
Hospital treatment, accommodation and theatre fees
Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
Emergency ambulance transportation fees
Prescriptions and General Practitioner (GP) consultations
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements
Medicare is Australia’s public healthcare system, and generally it only covers Australian citizens and permanent residents. Most visitors to Australia aren’t eligible, unless there is an Reciprocal Health Care Agreement in place. This means that if you are visiting Australia from any of the following countries, you may be partially covered by Medicare. Australia has an RHCA with the following countries:
- The United Kingdom
- The Republic of Ireland
- New Zealand
- The Netherlands
- Belgium
- Italy
- Malta
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Norway
- Finland
OVHC waiting periods
While domestic health insurance policies have waiting periods before you can claim, they don't make sense for visitor, as you'll need coverage from the first day you arrive. As such, most visitor OVHC policies have zero waiting periods. That doesn't include pre-existing conditions though, which are never covered.
Just a quick note here - some of the student and working OVHC policies do have waiting period, especially for the more complex cover types. So if you were to somehow change from a visitor to a working visa (I don't know if that happens, I'm not an immigration lawyer) then you may have some waiting periods on your new policy.
FAQs about health insurance for visitors
Sources
More resources on Finder
More guides on Finder
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461 visa health insurance requirements
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).
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8501 visa condition
The 8501 visa condition means you need to get health insurance for your stay.
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600 visa health insurance
Get cover quickly and easily for your stay in Australia.
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590 Student Guardian Visa Health Insurance
Find out what health insurance you need for the 590 Visa and how to get cover for pre-existing conditions.
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Medibank Overseas Visitor Health Cover
Compare overseas visitors cover from Medibank.
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408 Visa Health Insurance
Everything you need to know about the health insurance requirements of the 408 visa and how to find the right cover.
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Working holiday health insurance
Everything you need to know about the health insurance requirements of the 417 visa and how to find the right cover.
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485 visa health insurance
Here’s how to find the right level of private health insurance cover for your needs if you reside in Australia on a 485 Temporary Graduate visa.
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Health insurance for parents visiting 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.
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489 Visa Health Insurance
Compare health insurance policies that satisfy your entry requirements and find out how to get covered when travelling to Australia on a 489 visa.