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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.
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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 2020 but are subject to change.
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.
Hospital treatment, accommodation and theatre fees
Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
Emergency ambulance transportation fees
Prescriptions and General Practitioner (GP) consultations
How do I get Medicare benefits as a 600 visa tourist?
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
Did you know?
Ambulance services aren't covered by Medicare and can cost over $1,800 in Australia, unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania, where they're generally free.
OVHC waiting periods
A waiting period is the time you need to serve when you first take a policy before you can claim. The Australian Government sets the waiting periods for hospital treatments so they're the same no matter which health insurer you choose. They are:
12 months for pre-existing conditions (excluding psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care).
12 months for pregnancy and maternity services.
2 months for all other hospital treatments and services.
FAQs about health insurance for visitors
OVHC doesn't usually automatically cover out-of-hospital services like dental, physio and optical and neither does Medicare. However, you can add extras cover onto most OVHC policies for as little as $3 per week.
You can come to Australia on a 600 visa in one of the following four streams:
The business visitor stream. If you’re heading to Australia on a short business trip to conduct negotiations, attend a conference or make business-related enquiries, you could qualify for this stream.
The tourist stream. If you’re travelling to Australia for a holiday, recreational purposes or to visit family and friends, you could qualify for this stream.
The sponsored family stream. This stream is for applicants who have been sponsored to travel to Australia to visit family. In some cases your sponsor may be required to provide a bond.
The approved destination status stream. This stream is for Chinese visitors who are travelling to Australia as part of an organised tour group. You must apply for this visa in China, before departing for Australia.
Depending on which stream you are in, you will likely be doing different activities while in Australia. Sometimes OVHC insurers might want to know more about what you plan to do on your trip so they can make sure you’re covered for active or adventure holidays.
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Health fund
Overseas Visitor Health Cover policy features
Find out more
HIF offers two policies to suit the needs of 600 visa holders:
Visitor Value Cover is a mid-range cover option for visitors aged 64 years and under. It offers all the same benefits as the Saver policy but also includes benefits for private hospital accommodation, labour ward charges, and out-of-hospital expenses such as X-rays and GP visits.
The Visitor Saver policy is perfect for young holidaymakers and tourists, offering cover for ambulance services, shared room public hospital accommodation, inpatient medical bills, theatre fees, pharmaceuticals and surgically implanted prostheses.
Australian Unity Overseas Visitor Health Cover helps you to reduce medical costs and look after your health right around Australia. Depending on the policy you take out you may get cover for:
Cover for doctor and specialist fees.
Hospital treatment and accommodation, theatre fees, day surgery and procedures.
All nib OVHC policies provide cover for ambulance treatment and transportation, public and private hospital accommodation, theatre fees and doctors fees, repatriation benefit and a funeral benefit. Mid and Top Visitor Cover also includes extras cover for dental, optical and physio.
OVHC from Allianz Care Australia offers an extensive range of Australia-wide health and medical benefits. There are two plans available for travellers:
Standard Visitors Cover offers all these benefits but also includes out-of-hospital cover for GP visits, radiology, pathology and specialists’ fees.
Budget Visitors Cover is a hospital only policy that covers hospital accommodation, in-hospital doctors’ fees, theatre and intensive care fees, ward fees, in-hospital pharmacy, emergency ambulance and medical repatriation.
The Guardian Plus policy provides a higher level of cover and also includes extras cover for dental, optical, physio, chiro and more.
Standard Visitors Cover is a hospital-only policy, providing mid-level cover for inpatient medical services such as doctors’ and specialists’ fees, hospital accommodation and theatre fees. It also covers outpatient items such as GP visits and pharmaceutical items.
The Comprehensive policy offers a higher level of benefits and also includes cover for things like GP visits, outpatient pharmaceuticals, maternity, heart surgery and cataracts.
The Standard policy covers public and private hospital treatment and accommodation for over 5,000 procedures, including theatre fees, medical gap cover and urgent ambulance treatment.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Telegraph, Explore Travel and Escape. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Kaplan Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
Read on to find out why international students need Overseas Student Health Cover, and what sets Allianz Care Australia OSHC apart from other similar insurance products.
The 190 Visa gives you permanent residency and can lead to citizenship. Read our easy, step-by-step guide on how to apply and what health cover you will need to have in place.
If you’re applying for a TSS visa to work in Australia, we explain what’s changed from the old 457 visa and help you find Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).
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