If you've been in Australia on a temporary visa at least 3 months, most travel insurers will cover you with a normal policy. You came all this way - might as well check the area out.
If you are a non-Australian resident, you can probably still get regular travel insurance.
As long as you're on a valid visa and have been here for at least 3 months, you should be right.
Travel insurance can cover medical expenses, flight cancellations, lost luggage and more.
Am I eligible for non-resident travel insurance?
Non-residents of Australia can get travel insurance from a normal Australian travel insurance company, assuming you fall into any one of these three buckets:
You've lived in Australia for at least 3 months
You are eligible for Medicare, or have overseas visitor health cover
Are you on a working or student visa
If you answered "yes" to at least 1 of these, you should be eligible for non-resident travel insurance.
You shouldn't have any trouble taking out a regular travel insurance policy as a temporary resident. I moved here in 2018 on a working visa and have been able to take out cover with a bunch of Australian travel insurers including Fast Cover, SCTI and Cover-More.
Compare travel insurance brands for Non-Australian residents
Brand
How they cover Non-Australian residents
Apply
Currently living in Australia with a visa allowing you to live, work or study in Australia and will be returning home at the completion of the period of insurance
Have a home in Australia which you intend to return to
Hold a valid visa or permit which provides access to all publicly funded health and disability services in Australia or you have private health insurance
Hold a valid Medicare card or are covered by an Australian Private Health Insurance Policy that satisfies the government health insurance requirements for Your visa type
Visa remains valid beyond the period of Your return
Have a Home in Australia to which You intend to return
Temporary residents up to the age of 75, provided:
You hold a current Australian visa (not a tourist, study or working holiday visa) that will remain valid beyond the period of your return from your Trip
You hold a return ticket
You have a primary place of residence in Australia that you intend to return to
You purchase your policy before you begin your trip
Currently living in Australia with a visa allowing You to live, work or study in Australia) and will be returning home at the completion of the Period of Insurance.
Temporary residents up to the age of 75, provided:
You hold a current Australian visa (not a tourist or working holiday visa) that will remain valid after your journey ends and allows you unrestricted right of entry into Australia
Temporary residents up to 110 years of age for Single Trip policies and up to 75 years of age for Annual Multi-Trip policies, provided:
You hold a current Australian visa (not a tourist, study or working holiday visa) that will remain valid beyond the period of Your return from Your Trip
You hold a return ticket
You have a primary place of residence in Australia that You intend to return to
You purchase Your policy before You begin Your Trip
You must be covered in Australia by a private health insurance policy that satisfies the Australian government health insurance requirements for Your visa type
For temporary visitors, Your visa remains valid beyond the period of Your return
Currently living in Australia with a visa allowing You to live, work or study in Australia (or non-resident of Australia travelling on the Inbound plan) and will be returning Home at the completion of the Period of Insurance
Note: This information was last updated November 2024
Eligibility criteria for Non-Australian residents
General requirements:
Most insurers will require you to spend the majority of your trip within Australia.
Most insurers will require you to have private health insurance cover in place or be a member of Medicare.
Most insurers will not provide cover for pre-existing medical conditions which may be covered for other applicants by paying an additional premium.
You may purchase cover after arriving in Australia though there is generally a waiting period of 48 hours applied.
Applicants generally have to be under 80 years of age to qualify for cover.
Who is eligible to get Medicare cover while living in Australia temporarily?
You are eligible to take out Medicare if you are travelling from a country that is part of the reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. The following countries are part of the agreement:
The United Kingdom
The Republic of Ireland
Sweden
The Netherlands
Finland
Italy
Malta
Norway
Belgium
New Zealand
Slovenia
What are the benefits of non-resident travel insurance?
Though the exact benefits and level of cover offered differ between insurance providers, most travel insurance for non-Australian residents typically offers the following benefits:
Emergency medical expenses. This benefit provides cover for the cost of any emergency medical or dental expenses you may incur while travelling. This includes ambulance transportation, hospital costs and even emergency evacuation expenses.
Cancellation fees and lost deposits. Sometimes unforeseen events and circumstances can force you to cancel your trip or cut it short. Your policy will reimburse you for the cost of any cancellation fees or deposits that cannot be recovered.
Luggage delay. If you lose your luggage or it is misplaced by a travel provider, you'll receive a benefit to buy emergency clothing and toiletries.
Travel delay. If your pre-paid travel arrangements are delayed for more than a certain time period due to circumstances outside your control, you'll be covered for the cost of additional accommodation and meals expenses.
Luggage and personal effects. If your luggage or personal belongings are lost, stolen or damaged, you'll be able to take out cover for the cost of their repair or replacement.
Rental vehicle excess. If your rental car is crashed, stolen or damaged, your insurance policy will cover the cost of the excess charged by the rental company.
FAQs about Non-Australian residents and travel insurance
Yes. There are lots of visa holders living and working in Australia. If you're one of them, you should be able to get a regular travel insurance policy like other Australians.
Yes. If you're travelling back to your home country to visit, an Australian travel insurance policy will cover you.
If you're temporarily living in Australia, you probably can't get travel insurance from your home country. The vast majority of travel insurers require you to be living in the country from which you are purchasing insurance.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
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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Gary Ross has written 646 Finder guides across topics including:
Is travel insurance really necessary when you’re coming here on a visa? The answer is "yes" and this guide looks at what you need and why you need it when travelling to Australia on a 457 visa.
I am a Ukrainian national currently in Turkey travelling to Australia and need travel insurance for me 45, mother 62 and two sons age 2 and 7. Travelling on a tourist visa from mid march for 6 months. What insurance companies can I apply with.
Finder
JamesMarch 4, 2022Finder
Hi Nadia,
Thank you very much for your message. I can definitely help. Health insurance is required for any type of visitor visa if your home country doesn’t have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.
In your situation, everyone on the visa will need to have Overseas Visitor Health Cover. You can compare a number of Australian brands that will satisfy this visa requirement on our guide to OVHC here.
Once you’ve taken out a policy, you will be issued a certificate of insurance online via email. You can attach this to your visa application. I hope this helps, and please accept my best wishes to you and your family.
Regards,
James
AnnaJanuary 4, 2018
We have visitors here from Italy, they already have travel insurance that cannot be amended for the entirety of their trip. We have booked a cruise ex Syd to New Caledonia and want travel insurance for those 8 days. One of the travellers is 82 years old. Any suggestions?
Finder
RenchJanuary 5, 2018Finder
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Whether you’re a traveller in your 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s, you can find seniors travel insurance to suit your needs. Many insurers provide cover for pre-existing conditions and travellers up to 101 years of age. You may visit our list of senior travel insurance to compare your options. Please also make use of the search filter tool on the page and it will show you a list of quotes for travel insurances. Once you have chosen a particular insurer, you may then click on the “Go to site” or “Get quote” button to request a quotation or proceed with your purchase or get in touch with their representatives for further assistance.
Please ensure you review the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you. You can also contact the provider if you have specific questions.
Best regards,
Rench
LeonardSeptember 2, 2017
Hi , I am 76 years old I have been in Australia for 13 years am non resident, my wife is 74 we wish to travel to Bali on the 5 th of October till the 15 th, have full over seas cover with HBF for the last 13 years, can you help.
Finder
HaroldSeptember 5, 2017Finder
Hi Leonard,
Thank you for your inquiry.
As per checking you are already in the correct page. Please review and compare the offers from different travel insurers listed above. You can choose the offer that will best fit your personal requirements.
I hope this information has helped.
Cheers,
Harold
MiraAugust 1, 2016
Hi
Is it possible to get any insurance while holding a tourist visa?
Finder
RichardAugust 2, 2016Finder
Hi Mira,
Thanks for your question.
Whether or not you will be able to get cover will depend on the travel insurance brand you choose to take out cover with as cover requirements vary from insurer to insurer. You may find our travel insurance for short-term visitors useful.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
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I am a Ukrainian national currently in Turkey travelling to Australia and need travel insurance for me 45, mother 62 and two sons age 2 and 7. Travelling on a tourist visa from mid march for 6 months. What insurance companies can I apply with.
Hi Nadia,
Thank you very much for your message. I can definitely help. Health insurance is required for any type of visitor visa if your home country doesn’t have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.
In your situation, everyone on the visa will need to have Overseas Visitor Health Cover. You can compare a number of Australian brands that will satisfy this visa requirement on our guide to OVHC here.
Once you’ve taken out a policy, you will be issued a certificate of insurance online via email. You can attach this to your visa application. I hope this helps, and please accept my best wishes to you and your family.
Regards,
James
We have visitors here from Italy, they already have travel insurance that cannot be amended for the entirety of their trip. We have booked a cruise ex Syd to New Caledonia and want travel insurance for those 8 days. One of the travellers is 82 years old. Any suggestions?
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Whether you’re a traveller in your 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s, you can find seniors travel insurance to suit your needs. Many insurers provide cover for pre-existing conditions and travellers up to 101 years of age. You may visit our list of senior travel insurance to compare your options. Please also make use of the search filter tool on the page and it will show you a list of quotes for travel insurances. Once you have chosen a particular insurer, you may then click on the “Go to site” or “Get quote” button to request a quotation or proceed with your purchase or get in touch with their representatives for further assistance.
Please ensure you review the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you. You can also contact the provider if you have specific questions.
Best regards,
Rench
Hi , I am 76 years old I have been in Australia for 13 years am non resident, my wife is 74 we wish to travel to Bali on the 5 th of October till the 15 th, have full over seas cover with HBF for the last 13 years, can you help.
Hi Leonard,
Thank you for your inquiry.
As per checking you are already in the correct page. Please review and compare the offers from different travel insurers listed above. You can choose the offer that will best fit your personal requirements.
I hope this information has helped.
Cheers,
Harold
Hi
Is it possible to get any insurance while holding a tourist visa?
Hi Mira,
Thanks for your question.
Whether or not you will be able to get cover will depend on the travel insurance brand you choose to take out cover with as cover requirements vary from insurer to insurer. You may find our travel insurance for short-term visitors useful.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard