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489 Visa Health Insurance

If you're in Australia on a 489 visa, you need adequate health insurance. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) starts at just $67/month. Compare OVHC options below.

1 - 17 of 17
Name Product AUFHI-HEL Hospital Cover Dental Pregnancy Cover GP Visits Medical Repatriation Price
Allianz Care Australia Budget Working Cover
$20,000
From $66.40 per month
HCF Mid Working Visa
Yes (Reduced benefits)
$100,000
From $104 per month
Medibank Overseas Workers Base Hospital
From $73 per month
More Info
HCF Basic Working Visa
Yes (Reduced benefits)
$50,000
From $74.50 per month
HIF Basic Working Visa
$4,000
From $81.05 per month
More Info
HIF Essentials Working Visa
$4,000
From $107.60 per month
More Info
Medibank Overseas Workers Standard Hospital and Medical
From $113 per month
More Info
Allianz Care Australia Standard Working Cover
$20,000
From $113.85 per month
HIF Intermediate Working Visa
$6,000
From $134.75 per month
More Info
HCF Top Working Visa
Yes (Reduced benefits)
$100,000
From $142.50 per month
Allianz Care Australia Mid Working Cover
$20,000
From $183.70 per month
HIF Comprehensive Working Visa
$8,000
From $287.05 per month
More Info
HCF Top Plus Working Visa
$110,000
From $296 per month
Allianz Care Australia Top Working Cover
$20,000
From $345.10 per month
Medibank Overseas Workers Advanced Hospital and Medical
From $406 per month
More Info
Medibank Overseas Workers Premium Hospital, Medical and Extras
From $437.50 per month
More Info
Medibank Overseas Visitors Starter Hospital and Medical
From $53.55 per month
More Info
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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 2024 but are subject to change.

Key takeaways

  • 489 visa holders need to hold adequate health insurance as part of your visa requirements.
  • These OVHC policies are all visa condition 8501 compliant.
  • Even if your country has an RHCA with Australia, it does not cover all treatments.

Do I need health insurance on a 489 visa?

If you're on or applying for a 489 visa, you need to fulfil Condition 8501 of your visa which requires you to have adequate health insurance in place.

All the Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) policies above are designed to meet this criteria. When you take out cover, they will email you a confirmation letter, which you can attach to your visa application.

What's covered with OVHC?

Hospital
Hospital treatment, accommodation and theatre fees
surgeonr
Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
Ambulance
Emergency ambulance transportation fees
Private contract
Prescriptions and General Practitioner (GP) consultations

Can 489 visa holders access Medicare?

You usually can't receive subsidised health care services from the public health system Medicare, unless you're from a country that Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with. These countries include the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy.

RHCA countries that don't require health insurance

However, Medicare doesn't cover everything. Even if you're covered by a RCHA, you will still have to pay for ambulances, dental, optical, physio and chiro.

Ambulance
Did you know?
Ambulance services can cost over $1,800AUD in Australia, unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania and are covered by Medicare.

How long do I have to wait before I can claim?

Just like domestic health insurance, OVHC policies have different waiting periods applied to different services. The Australian Government sets the waiting periods for hospital treatments so they do not differ between health funds:

  • 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.

What are the waiting periods for out of hospital treatment?

If you're planning to purchase extras cover with your OVHC policy for out-of-hospital services such as dental or physiotherapy, each health fund can set the waiting periods for these services individually, so remember to take this into account when comparing policies.

Who offers OVHC in Australia?

The following providers offer health insurance for 489 visa holders, which is fully compliant with the Australian Department of Border Protection and Immigration requirements relating to working visas:

  • Allianz Care Australia
  • Australian Unity
  • Bupa
  • Frank Health Insurance
  • HBF
  • HCF
  • HIF
  • nib

How to provide evidence of your health insurance arrangements

"If applicants are required to provide evidence of their health insurance arrangements, any the following may be considered acceptable, unless a particular visa subclass instruction requires other specific information:

  • a copy of the insurance policy;
  • a written letter or cover note from an acceptable insurance provider, certifying that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the prescribed adequate level of cover;
  • evidence that the visa applicant has lawfully enrolled with Medicare via Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RCHA);
  • evidence that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by health insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the adequate level of cover required under policy, with the understanding that the applicants will either enrol with Medicare under a RHCA or enrol in a private insurance arrangement after arrival; or
  • for citizens from the Republic of Ireland that may access RCHA, evidence that they hold an Irish passport.

Family members applying separately from the primary visa applicant or visa holder must produce evidence as per above, which clearly indicates that they, as dependant applicants, will be covered upon arrival in Australia by a policy with an adequate level of cover."

Washing machine on fire
— Kaku Caro is a lawyer in LegalVision’s Corporate Immigration team. He has previous experience in the areas of commercial litigation, corporate and personal immigration. He also has experience advising on visa eligibility and preparing visa applications such as partner visas, employer-sponsored work visas, parent visas, and general skilled migration visas.

General FAQs about the 489 visa

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Editor, Insurance

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

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