COMPARE OVERSEAS VISITORS HEALTH COVER

Tell us what cover you would like and we'll help you compare the best deals from multiple Australian providers.

  • 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 ?

We're Australia's largest and most trusted private health insurance comparison service*

Our Overseas Visitors health insurance partners

We compare insurance across a range of Australia's most trusted insurance providers.

How our experts have helped people like you

Excellent

trustpilot rate 4.5

Based on 7215 reviews on

tp quotes

Thank you for your guidance on my…

tp star

Thank you for your guidance on my behalf to find a good rate for my electricity supply. Greatly appreciate you courtuous service.

Sylvia Haig

tp quotes

The man we spoke to was very helpful and explained everything very well to us I am hard of hearing and very patient

tp star

The man we spoke to was very helpful and explained everything vrerywell to us

Neville

tp quotes

It was so easy to do…..I rang Compare…

tp star

It was so easy to do…..I rang Compare and a representative did all the work for me by saving me $$$$hundreds.

Cash

tp quotes

Quick reply and friendly efficient…

tp star

Quick reply and friendly efficient service. Hamish explained what our new service provider could do for us very clearly and organised our new provider without us having to do anything. Great service!

Rob and Nerida Blunt

tp quotes

Great service

tp star

Process was made so easy. They did all the hard work. Very informative and helpful staff. Will use again.

Adam

tp quotes

Very friendly and very helpful person…

tp star

Very friendly and very helpful person on the phone. The only change I could think of because of all the scam phone calls that I receive ( and that I ignore) is possibly to send a text with your phone number so that I review the phone numbers that I receive.

wallace Bridle

tp quotes

informative

tp star

informative

Loretta

tp quotes

The colleague was very professional

tp star

The colleague was very professional, polite and assisted in finding the right deal to suit my needs.

Joan Pounder

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.

Compare Club
  • linkedin-circle-white
  • instagram-circle-white
  • tiktok-circle-white
  • facebook-circle-white
  • youtube-circle-white

Compare Club Australia Pty Ltd (CCA) is a corporate authorised representative (AFS Representative number 001279036) of Alternative Media Pty Ltd (AFS License number 486326). CCA is a credit rep (Credit Representative Number 519886) of Alternative Media Pty Ltd (ACL Number 486326). Compare Club is a signatory to the Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Code of Conduct. Compare Club compares selected products from a panel of trusted insurers. We do not compare all products in the market. Before using our website, you must review our Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy.

© 2025 Compare Club. All Rights Reserved

Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Association (PHIIA) Code of Conduct