Working holiday in Australia: Do you have to buy health insurance?

Thousands of young adults head to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa every year. One question comes up more than most others: do I have to buy travel medical insurance?

The answer is more nuanced than just a simple yes or no; it depends on your country of origin and your visa grant letter. In any case, the Australian government makes it very clear that it is the responsibility of WHMs to see to their health care bills and debts (source).

In this article, we’ll explain how you can determine to what extent medical insurance is a requirement for you.

1. Working holiday makers from France or Germany

Skip to the next section if you are not from France or Germany.

If you are from France or Germany, then you can stop reading here, because the French government and German government clearly state that you must have medical insurance in order to participate in the Australia WHV. This requirement is independent of whether any Australian authorities actually check to see your insurance papers. France and Germany do not have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia, so you are not eligible for Medicare.

2. Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

WHMs from most countries will not have access to Australian Medicare. Thanks to RHCAs, however, WHMs from certain countries may be eligible for Medicare. These include the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Belgium, among others.

If you qualify for Medicare, expenses incurred from medically necessary treatment that you receive will be covered by the state rather than billed to you.

If your country does not have a RHCA with Australia, you won’t be eligible for Medicare as a WHV holder. You should instead consider private medical insurance adapted to the needs of working holiday makers, such as Globe WHV.

3. Visa grant notice and Condition 8501

In rare cases, some WHV applicants are explicitly required to acquire private medical insurance. This happens on a case by case basis and is indicated by the presence of Condition 8501 in your visa grant letter.

If the Australian visa authorities deem that based on your applicant profile, you need to have medical insurance, then you must respect Condition 8501 in order to be admitted into the country.

In this document, you can see that both WHV Subclasses 417 and 462 have a (d) next to them. This is short for “discretionary”, which means Condition 8501 is applied on a case by case basis. If you are subject to Condition 8501, then you must “maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance”.

Summary for WHV holders

Medical insurance is at the very least strongly recommended for all WHMs. For some, it is explicitly set forth as an entry requirement. If you do buy insurance, you should do so before boarding your flight to Australia.

To summarize,

• If you are from France or Germany, or are subject to Condition 8501, then you must have insurance.
• If you qualify for Medicare thanks to a RHCA, private medical insurance is still worth considering, as Medicare doesn’t cover all medical expenses.
• For all other WHV holders, medical insurance is strongly recommended. Even if chances are low that Australian authorities will ask to see proof of insurance, medical expenses are your personal responsibility. It is unwise to simply hope that one doesn’t fall ill or sustain any injuries.

If you have other questions about travel medical insurance, read FAQs about working holiday travel insurance.