The Australian government's immigration website says that "you must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia" if you are subject to the 8501 visa condition.
Most Australian visas come with the 8501 visa condition. This means you need to take out health insurance for coming to Australia. There are several Australian insurers that offer cover tailored to visa holders.
What visas does the 8501 condition apply to?
The 8501 condition applies to most working visas, including:
Working Holiday Visa (417)
Work and Holiday Visa (462)
Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)
Temporary Graduate (subclass 485)
Student Visa (subclass 500)
Visitor (subclass 600)
Don't see your visa on the list?
If you're not sure your visa is subject to the 8501 condition, search your visa on the government's immigration website and click eligibility, or go to the visa details and conditions page. It will say if you need health insurance.
Finder survey: How many claims have people made on their Overseas Visitor Health Cover?
Response
0
45.45%
Between 5 and 10
27.27%
1
18.18%
2
9.09%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023
How can I meet the 8501 visa requirement?
You can meet the 8501 health insurance requirement by taking out Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC). This is a type of health insurance designed specifically for visa holders coming to Australia.
The policies below all meet the 8501 condition. They can all send you a certificate within 48 hours of taking out a policy. You can attach this to your visa application. The start date should be when you expect to arrive in Australia, so you won't start paying for your policy until then.
How much does health insurance cost?
We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what they told us in July 2024.
Basic: $99
Bronze: $141
Silver: $183
Gold: $221
Price based on 1,000+ responses for single hospital insurance.
Do I need to get health insurance?
You aren't obligated to get health insurance if you are from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia.
You will be eligible for Medicare – Australia's public healthcare system – if you're from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta or Italy.
However, it still may be worth getting health insurance. The Australian immigration website says:
"all visitors to Australia are strongly recommended to make their own arrangements for private health insurance (regardless of whether or not it is a visa condition)."
RHCAs also don't generally cover ambulance transportation, medical evacuation and some out of hospital services such as dental care – but many Overseas Visitor policies can.
When I transitioned from a working holiday visa to a working visa in 2017, I was subject to condition 8501 meaning I had to maintain adequate health insurance. At the time, I was on a budget and just chose the cheapest one I could find (which was HBF) that met this condition.
Gary Ross Hunter was 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, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 725 Finder guides across topics including:
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