Information for overseas visitors

On selected visas you're required, as set out by the Department of Home Affairs, opens in a new tab, to purchase and maintain adequate health insurance arrangements for yourself and your dependants for the duration of your intended stay in Australia.

All GU Health’s overseas visitor health cover options have been designed for individuals or families visiting Australia on a visa and meet the adequate health insurance requirement.

When purchasing your overseas visitor cover, GU Health will supply you with a letter that you can provide to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to confirm you have the appropriate cover for yourself and your family.

As an overseas visitor, you may have limited access to Medicare benefits, opens in a new tab. However, if you’re from a country with which Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, opens in a new tab (RHCA), the cost of your medically necessary care may be covered while visiting Australia. However, you will need to cover the costs for treatment that's considered ongoing or elective, or treatment in a private hospital yourself. In addition, your RHCA will not enable you to choose your own doctor in hospital. That’s where GU Health cover helps.

Your overseas visitor health plan will help cover you for treatment that Medicare would otherwise provide to residents. To understand what you are covered for and can claim on, login to Online Member Services or the GU Health App. You can also contact us.

If you’re sick and it’s not life threatening, you might need to see a doctor or pharmacist. Use our General Practitioner search to find the contact details for a doctor close to your location.

If you have a major injury or life threatening illness, call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department immediately. For example: chest pain, unconscious or seizure, difficulty breathing, badly bleeding or injured in a severe accident.

Always take your membership card and photo ID when accessing health care services.

If you need to go to hospital for a planned procedure, you can read more in our Going to Hospital section.

All GU Health overseas visitor Hospital covers meet government requirements for complying private health insurance. This means that you’ll receive an annual tax statement to help you apply for exemption from the Medicare Levy Surcharge that may be applicable to you.**

As soon as you become eligible for full Medicare entitlements, you should register with Medicare Australia. Once you register, ask for a Lifetime Health Cover letter and then contact us to arrange to transfer to GU Health’s resident cover. You may be eligible for full Medicare entitlements under an interim card while you’re waiting for your resident visa to be approved, so check with Medicare, opens in a new tab if you're unsure when your full eligibility starts and for further information.

If during the term of your cover, you or a family member on your policy suffer an injury or illness that's considered critical in nature and this prevents you from continuing your employment in Australia, GU Health may pay the cost of your repatriation (under medical supervision if deemed necessary) to your country of origin.

In the unfortunate event of death, the cost of repatriating your mortal remains to your home country may be covered by GU Health, if legally permissible.

Depending on your level of cover, we’ll cover 100 per cent of the cost of one repatriation per membership, per membership year, to a maximum benefit of $20,000. GU Health has the right to assess applications for the repatriation benefit on a case-by-case basis, and payment of the benefit is at our discretion.