Bridging visa health insurance

What health insurance do I need on a bridging visa?

Each of the 3 bridging visa types will need you to have adequate health cover. There are a few differences between each type, but broadly speaking you'll need to have OVHC, OSHC or have access to Medicare via a reciprocal health care agreement (RCHA), with a few exceptions.

Visitor

If you're coming from a visa subject to the 8501 condition, you're going to need adequate health cover. This includes the 457 visa and 485 visa, among others.

If you don't have access to Medicare through an RHCA, you'll need to purchase Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC). You'll likely already have had this in place for your visa, so it should just be a matter of continuing your coverage.

Student

If you're come off a student visa Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) will meet your cover needs. You should already have this in place from your previous visa, either through your university or with your own policy. If you're transitioning to a non-student visa, you'll likely have to move to an OVHC policy at some stage - you can do this by calling your health fund.

Note that a reciprocal health are agreement is typically not enough for a student visa. Of the 11 countries with agreements, only Belgian, Norwegian and some Swedish students can qualify for student visas without a standalone OSHC policy.

Medicare on a bridging visa

"I came to Australia on a work visa from the UK and as a British citizen I had access to Medicare through the reciprocal health care agreement. I recently applied for my permanent residency and was put on a bridging visa while I wait for approval, which could be several months to more than a year. Thankfully, even on a bridging visa I can access Medicare which means I don't need to spend all that time without access to healthcare."

Rebecca Pike

Senior Money Writer

Compare OVHC for your bridging visa

Product	Meets condition 8501	Hospital cover	Dental	Pregnancy cover	GP visits	Medical repatriation	Price
CBHS Overseas Worker Base Hospital				Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $59.97 per month	Get quoteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS Overseas Worker Mid Hospital and Medical				Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $95.98 per month	Get quoteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CBHS Overseas Worker Top Hospital and Medical				Yes (Reduced benefits)		$10,000	From $184.99 per month	Get quoteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
HIF Basic Working Visa						$4,000	From $84.95 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
HIF Essentials Working Visa						$4,000	From $112.75 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
HIF Intermediate Working Visa						$6,000	From $141.20 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
HIF Comprehensive Working Visa						$8,000	From $248.40 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Basic Overseas Visitors Cover						$20,000	From $80.95 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
nib Budget Visitor Cover				Restricted			From $67.17 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Mid Overseas Visitors Cover						$20,000	From $132.85 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Australian Unity Top Overseas Visitors Cover						$20,000	From $207.70 per month	More Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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*Pricing is based on a single male applying for a working visa in Sydney, not applying for permanent residency, not from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement and not eligible for Medicare.

OVHC vs OSHC vs Medicare vs private health insurance

There are 4 types of health coverage in Australia that are relevant to most visa holders. OVHC, OSHC, Medicare and private health insurance. Depending on your activities in Australia, you may use or encounter one, some or all of them.

OVHC

OVHC is designed for most overseas visitors who hold a temporary visa. This includes people on working visas and tourists. If your visa is subject to condition 8501 then it may be mandatory to take out OVHC, unless you have some other form of cover. OVHC policies can be basic or comprehensive, but will cover a portion of your medical expenses in Australia including:

• Medically necessary admissions to hospital
• A portion of doctor’s fees
• Ambulance transport
• Some pharmaceuticals
• Extras services such as optical, dental and physiotherapy

OSHC

OSHC is designed to help international students cover the cost of medical and hospital care they receive while in Australia. This type of cover is a mandatory requirement for overseas students residing in Australia on a temporary student visa. OSHC provides a financial safety net for international students, including cover for:

• GP visits
• Inpatient medical services
• Shared accommodation in a public or private hospital
• Day surgery accommodation
• Limited pharmaceutical benefits
• Ambulance services
• Extras services such as optical, dental and physio (can be purchased for an additional cost)

Medicare

Medicare forms the basis of Australia’s public healthcare system. To be eligible you will probably need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. You'll also be able to enrol in Medicare if your home country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. Medicare provides free or subsidised cover for a range of medical services, including:

• Medically necessary public hospital treatment
• Visits to a general practitioner
• Referrals to specialist doctors
• Medical tests
• Prescription medication included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

Important: Medicare doesn’t cover everything. It won't cover treatment in a private hospital, ambulance costs, a portion of doctors’ bills or extras benefits such as optical and dental treatment. In addition, only some temporary visa holders from countries with an RHCA are eligible for cover under Medicare.

Private health insurance

If you are eligible for Medicare, you can get extra health coverage with a domestic private health insurance policy, typically known as simply 'private health insurance'. There are 2 main varieties of private health insurance, plus ambulance cover, each of which covering slightly different treatments.

• Hospital insurance helps pay for treatment in a private hospital. The private system offers shorter wait lists for surgery, nicer facilities and your choice of specialists. You'll typically need to still pay an excess when you make a claim, and there will often be out of pocket costs.
• Extras insurance helps pay for out of hospital treatment that Medicare doesn't cover. This can include optical, dental, physiotherapy and more.
• Ambulance cover pays for any emergency ambulance call outs you need while in Australia. Ambulance isn't free in Australia or covered by Medicare, so you'll need this to avoid what can be thousands of dollars in fees. Ambulance cover is available standalone, but it's also included on the large majority of hospital or extras policies.

Expert insight: Proving evidence of health cover

"If you have to give evidence of health cover, any the following may be acceptable, unless your visa subclass requires other specific information:

• A copy of the insurance policy;
• A written letter or cover note from an acceptable insurance provider;
• Evidence the visa applicant has enrolled with Medicare via an RCHA;
• Evidence the primary visa applicant and 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, evidence 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

LegalVision corporate immigration lawyer

Frequently asked questions

• What is the 8501 visa condition?

  The 8501 visa condition, also referred to as health insurance requirement 8501, requires student visa holders and many working visa holders to maintain an adequate level of health insurance cover while in Australia. Cover must be in place for the duration of your stay and if you fail to make the necessary arrangements, your application for a visa will be refused.

• Which countries have a RHCA with Australia?

  A reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) is an arrangement between Australia and another country to provide basic health care for each other's citizens or residents. The details on who and what is covered change depending on the agreement, so you'll need to investigate your own country's arrangement. Currently there are 11 countries with an RHCA with Australia:

  • The United Kingdom
  • The Republic of Ireland
  • New Zealand
  • Sweden
  • The Netherlands
  • Finland

  • Belgium
  • Norway
  • Slovenia
  • Malta
  • Italy

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

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

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