COMPARE OVERSEAS VISITORS HEALTH COVER

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  • Satisfy Australian Government visa requirements
  • Receive your visa compliance letter instantly by email
  • Cut down on medical costs and protect your health Australia-wide

  • I am looking for

  • Visa Type

  • Visa Subclass

  • 8501 Visa Condition ?

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What is visa condition 8501?
Adequate health insurance criteria

Condition 8501 requires applicants for certain visas to take out a baseline level of health insurance for the duration of their stay in Australia. Without this level of cover a visa is unlikely to be granted or, if your cover lapses while you're in the country, your visa may be cancelled.

It's important to note that most, but not all, overseas visitors health insurance policies are tailored to meet these requirements. All policies that are available for purchase through Compare Club meet condition 8501.

The following are the required criteria for “adequate health insurance”.

  • Provides public hospital cover at a minimum
  • Includes cover for emergency ambulance transport
  • Covers all medications covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
  • Covers all treatments listed under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
Find out more
Overseas Visitors Health Cover FAQ's
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about Overseas Visitors Health Cover:
We cover all ‘active’ visas, such as working visas (485, 482, 408) and visitor visas (600, 601).

There are some visas that are no longer active which health funds won’t cover, and you can’t get cover for any visa that has access to Medicare, such as visa 804 and visa 864.
Yes. Our experts are able to help you get your cover sorted before coming to Australia, and you can call us internationally to get it sorted. We can even help with a certificate of insurance if that’s needed for your visa type.
Your membership will commence on the date you nominated as the cover start date, even if your membership card has not arrived. However you should note that waiting periods will apply before you can make a claim.

You will have seen these when you compared insurers, however the information will also be available in the welcome email sent by your chosen insurer.
Most policies do not include extras, but can be added to the cover if required. Most Overseas Visitors Health Cover includes hospital and ambulance with the option to add benefits for doctors, specialists and pathology (blood tests).
It depends on your insurer, but you can make a claim by providing the receipt and claiming online or through the insurer’s mobile app.

However, most doctors and General Practitioners will recognise some health funds and let you claim on the spot with your membership card.
All you have to do is contact your insurer or us prior to the start date of your cover so it can be changed. You should do this as soon as you know about the delay.
You will be billed for your first month as soon as you sign up for your policy to confirm your cover. This payment will cover the month that follows your policy start date.

When this period ends, you will be charged for the next billing period, which may be fortnightly or monthly.
If you were overseas at the time of purchase and in transit at the time your membership card/s arrive, you can always contact us or your fund once you arrive in Australia and ask for your cards to be reissued.
Yes, there is.

  • Overseas Visitors Health Cover is a month to month health insurance and has limited options as to what can be included in your cover.
  • Overseas Students Health Cover is for student visas and must be paid upfront for the length of time the visa is active. For example, if your visa is for two years, you must pay two years upfront. All people on the visa must also be included on the cover. If you want to learn more, please read our guide.
To receive Oversease Visitors Health cover Insurance quotes, submit your details above and a Compare Club health insurance expert will contact you.

* More Health insurance policies sold vs other comparison services July 2021 - June 2022, PHIIA (2022) and higher Trust pilot scores vs competitors as of 1 Oct 2023.


Compare Club compares selected products from a panel of trusted insurers. We do not compare all products in the market.

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