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Many Australians are also considered citizens of other nations. For example, you might hold both Australian and UK passports. If you’re a dual national and you’re travelling to another country where you are also a citizen, there is no requirement for you to take out travel insurance for your journey but it's highly recommended for various reasons.
Just because you’re considered a national of that country doesn’t mean you’ll be able to access the full range of essential services that ordinary citizens can (e.g. healthcare). Travel insurance can provide crucial financial protection against risks such as:
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In many cases, you’ll be entitled to a certain level of health care in the country you’re a citizen of. However, there are conditions and restrictions to this cover, which usually means it cannot be relied on to provide the medical care you may need.
For example, access to a country’s health care system is often based on residency rather than citizenship, so you may need to reside in the other country for a certain amount of time each year. You’ll often also need to pay income tax in that country each year in order to access free health care.
Jason is a dual citizen of New Zealand. When booking his two week trip to visit family, Jason decides not to buy travel insurance as he is certain he will be able to access basic health care. On the way to his parents place, he unfortunately is involved in a car crash, suffering a broken collar bone. To add insult to injury, Jason learns that he is not covered by the public health care system.
New Zealand offers Australian's free health care but only if they intend to live in New Zealand for two years or more.
Free health care offered in other countries is not comprehensive and usually features a range of gaps. For example, you may have to co-pay for treatments, and certain services (such as ambulance cover) are not included.
This is why travel insurance is essential even if you’re a dual national.
Travel insurance provides a much higher level of medical cover than you can access under any country’s health care system. Many comprehensive travel insurance policies offer unlimited cover for overseas emergency medical expenses and overseas emergency medical assistance. This includes
Travel insurance provides much more than medical cover; it can also provide you with financial protection against a wide range of non-medical mishaps that may occur on your holiday including:
A dual national is someone who holds two nationalities. In addition to their Australian citizenship, that person is also a citizen of another country. Dual nationality can have a range of benefits, including skipping immigration queues at airports and in some cases accessing the other country’s healthcare system.
Dual nationality status is determined based on Australian laws and the laws of the other country. The most common ways that Australians become dual nationals are:
As dual nationals have two passports, it’s important to remember that you should enter and leave Australia on your Australian passport. Failure to do so will lead to delays when entering Australia, and you may even be denied permission to board your flight.
Dual nationals can then choose to enter and exit the other country on their passport for that country. However, if you choose this option you should be aware of any conditions and restrictions that country imposes on its citizens, such as the need to have an exit visa in your passport.
The Smartraveller website also lists a few potential issues dual nationals should be wary of when visiting a country where you are also a citizen:
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