If you're in Australia on a 489 visa, you need adequate health insurance. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) starts at around $60/month. Compare OVHC options below.
We currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
Looking for other options? Check out these similar products.
How we picked these
Finder 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.
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 2025 but are subject to change.
2:48
Key takeaways
489 visa holders need to hold adequate health insurance as part of your visa requirements.
Expect 12-month waiting periods for pre-existing conditions and pregnancy, and 2 months for other hospital treatments.
Even with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, OVHC is important as Medicare does not cover dental, optical and ambulance.
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 treatment, accommodation and theatre fees
Doctor, surgeon and specialist fees
Emergency ambulance transportation fees
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.
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.
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."
— 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
Failure to maintain adequate health insurance breaches Condition 8501 of your 489 visa. This can lead to your visa being cancelled by the Department of Home Affairs. It is crucial to have continuous cover for the entire duration of your stay in Australia.
The Department of Home Affairs requires you to hold "adequate" health insurance. This generally means a policy that covers at least the minimum benefits for hospital, medical and pharmaceutical services comparable to the Australian public health system Medicare. All Overseas Visitors Health Cover OVHC policies listed are designed to meet this minimum requirement.
Yes you can switch OVHC providers. If you decide to change insurers you must ensure there is no gap in your cover to avoid breaching your visa conditions. Any waiting periods you have already served may be recognised by your new insurer if you switch to a comparable level of cover.
If your visa status changes, for example if you transition to a permanent residency visa, you may no longer be eligible for OVHC. You would then need to explore health insurance options available to Australian permanent residents which include Medicare and private health insurance designed for permanent residents. You should contact your insurer or a migration agent for specific advice.
Some OVHC providers may allow you to suspend your policy for a period if you leave Australia. However this is subject to the insurer's terms and conditions and must comply with your visa requirements. You should check directly with your health fund before making any travel plans.
Your OVHC provider will typically contact you before your policy is due to expire to offer renewal options. You can usually renew online by phone or in person. It is important to renew your policy before it lapses to maintain continuous cover and comply with your visa conditions.
Basic OVHC policies typically only cover hospital and medical treatment. To get cover for services like dental, optical or physiotherapy you will generally need to purchase an OVHC policy that includes extras cover. These are optional and come at an additional cost.
Yes you can usually include eligible family members such as your spouse or dependent children on your OVHC policy. This ensures that all members of your family unit meet the visa health insurance requirements. The cost of the policy will increase with more members.
OVHC is designed for temporary visitors to Australia including those on working visas like the 489 visa. OSHC on the other hand is specifically for international students on a student visa subclass 500. Each cover is tailored to the specific visa conditions and requirements for these different groups.
No, OVHC policies are generally not eligible for the Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance. This rebate is primarily for Australian citizens and permanent residents. Similarly there are no specific tax benefits for purchasing OVHC.
Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards.
See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross
has written
554
Finder guides across topics including:
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).
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).
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.
If you’re a New Zealander moving to Australia, find out here what cover you can enjoy under Australia’s healthcare system.
Important information about this website
Finder is a comparison service. We do not compare every product or every provider in the market.
We make money through commercial arrangements with some of the providers on this site. Products marked 'Sponsored', 'Promoted', 'Featured' or 'Advertisement' appear as a result of a commercial arrangement.
Our editorial content, product reviews and any 'Top Pick' designations are prepared independently of these commercial arrangements.
The default order of products in our tables can be influenced by commercial arrangements. You can re-sort or filter using the controls above each table.
Some content on this site may be generated or supported by AI tools. You should verify details directly with the provider.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles.
Our comparison service does not include every product or every provider in the market. Some product issuers offer their products under multiple brands or through associated companies. Where we can, we identify the underlying issuer so you can compare like with like, but you should always check with the provider directly to confirm which brand you are dealing with.
Finder is a comparison website and an intermediary. We are not a product issuer and we do not provide personal financial or credit advice. When you click a link to a product, or apply for a product through our site, you deal directly with the product issuer. We may receive a referral fee, commission or other payment from the issuer if you click through, apply or take out a product. We describe these arrangements in more detail under 'How we make money' below.
Product features, fees, terms and eligibility criteria are set by the product issuer and may change. We rely on information supplied by issuers when we present product details on our site. Before you apply for or take out any product, you should confirm the details directly with the issuer.
We earn revenue from Finder in four principal ways:
Referral fees and commissions. When you click a product link, complete an enquiry form or apply for a product through our site, we may receive a referral fee, commission or other payment from the product issuer. We may also receive payment based on the volume of leads or conversions we send to an issuer.
Sponsored placements. Products marked 'Sponsored', 'Promoted', 'Featured' or 'Advertisement' appear as a result of a commercial arrangement between Finder and the issuer. These labels always indicate a paid placement. We do not use them for editorial choices.
Display advertising. Banner advertising, newsletter advertising and similar display ads on our site are paid by advertisers.
Content sponsorship. Some articles, videos and social media posts are sponsored by an issuer and are clearly labelled as such.
Our editorial opinions, product reviews and any 'Top Pick' designations are prepared independently of these commercial arrangements. A 'Top Pick' is an editorial choice made by our writers and editors based on the criteria described on each comparison page. A 'Top Pick' is not a personal recommendation and does not mean the product is appropriate for your circumstances.
If you would like to know whether we have a commercial arrangement with a specific product issuer, please contact us.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the default order can be influenced by commercial arrangements we have with product issuers. In some categories, sponsored or featured products appear in the top positions of the table by default, and are always labelled as such.
Other factors that influence default order include price, fees and features, and (where relevant) our editorial view of the product.
You can re-sort every comparison table using the controls above the table. You can filter by product features that matter to you. The order you see after re-sorting or filtering is not influenced by commercial arrangements.
Some content on this site is generated or supported by artificial intelligence tools, including our AI-powered assistant FinderBot. AI-generated content may contain errors. Please verify important information directly with the product issuer before making a financial decision. For more information about FinderBot, see the FinderBot Terms of Use and FinderBot Privacy Collection Notice.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
