Reciprocal Health Care Agreements
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements cover the cost of essential medical treatment for Australian residents travelling in some countries. Under these Agreements, some health services and subsidised medicines are provided to visitors from these countries when they are in Australia.
Health care while travelling overseas
While Medicare benefits are not available for medical treatment you receive overseas, the Australian Government has signed Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with some countries. You can get help with the cost of some medical treatments in these countries.
Quick links
If you travel overseas you can get help with the cost of essential medical treatment in some countries under the Australian Government’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreements.
The Australian Government has agreements with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Belgium, Malta, Slovenia and Norway. These agreements mean:
- Australian residents can get help with the cost of essential medical treatment when visiting these countries
- residents of these countries can get some essential medical treatments while visiting Australia.
Students from Norway, Finland, Malta and the Republic of Ireland aren’t covered by agreements with those countries.
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements aren’t designed to replace private travel health insurance for overseas travel.
You need to know
How to prove you are eligible for health care while travelling overseas
You will need to provide local authorities with:
- your Australian passport, or another valid passport, which shows you are a permanent Australian resident
- a valid Medicare card - if you do not have a valid Medicare card, or your card will expire while you are away, visit a DHS Service Centre before you travel overseas for a new card.
It is important you tell medical staff in the country you are visiting that you want to be treated under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.
Medicine
Medicine is not usually subsidised under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements for Australian residents travelling overseas. If you are planning to travel overseas with Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicine for you or someone travelling with you, it is important you:
- talk to your doctor and discuss the medicine you need to take with you
- contact the embassy of the country you are visiting to make sure the medicine is legal there
- take a letter from your doctor detailing what the medicine is, how much you will be taking, and stating that it is for your personal use
- leave the medicine in its original packaging so it is clearly labelled with your name and dosage instructions, or that of the person travelling with you.
Taking PBS medicine out of the country illegally may result in a fine of up to $5000 and/or two years imprisonment.
Health care for visitors to Australia
If you are visiting Australia from certain overseas countries, under Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with Australia you are entitled to some subsidised health services.
First steps
Enrolling in Medicare
If you know you need treatment, you can enrol for Medicare at a DHS Service Centre. If you receive treatment before you enrol, Medicare benefits will be back-paid for eligible visitors.
To enrol in Medicare you need:
- your passport and a valid visa
- to provide (in some cases) identification showing you are enrolled in your country’s national health scheme.
If your Medicare application is approved, you will receive an Australian reciprocal health care card in the mail.
Resources
More information
For more information on Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, call the Travelling with PBS medicine enquiry line on 1800 500 147, or call the Department of Human Services general enquiry line on 132 290.
You can also download the: