• Visas eligible for Medicare

    Medicare eligibility for visa holders

What Visas are eligible for Medicare?

​The Department of Human Services (DHS) determines whether or not you are eligible for Medicare benefits.

You might be eligible for Medicare benefits if you are living in Australia and are:

  • Holders of the new Regional Provisional visas (491 visa and 494 visa) will be eligible for Medicare
  • a permanent visa holder (including returning residents)
  • Non-citizens/PR visa holder in Australia are only eligible for Medicare if they have applied for a permanent visa (excludes Parent Visa) and they hold a valid temporary visa (includes a bridging visa).
  • an applicant for a permanent visa (some exclusions apply) who has the right to work in Australia or who has a parent, spouse or child who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen (who is an Australian resident)
  • a holder of certain temporary visa
  • a temporary visa holder who lives in a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. Some agreements require clients to be a resident and a citizen of the relevant country.
  • You can enrol in Medicare if you live in Australia and have applied for either: a permanent residency visa, except for a parent visa a permanent protection visa.

What you should bring to Medicare

To help ensure a streamlined Medicare enrolment process, you should bring the following documentation to a DHS Service Centre:

  • a completed Medicare enrolment application form (3101) available from the DHS website
  • Identity documents (such as a birth certificate or driver licence) for all applicants
  • travel documents (such as passports or an ImmiCard) for all applicants
  • any information that we have already provided that will help to confirm your current visa status.
    For example:

    • a copy of your ‘Acknowledgement of application received’ for a permanent visa application, including the names of all the applicants
    • a visa grant notification that confirms the grant of a particular visa, including the names of all the applicants
    • print out from VEVO of your current visa and associated conditions.

A person is entitled to a Medicare card if:

  1. He or she meets the definition of “Australian resident” in Section 3 of the
    Health Insurance Act, or
  2. Comes within reciprocal health care arrangements.

People (excluding applicants for parent/ contributory parent visas) will meet the
definition of “Australian resident” if;

  1. They have applied in Australia for a permanent visa, and
  2. They hold a temporary visa (including a bridging visa), and
  3. (a) Their spouse/ de facto spouse, parent or child is an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident, or (b) They have permission to work.

See Section 3 of the Health Insurance Act

If you’ve applied for permanent residency

You can enrol in Medicare if you live in Australia and have applied for either:

  • a permanent residency visa, except for a parent visa
  • a permanent protection visa.

You must also be any of the following:

  • on a visa allowing you to work
  • able to prove your parent, spouse or child is an Australian citizen
  • able to prove your parent, spouse or child is a permanent resident
  • able to prove your parent, spouse or child is a New Zealand citizen living in Australia.

This includes if you’ve applied for a combined spouse visa 309/100 or 820/801.

You can enrol in Medicare from either:

  • the date you applied for permanent residency
  • the date you arrived here to live if you applied outside Australia.

The date you apply for permanent residency may be different to the date you got your temporary 309 or 820 visa.

If your permanent resident application fails

If you lodge an appeal, you can apply to stay enrolled in Medicare.

If you haven’t lodged an appeal, you’re not eligible for Medicare. You may have some cover under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.

If you’ve applied for a parent visa

You can’t enrol in Medicare if you’ve applied for an 804 or 103 parent visa. You may have some cover under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.

You can enrol if either:

You may be able to enrol if you have a temporary contributory parent visa.

If you’re a temporary resident covered by a Ministerial Order

You can enrol in Medicare if you have a valid temporary visa covered by one of these Ministerial Orders:

Book a meeting for a commitment free briefing with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.