Visiting or working in Australia in 2026? Here’s what you need to know about health cover
If you're visiting or working in Australia, understanding how health insurance works is an important part of your stay. Depending on your visa type, you may be required to hold adequate health insurance while you're in Australia.
Sponsored by Allianz Care. Allianz Care offers a range of Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) options, helping eligible visa holders meet Australian Government health insurance requirements while accessing healthcare services during their stay. Visit the Allianz Care website to learn more.Each year, millions of people come to Australia to work, travel and explore. While Australia has a high-quality healthcare system, overseas visitors and workers are generally not covered by Medicare (Australia's public healthcare system) unless eligible under a reciprocal healthcare agreement.
Having the right health insurance in place can help you manage unexpected medical expenses and for many visa holders, is an important requirement of maintaining your visa (if required).
With this in mind, we're answering some of the key questions surrounding OVHC – both for visa compliance and your future health care needs.
1. What is OVHC?
"OVHC" is short for "Overseas Visitors Health Cover". This is a type of health insurance for people visiting or working in Australia on eligible temporary visas.
Most overseas visitors and workers are not entitled to the same Medicare benefits available to Australian citizens, permanent residents and those from countries with reciprocal health care agreements. Without adequate health insurance, you may be responsible for the full cost of medical treatment, including hospital admissions and emergency care.
Purchasing OVHC from a provider like Allianz Care allows you to access the Australian health care system, while also helping to protect you from unexpected medical expenses.
But it's not just about looking after your finances. In many cases, it's actually required for your visa if you're planning to work in Australia or stay long-term, under visa condition 8501.
2. Is OVHC mandatory?
Having an OVHC policy in place is mandatory under a number of circumstances:
- If your visa includes condition 8501 (e.g. Visas 482, 485, 417, 188, 403, 408, 600, 601, 651, 870 and more)
- If you're on a working holiday or otherwise temporarily working in Australia.
If you're from a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, you may be eligible for limited access to Medicare services. However, reciprocal arrangements may not provide the same breadth of cover as an OVHC policy and may not satisfy your visa requirements. Before travelling, check your visa conditions and the Australian Government's guidelines on adequate health insurance for visa holders.
Having the appropriate insurance in place can help offset these costs and also ensure that you're getting access to the services you want.
You can visit the Allianz Care website to find a range of OVHC products designed for overseas workers and visitors, with options to suit different healthcare needs and visa requirements.
3. How much does OVHC cost?
The cost of OVHC depends on a number of different factors:
- Your age
- Visa type
- Level of cover selected (e.g. hospital-only, GP visits, dental, optical)
- Number of people covered under the policy
- Excess options
- Length of stay in Australia
- Your chosen provider.
At the bottom of this page, you'll see a series of tables outlining a range of policies from Allianz Care and their starting costs.
However, it's important to look beyond the premium and compare a number of different cover options. Consider:
- Whether the policy meets your visa requirements
- What hospital and medical services are covered
- Waiting periods, exclusions and limitations
- Whether extras are included
Without OVHC, even routine medical treatment or a short hospital stay can result in significant out-of-pocket expenses.
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4. What benefits can I get from having OVHC?
Having OVHC can offer a number of benefits, though the specifics will depend on your chosen policy and provider.
We've compiled some of the features that may be available in a policy with Allianz Care below:
- Certificate of Insurance via email: Easily provide proof of insurance and access your policy information on the go.
- Flexible policy options: Allianz Care allows you to select a level of cover that suits your needs, budget and visa requirements.
- Meets Australian Government visa requirements: Allianz Care offer a range of worker and visitor policy options to meeting visa condition 8501 (NB: Excludes Value Care).
- Online Member Services: Manage your policy, submit claims, make payments and update your details at the touch of a button.
- 24/7 Allianz Care Telehealth Services: Get access to gap-free telehealth consultations powered by Doctors on Demand (NB: not available for Hospital Care Workers and Hospital Care Visitor policies). For further information, please refer to the Telehealth Service Terms and Conditions.
- 24/7 emergency helpline: Around-the-clock support in the event of an emergency.
Always refer to your policy documentation for details of benefits, limitations and exclusions.
5. How can I use OVHC once I have it?
If you have Allianz Care OVHC, you can access a range of tools and services to help manage your cover.
- Online Members Services (OMS) portal or app for claims and policy management. You can find more details on making a claim on the Allianz Care website
- Find a doctor service to locate healthcare providers
- Health and wellbeing resources available through the Allianz Care blog
6. How can students get cover?
If you're a student studying in Australia, you'll need a different type of health insurance product, known as Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Allianz Care provides OSHC for international students on eligible visas, helping them meet Australian Government health insurance requirements while studying in Australia.
To learn more about OSHC, visit the Allianz Care website or Study Australia.
Learn more about OVHC with Allianz Care
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.
Key takeaways
- Many temporary visa holders are required to maintain adequate health insurance while in Australia.
- OVHC can help protect you from unexpected medical costs and may assist in meeting visa requirements.
- Allianz Care offers a range of OVHC options for workers and visitors, as well as OSHC for eligible international students in Australia.
- Even if you aren't required to have health insurance for your visa, taking out OVHC can be more cost-effective than paying out-of-pocket hospital expenses.
- Benefits and services vary by policy, so it's important to review the relevant policy documentation before purchasing your OVHC.
Allianz Care Disclaimers
This is a summary of information and benefits. For the full exclusions, limitations, waiting periods, terms and conditions please read the policy document which is available at allianzcare.com.au/en/policy-wording-documents.html.
If you hold a Hospital Care Workers, Hospital Care Visitors or Everyday Care Workers policy and your attendance at an accident and emergency department does not lead to you being admitted as an inpatient, no cover is provided under your policy.
Access to direct billing is not available for Hospital Care Workers, Everyday Care Workers and Hospital Care Visitor policies.
Value Care does not meet the Australian Government's requirements for adequate health insurance (visa condition 8501), as it excludes treatment for a number of hospital clinical categories. Learn more about visa condition 8501 here.
Telehealth appointments are not available to Hospital Care Workers and Hospital Care Visitors policyholders as they do not have coverage for outpatient medical services including general practitioner appointments. For further information, please refer to the Telehealth Service Terms and Conditions.
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