Travel Insurance for visitors to Australia. Your quick guide

When you visit any new country, it’s better to be safe than sorry, that’s why organising travel insurance for when those unforeseen situations arise is a smart decision.

If you are planning to visit Australia and you aren’t sure if you should take out travel insurance, this article will cover whether it’s compulsory, some of the top providers and some other valid information that will help make your decision easier.

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Travel insurance for visitors to Australia - What is overseas cover

Travel insurance is an insurance policy organised by an insurance provider that can cover any unforeseen and necessary medical care and travel costs that arise when you are travelling to a country abroad. For visitors to Australia, overseas cover can be a huge help if an emergency does arise, especially if the visitor does not have free access to the Australian Medicare system.

What is Medicare in Australia and can you use it as a visitor

Medicare is Australia’s own universal healthcare scheme for Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, and permanent residents.¹ Some overseas visitors may be able to access Medicare if there is a Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement in place with their home country and Australia.

Some countries that have this agreement in place are²:

• Belgium
• Finland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

Everyone who is eligible under Medicare can access a range of public health and hospital services at lower or at no cost.¹ Those from countries outside this list can use the public or private health system that operates alongside the public system, but should know that the costs are much higher unless private health insurance is organised.³

Is it mandatory to have insurance coverage when you travel to Australia

For those coming to Australia on a non-working or tourist visa, it is not mandatory to take out insurance coverage. If you are moving to Australia either temporarily or long term to work or study, it is mandatory as part of the visa conditions to have adequate health insurance coverage.³

Regardless of whether your visa conditions require travel insurance or not, it is recommended by the Australian government to take out at least a basic cover as healthcare in Australia can be quite costly.³

Some benefits of having insurance when you visit Australia

You will find that having basic insurance will provide you with these benefits:

• Peace of mind if you get sick or have an accident while in Australia
• Lower to no out-of-pocket expenses for accessing certain healthcare services
• Potential coverage for non-health related travel expenses
• Access to customer support to ask questions or seek guidance⁴
• Some providers have multi-lingual support⁴

What this means is that you’ll save yourself from the stress and expenses that are associated with health and travel emergencies when you’re in a foreign country.

What types of offers are available - what are your options

When it comes to choosing an insurance policy, your options will be based on your individual needs. This includes whether you want to buy travel insurance in your home country before you leave or after you arrive in Australia. We’ll go through some differences below.

International Insurance providers

You can choose to purchase international travel insurance from a provider in your country. In many cases, this type of insurance will cover both medical and travel related expenses when travelling in Australia.

International and Australian private health insurances for certain visa holders

For those moving to Australia either long or short term, that are not eligible to access Medicare, proving you have adequate private health insurance is a compulsory visa condition known as condition 8501.

Visa’s with this condition attached are required by The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to provide either private health insurance by an Australian provider or an international provider.³

Travel insurance for travel to AU as a short term visitor

Visitors coming to Australia on a short term basis, and are not subject to visa condition 8501 are able to purchase Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) from an Australian provider either before or after they arrive. This insurance covers potential health related expenses only.³

From here, we’ll mainly focus on OVHC offered by Australian providers for short term visitors. We'll cover the main eligibility requirements, what to look for in a package, and where you can buy this type of insurance.

What are some conditions for getting insurance

To be eligible for OVHC insurance, you’ll need to meet any of the following conditions⁵:

• Be a foreigner visiting Australia on a short term basis
• Hold a valid short-term working or study visa
• Be visiting Australia as a tourist or visiting family
• Are not eligible to access Medicare

For those that come from a country with a Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement in place, it is still recommended that you take out OVHC.

What to look for in an Health insurance package for visitors to Australia

When shopping around for an OVHC package, there are a few things to look out for as the benefits, coverage and membership vary between providers. You should always check⁵:

• The full price of coverage for your time in Australia
• What and when an excess needs to be paid when making a claim
• If there are any waiting periods to access care
• Whether your family members are included in the coverage
• To check if the policy covers pre-existing conditions
• Check what exclusions or restrictions apply
• If any extras are included
• The type of customer support they have available

Each provider will have a range of tiers of cover available which will include or exclude different services. We’ll show you what we mean by this next.

What is usually included in most travel insurance packages

Choosing a provider is one of the hardest decisions when it comes to choosing a provider for OHVC policy. Below we’ll use the packages offered by Bupa, an international and Australian provider as an example of things included with this type of cover.

Bupa OVHC policy packages for a single person aged 34 in NSW*⁴

* Price indicative of 24 May 2023

If you are outside the above demographic, you’ll be able to request a quote from each provider. It is also important to always read the policy terms and conditions prior to purchasing any type of insurance. This includes the amounts you are covered up to and types of treatments you can access.

Where to buy insurance and can it be done when you’re already in Australia

We’ve already shown the available packages from Bupa, but you can also check out these other major OVHC insurance providers in Australia.

• NIB
• HBF
• Allianz care
• Medibank
• Australian Unity

If you aren’t interested in using an Australian provider or it is not suitable for your needs, you should also check options in your home country.

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