Health cover for overseas students, workers and visitors
Are you in Australia on a student, work or visitor visa? You probably need a different kind of health cover from the one this site compares. This page explains which kind, and where to find it.
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
If you hold a student visa, you normally need OSHC for as long as your visa lasts. That is usually still true if you come from a country with a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. There are a few exceptions, and the government site sets them out.
Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC)
If you are here to work or to visit, OVHC is the category to look at. Some visas carry condition 8501, which requires you to hold health insurance for your whole stay. Your visa grant letter lists the conditions that apply to you.
Where to look
PrivateHealth.gov.au is the Australian Government’s own health insurance site. Its overseas section lists the funds offering this cover and explains what each visa needs. It also sets out the reciprocal health care agreements, and links to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman if something goes wrong.
Overseas cover on PrivateHealth.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
Buying a residents’ policy anyway
Nothing stops you buying an ordinary residents’ policy from an Australian health fund. Two things change if you do. You would not get the Australian Government Rebate, because that rebate needs Medicare. And the policy would not, on its own, meet a visa condition asking for OSHC or OVHC.
What this site does not do
This site does not compare OSHC or OVHC products, and it does not give visa advice. Sending you to the official source is more useful than guessing on your behalf.
If Medicare does cover you
Medicare may cover you after all, for example as a permanent resident, or under a reciprocal health care agreement. If so, go back and start the comparison.