Compare Overseas Visitor Health Cover

What is overseas visitors health cover?

Overseas visitors health cover (OVHC) is private health insurance designed specifically for people coming to Australia on a temporary visa. It's mandatory on some visas, but you may be exempt if you're a citizen of a country with a reciprocal health care agreement. If you're a student, you may need overseas student health cover.

OVHC can cover the following:

Hospital care

Cheaper policies will cover emergency ambulance rides and treatment in a hospital, plus accommodation fees. Other common services include cover for hernias, cancer and joint replacements.

Extras (out-of-hospital services)

Extras cover includes out-of-hospital care such as dental, optical, physiotherapy and chiropractic. Some more expensive OVHC policies will cover these treatments automatically. In other cases, you may need to take out a separate extras policy in addition to basic OVHC cover.

Doctor's appointments

This is when you need to make an appointment at a doctor's clinic, known as a General Practitioner (GP) in Australia, because you're feeling unwell or have some other health issue that may require medication.

Prescribed medicine

If you are on medication, it's likely worth getting a policy that will cover your prescriptions. Otherwise, medicine can be quite expensive in Australia.

Repatriation

If you become seriously unwell or suffer a life-altering disability, most overseas visitor policies will pay to fly you home under medical supervision.

What's not covered by OVHC?

There are some conditions and treatments that OVHC won't typically cover. Here are a few of the most common:

• Ambulance rides that aren't considered an emergency
• Elective cosmetic surgery such as a nose job or breast implants
• Treatment arranged in advance of your arrival in Australia
• IVF and other assisted reproductive services
• Services provided outside of Australia

Do you need overseas visitor health cover?

If you plan on working in Australia, your visa application will generally require you to have OVHC in place by the time you enter Australia, unless you're a citizen of a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.

When should you get overseas visitor health cover?

Migrants need to have health insurance from the time that they enter Australia. For example: Scenario 1) John Doe applies for a visa offshore and the visa is granted. He will arrive in Australia at 4:00am on 20/09/2022. He should get a health insurance policy that starts at 12:00am 20/09/2022. Scenario 2) Jane Doe is already in Australia under a particular visa that requires her to have health insurance, and applies for a subsequent visa onshore that also has this requirement. As she should already have a health insurance policy, she should continue to pay for this policy on an ongoing basis.

Kaku Caro
Immigration Lawyer - LegalVision

Reciprocal health care agreements

If you're from 1 of the 11 specific countries in the list below, you're eligible for Medicare and won't be required to have OVHC (although we still recommend it). That's because your country and Australia have an agreement called a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA).

Here are the countries that have an RHCA with Australia:

What if my visa has changed?

What is condition 8501?

You know that visa requirement we've been talking about? That's requirement 8501, and it means your visa may not be approved if you don't have health cover in place when you arrive in Australia.

To meet condition 8501, your insurance must meet the following criteria:

• Be fully comprehensive
• Provide cover that is equivalent to or better than Medicare
• Cover prescriptions

Applicants generally provide a letter or policy statement from the insurance provider indicating that the person(s) have made adequate arrangements for health insurance. Generally speaking, health insurance is not a requirement for the visa to be granted. Rather, it is a visa condition imposed as part of the visa grant, commencing when they enter Australia.

Kaku Caro
Immigration Lawyer - LegalVision

• Which visas need mandatory health insurance?

  Here is a list of common Australian workers visas and whether they require you to have private health insurance.

  Visa number	Visa name	Description	Health care requirement?
  405	Investor Retirement	For self-funded retirees without any dependants.	Yes
  408	Temporary Activity	For workers on temporary assignments like entertainers, athletes and researchers.	Yes
  417	Working Holiday	For young people who want to work while travelling Australia.	No
  400	Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)	For workers who do highly specialised, short-term work like managers, professionals and tradespeople.	No
  457 (replaced by the 482 in March 2018)	Temporary Work (Skilled)	Allows skilled workers to live and work for up to 4 years.	Yes
  482	Temporary Skill Shortage	For skilled workers to live and work for up to 4 years in order to fill labour shortages in Australia.	Yes
  485	Temporary Graduate	Allows international students who have recently graduated from an Australian uni to live, work and study in Australia.	Yes
  489	Skilled Regional (Provisional)	For overseas skilled workers to live and work in regional Australian locations for up to 4 years.	Yes
  BVA	Bridging visa	For people who are switching to a new visa and waiting for the application to process. Also for people making arrangements to leave Australia.	Only if the visa you are applying for requires it

I arrived in Australia from the UK with no clue about health insurance, medicare or bulk billing! However, getting OVHC was a requirement for my visa. I took out a policy with Allianz, which covered the visa condition 8501. Policies with GP and dental visits cost quite a lot more, so i just got a basic policy for $80 that would cover me if i needed to go to Emergency. Luckily, i haven't had to use the policy much, but it's been great having peace of mind while also keeping the Australian Government happy!

— Alex Holderness, head of publishing and expat

Which health funds offer visitors health cover in Australia?

• Participating health funds
• Full list of health funds

Health fund	Hospital cover for overseas visitors	Extras cover available or included?	More info
	Comprehensive Working Visa more info button Intermediate Working Visa Essentials Working Visa Basic Working Visa	Top Extras Advanced Extras Essential Extras Simple Extras Value Extras Basic Extras	More info
	Worker Cover Plus Mid Workers Cover Budget Workers Cover Top Overseas Visitor Cover Mid Overseas Visitor Cover Basic Overseas Visitor Cover		More info
	Top Plus Cover Top Cover Mid Cover Basic Cover	Included in Top Plus Cover Included in Top Cover	More info
more info button	Budget Visitor Cover Standard Visitor Cover Advantage Visitor Cover	Budget Visitor Cover with Extras Standard Visitor Cover with Extras Advantage Visitor Cover with Extras	More info

Health fund	Hospital cover for overseas visitors more info button	Extras cover available or included? more info button	More info
Allianz Global Assistance	Visitors Plus Budget Visitors	Included in Visitors Plus more info button Not included in Budget Visitors	More info
Australian Unity	Basic Overseas Visitors Cover Mid Overseas Visitors Cover Top Overseas Visitors Cover	Base Extras Mid Extras Active Extras Prime Extras	More info
Bupa	Platinum Visitors Cover Essential Plus Visitors Cover Gold Visitors Cover Essential Visitors Cover	Included in Platinum Visitors Cover more info button Included in Essential Plus Visitors Cover more info button	More info
Frank Health Insurance	Frank Minimum Working Visa	No extras policies available	More info
hbf	Working Visa Hospital and Medical Cover Working Visa Hospital Cover	Included in Working Visa Hospital and Medical Cover Not included in Working Visa Hospital Cover	More info
HCF	Overseas Visitors Health Cover	Ultimate Extras Lifestyle Plus Extras Active Lifestyle Extras Lifestyle Essentials Basic Extras	More info
hif	Comprehensive Working Visa more info button Intermediate Working Visa Essentials Working Visa Basic Working Visa Visitor Saver Visitor Value	Premium Options Super Options Special Options Saver Options	More info
IMAN	Budget Visitor Cover Value Plus Visitor Cover Basic Visitor Health Cover Mid Visitor Cover Top Visitor Cover	Not included in Budget Visitor Cover Included in Value Plus Visitor Cover more info button Included in Basic Visitor Health Cover more info button Included in Mid Visitor Cover more info button Included in Mid Visitor Cover more info button	More info
Medibank	Overseas Visitor Health Insurance	No extras included	More info
nib	Budget Visitor Cover Standard Visitor Cover Advantage Visitor Cover	Budget Visitor Cover with Extras Standard Visitor Cover with Extras Advantage Visitor Cover with Extras	More info

Frequently asked questions

• Is OVHC private health insurance?

  Yes. OVHC is private health insurance, designed for international visitors on a temporary visa.

• Can you get dental with OVHC?

  Yes. Some OVHC policies provide cover for dental treatment including general dental services like cleanings and simple fillings as well as major dental work like root canals, crowns and bridges.

  Not all insurers offer it, but the ones that do usually include it in their top-level policies only. You can also get dental cover by purchasing a standalone "extras" policy on top of your OVHC.

• How does OVHC work for pregnancy?

  Most OVHC policies will cover pregnancy, but at a reduced rate compared to other covered treatments. That's because not everyone needs pregnancy-related services and it's generally not considered an unexpected medical need.

  Insurers who cover pregnancy at a reduced rate (typically in a basic policy) will pay your hospital accommodation fees in a public hospital, but the rest will be up to you, including doctors fees, delivery fees, blood tests, ultrasounds and anaesthesia.

  However, some insurers do offer higher levels of private pregnancy cover that also include your choice of an obstetrician. These insurers will offer full cover for pregnancy within their mid- or top-level policies.

  For private pregnancy, you will have a waiting period of 12 months before you can use it. That means you will have to buy your policy well before you get pregnant.

• Can you get overseas visitors health cover with no waiting periods?

  The only way you can get out of your OVHC waiting periods is if you already served them with another insurer and you're switching to a similar policy with a new insurer. If you are taking out OVHC for the first time, you'll have to wait around 2 months for most treatments and 12 months for pre-existing conditions.

• Do couples and families need overseas visitors health cover?

  If your visa requires you to have health insurance and the other members of your family are coming over on the same visa as you, everyone will be required to have OVHC. Most insurers offer singles, couples and family policies so that you can all be covered under the same policy.

• Do you need to inform your health fund if your visa status changes?

  If you are switching to another visa that also requires you to have health cover, you'll probably need to ask your insurer for proof of cover to provide with your visa application. Otherwise, it's not necessary to let your insurer know about your visa change unless you want to make changes to your policy, cancel your policy or switch to a new policy.

• Does extras cover satisfy the health insurance conditions of your visa?

  No, if your visa requires you to have health insurance, a standalone extras policy won't cut it because it won't cover in-hospital treatments. Only an OVHC policy will meet your visa requirements, although you are free to purchase a standalone extras policy on top of your OVHC for additional cover.

• Do I need OVHC if I'm eligible for Medicare?

  No, but even with Medicare cover, it's still a good idea to get overseas visitor health cover because it covers you for the following (whereas Medicare won't):

  • Emergency ambulance rides
  • Dental work (only with some policies)
  • Medical evacuation to your home country if you need it

  • Your own private room in a private hospital (or as a private patient in a public hospital)
  • Your choice of doctor
  • Natural therapies (only on some policies)

  In addition to that, if you make more than $93,000 per year and you don't have private health insurance, you will be required to pay a tax called the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

• How does switching OVHC work?

  You'll need to get a clearance certificate from your current health fund, before you switch to your new one. Once you switch, you won't need to serve any waiting periods if you already served them on your previous fund.

• Can I claim OVHC on my tax return?

  No. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), these are not complying health insurance policies and you will not be eligible for the private health insurance rebate.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Editor, Insurance & Innovations

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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