Medicare for Working Holiday Makers: Reciprocal Deals
Updated: 2 days ago
Got sick or hurt on your Working Holiday? Depending on your country, you might be able to use Medicare, Australia's public health system, for some medically necessary care. This is thanks to Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCAs). Here's a quick, general overview from Services Australia information.
Which countries have an agreement?
Australia has RHCAs with 11 countries:
Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom
Some have special conditions. For example, visitors from Italy and Malta are generally covered for 6 months from each arrival, and UK visitors must be ordinarily resident in the UK.
What can be covered?
For most RHCA countries, eligible visitors can get:
medically necessary out-of-hospital care (for example a GP visit)
medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital
some medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Visitors from Ireland and New Zealand aren't enrolled in Medicare: they can get public hospital care and some PBS medicines only.
What isn't covered?
RHCAs don't cover everything. Examples that aren't covered include:
ambulance travel
treatment as a private patient or in a private hospital
most allied health (like physio), glasses, hearing aids and cosmetic surgery
treatment you planned before you arrived, or travel to Australia for treatment
That's why many travellers still choose private overseas visitor or travel insurance. Compare policies carefully and check what they include.
How to enrol
Visitors from the UK and Italy can apply online, and visitors from other eligible countries use the Medicare enrolment form. You'll need your passport and visa details, and Services Australia checks your visa in VEVO. Eligible visitors get a yellow Medicare card. New to VEVO? Read our guide to checking your visa with VEVO.
Thinking of studying later?
If you later apply for a student visa, you'll usually need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your stay. You can compare and buy cover on our OSHC page.
Important
This is general information only, not health, insurance or visa advice. Rules can change, so check servicesaustralia.gov.au for your own situation. We're an education agency working with registered migration partners. For visa advice we can refer you to a migration professional: Migration Support.
Questions? Send us an enquiry
Fill in our enquiry form at weintervisa.com/contact-us.
Source: Services Australia, Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (eligibility, countries, coverage and enrolment), checked October 2026.
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