Eleven countries have a reciprocal health agreement with Australia: Belgium, Slovenia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The list is on the official health insurance website. The official tourism website confirms the figure of eleven.
Spain, France, Germany and the countries of Latin America are not on that list.
Having an agreement does not mean having full Medicare. It usually gives limited access to the public system, and the conditions change by country.
Country by country
| Country | As a visitor | With a student visa |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
| Slovenia | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
| Finland | Can apply for Medicare | No |
| Ireland | Can apply for Medicare | No |
| Italy | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
| Malta | Can apply for Medicare | No |
| Norway | Can apply for Medicare | No |
| New Zealand | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
| Netherlands | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
| United Kingdom | Can apply for Medicare | Sources disagree |
| Sweden | Can apply for Medicare | Yes |
The student column comes from the official page on OSHC cover. That page includes the United Kingdom, but GOV.UK says its agreement does not apply to people studying in Australia. Services Australia decides.
With a student visa, having reciprocal Medicare does not replace OSHC. There are possible exceptions for Sweden, Norway and Belgium, which are checked with the Department of Home Affairs.
What the agreement covers
According to the official page for visitors:
- You can get free emergency treatment in the public system.
- It does not cover treatment as a private patient in a hospital.
- It may have other limits. In some cases, the entitlement expires after a certain time in Australia.
- The same website mentions visitor insurance (OVHC) for what the agreement does not cover.
Example from the United Kingdom. GOV.UK says essential and urgent hospital treatment is free. The GP and prescriptions are paid for, and part of the cost can be recovered through Medicare. Medicines (except in hospital), ambulance and medical evacuation are excluded.
New Zealand. Healthdirect includes its citizens among the people who can access Medicare.
The limits for each country are in the Services Australia fact sheets.
What Medicare does not cover
This applies even to people with full Medicare, according to the official website:
- Ambulance. It costs a lot and the price depends on the state: you will see it in our emergency guide.
- Most dental care.
- Glasses and contact lenses.
- Most physiotherapy, psychology and other therapies.
- Costs as a private patient.
If your country is not on the list
The official page for visitors says that, in general, people on a temporary visa cannot use Medicare. It also warns that, even in a public hospital, costs can exceed A$1,000 a day in hospital fees alone.
Some visas require health insurance. That requirement is called condition 8501 and appears on the visa itself. That page cites the 482 and 485 visas and any other visa with that condition, but it does not mention the Working Holiday. General information about the visa is in how the visa works. There is an alphabetical list of insurers in services.
Two groups have another route:
- People with permanent residence, or who have applied for it, can usually apply for provisional or full Medicare.
- Healthdirect adds certain temporary residents covered by a ministerial order.
How to enrol
- It can only be done once you are in Australia, not before the trip.
- If you are accepted, you get a number and a card. The Medicare information line is 132 011.
- The card is used for visits with no extra charge, in public hospitals and to buy subsidised medicines.
Two effects worth knowing about:
- Exemption from condition 8501. People enrolled in Medicare under an agreement can ask Home Affairs for an exemption. It is assessed case by case.
- Tax. Being enrolled in Medicare, even under an agreement, can trigger the tax surcharge (Medicare Levy Surcharge). It only affects tax residents above a certain income level.
What we could not confirm
- The Services Australia fact sheets. They did not load when we checked. That is why we only give details for the United Kingdom, which come from GOV.UK. Check the fact sheet for your country.
- The Working Holiday. We could not confirm whether each agreement treats holders of that visa as visitors.
- Dates. The privatehealth.gov.au pages do not show an update date. One of them still links to the old Medicare domain.
This is general information. We are not migration agents or insurance brokers.
Sources
All viewed on 5 November 2026.
- Overseas Visitors and Students, privatehealth.gov.au (official, Commonwealth Ombudsman).
- Overseas Visitors Health Cover, privatehealth.gov.au (official).
- Overseas Student Health Cover, privatehealth.gov.au (official).
- Working visa applicants, privatehealth.gov.au (official).
- Medicare: what is covered, privatehealth.gov.au (official).
- What is Medicare?, Healthdirect (official, reviewed in April 2026).
- Health and safety FAQ, Australia.com (official, tourism).
- Australia travel advice: health, GOV.UK (UK Government).