Direct answer: Visitors to Australia generally need inbound visitors cover or travel insurance that includes medical treatment in Australia. Medicare is for eligible residents and certain reciprocal-agreement situations — it is not a default tourist safety net.
At a glance
- Onshore medical care is the point.
- Some products must be bought before arrival.
- Working-holiday work and adventure have extra exclusions.
- Residents leaving Australia should use the rest of this site, not this page.
Who this page is for
Working-holiday makers, families visiting relatives in Melbourne or the Gold Coast, students between policies, and cruise passengers with Australian port days. It is not for Australian residents flying out — they need outbound cover.
What to check
- Does the policy cover medical care in Australia?
- Work and adventure exclusions for working-holiday visas
- Whether the person is already in Australia (some products must be bought before arrival)
- Reciprocal health-care agreement limits — they are not evacuation or dental plans
- Whether the visitor will leave Australia mid-policy (a Bali side trip is a different territory)
See reciprocal healthcare versus travel insurance and MoneySmart.
Quote assumptions (not prices)
We do not publish premiums. When you compare two quotes, write the assumptions down first. A “cheap” number is meaningless if the rows below do not match.
| Assumption | Why it moves the quote | Write yours here |
|---|---|---|
| Traveller ages | Age bands and screening change eligibility | |
| Residency | Most AU products require Australian residency | |
| Destination region | USA / Japan snow / Bali scooters are different files | |
| Exact dates | Duration and season (ski, cyclone, school holidays) | |
| Trip type | Single-trip, annual multi-trip, cruise, domestic | |
| Excess you can pay | A lower premium often pairs with a higher excess | |
| Activities | Snow, scooter, dive, trek, motorcycle | |
| Medical screening | Disclosed conditions can add a variation or an exclusion | |
| Prepaid costs | Cancellation limits should at least match deposits |
If two websites show different prices, check whether they used the same assumptions before you call one a bargain.
Working holiday notes
Farm work, hospitality late shifts, and scuba or surf add-ons sit in activity and work exclusions. A visa grant is not insurance acceptance. Adventure activities still apply on days off.
Australian residents leaving the country should start at the homepage or compare framework.
This page is general information. The current inbound PDS decides.
Onshore reality for guests
Private hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane bill. Working-holiday makers on farm or hospitality visas meet work exclusions. Cruise passengers with an Australian port day may already be on a ship wording — or may have a hole onshore. Some inbound products must be bought before the aircraft leaves the overseas gate.
Reciprocal agreements are limited. They are not dental plans and not medevac. See reciprocal healthcare versus travel insurance.
Australian residents flying out should leave this page and use the homepage or compare framework. Mixing inbound and outbound products is a common family-visit mistake when cousins arrive for a wedding in the Hunter Valley and someone buys the wrong certificate.