OSHC Overseas Student Health Cover: Who Must Buy It, What It Covers, How to Buy

OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is a mandatory condition of Australia's subclass 500 student visa. This article explains the mandatory requirement, what is covered, the six providers, policy types, price ranges, and the pitfalls people most often hit, so you can buy the right cover the first time.

1. What is OSHC?

OSHC is medical and hospital insurance designed for international students on a student visa to cover treatment in Australia. International students generally cannot access Australia's universal Medicare, so OSHC is its "equivalent substitute" — your main source of cover for seeing a doctor, hospital stays, and emergencies while you study. It is regulated by the Department of Health through the OSHC Deed, and only registered private insurers that have signed the Deed may sell it. See privatehealth.gov.au — OSHC.

2. Who must buy it? (mandatory condition 8501)

All subclass 500 student visa holders, and any accompanying spouse and children, must hold OSHC covering their entire stay in Australia — this is written into the visa as condition 8501 (maintain adequate health insurance). For the student category, "adequate insurance" can only be met by OSHC (or a qualifying reciprocal arrangement; OVHC applies if you apply as a student guardian). Being without adequate insurance while in Australia breaches 8501.

Reciprocal-arrangement exemption: students from Norway, Sweden, and Belgium may not need to buy OSHC (refer to official sources and privatehealth.gov.au). Everyone else (including Chinese applicants) needs OSHC.

Official information: Home Affairs — Adequate health insurance · List of visas subject to condition 8501 (PDF)

3. What is and isn't covered

Basic OSHC usually covers

Doctor's visits (GP and some specialists), reimbursed at the set rate
Hospital treatment, surgery, and accidents and emergencies
Prescription medicines (reimbursed up to a limit)
Emergency ambulance
Treatment requiring hospitalisation that is not a "pre-existing condition"

Basic OSHC usually does not cover (extras needed)

Routine dental (check-ups, fillings, etc.) — not in the basic policy, needs extras
Optical / glasses (eye tests, spectacles) — not in the basic policy
Physiotherapy, podiatry, chiropractic, and other allied health — mostly need extras
Non-essential elective surgery (e.g. cosmetic surgery)
Pre-existing conditions present before arrival are not paid during the waiting period

Dental, optical, physiotherapy, and similar can be covered by adding "extras" cover. Exact reimbursement rates, limits, and exclusions depend on each policy's terms.

4. Waiting periods

A waiting period is the time you must wait after taking out a policy before certain services can be claimed; costs incurred during the waiting period are out of pocket. Common periods are as follows (subject to each policy):

Service	Waiting period
GP visit / psychiatry / emergency	No waiting period
Most hospital treatment	Usually 2 months
Pre-existing conditions	Usually 12 months
Pregnancy-related	Usually 12 months (see the 2026 change below)

2026 change: from 1 January 2026, OSHC insurers will progressively remove the waiting period for pregnancy-related treatment on policies with a cover period of 2 years or more. Confirm directly with your insurer whether and when this applies.

5. The six OSHC providers

Per Department of Health data as at November 2025, the insurers selling OSHC in Australia are the following. You can compare and choose yourself, or take your school's recommendation — but you do not have to accept the school's choice, and you can switch providers at any time while studying (just avoid a gap in cover).

Bupa Australia

Large market share, with a wide network of clinics and direct-billing hospitals; couple/family policies are often among the better-priced options.

Medibank

A mainstream insurer, which owns the ahm OSHC sub-brand.

ahm OSHC

A Medibank brand positioned on value; basic policy prices are usually lower.

Allianz Care Australia

Provides OSHC through an underwriting arrangement with Peoplecare; family policies are sometimes better priced.

nib OSHC

A mainstream insurer with a simple online sign-up process.

CBHS International Health

One of the OSHC underwriters approved by the Australian Department of Health.

The official approved list and price comparison are at privatehealth.gov.au — OSHC and the Department of Health OSHC information page.

6. Single / couple / single-parent / family policies

Single

Covers:The main applicant only (the student)

Most common; choose this when you have no accompanying family.

Couple

Covers:The student + spouse/de facto partner (who holds or is applying for an accompanying visa)

Note: couple tiers are often far more expensive than "two singles" (insurers price in pregnancy risk); with no plans to have children, compare against two single policies.

Single-Parent

Covers:The student + dependent children (no accompanying spouse)

Choose this when you have children but your spouse is not accompanying you.

Family

Covers:The student + spouse + all dependent children

The age limit for children depends on each insurer's rules (usually minors, or extended for full-time students).

Tip: if two people each hold their own student visa, you can buy two separate single policies; if one is the other's accompanying family member, a couple policy is more appropriate.

7. Cover must span the entire visa period

When deciding your application, Home Affairs looks at the "expiry date" of your OSHC. A visa's validity is usually a little longer than the course: for example, if a course ends on 30 August, the visa is typically granted to 30 October — provided your OSHC also runs to that date. Once granted, a visa's end date cannot be changed, so buy cover to the visa end date, not just to the end of the course.

Official: Home Affairs — Student visa length of stay · Subclass 500 Student visa

8. Relationship with the health examination and Medicare

OSHC and the visa health examination are two different things: the health examination is a one-off check at the application stage to meet the "health requirement" (chest X-ray, physical exam, etc.) done at a Home Affairs-appointed clinic; OSHC is the insurance for your everyday medical care after you arrive. You need both, but they serve different purposes. See our health requirement and examination guide.

As for Medicare: it is the universal public health scheme for Australian citizens/permanent residents, and international students generally do not qualify, which is why OSHC is the substitute. A few countries have a Medicare reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) with Australia, but for students the visa's health insurance condition must still be met by OSHC (except the specific exemptions for Norway/Sweden/Belgium).

9. Price ranges (indicative)

Cost depends on the provider, cover tier, and duration, and changes with official price adjustments. The following are rough figures from public price-comparison data; the actual price is the official quote at the time you buy:

Single: about AUD 500–600 per year (figures vary slightly by source).
Couple / family: about AUD 2,500–5,000 per year; couple/family tiers are often far more expensive than two single policies (insurers price in pregnancy risk).

If you are unsure how long to buy, start with 1 year; if there is overlap once a new visa is granted, you can cancel and be refunded for the unused portion. Use the official comparison tool to check the current price.

10. Common pitfalls

Cover does not span the whole visa period → breaches 8501

A visa's validity is usually a bit longer than the course (e.g. final course month + 2 months), and OSHC must cover up to the visa end date. Buying too short leaves an uninsured gap during the visa period, which breaches 8501. Buy cover to the visa end date, not just the course end date.

Forgetting to renew at expiry, leaving a gap in cover

After extending a course, changing course, or extending your visa, you must renew/replace cover with no gap. When switching insurers, if the new policy is similar to the previous one and the gap is no more than 30 days, your earlier cover period can count toward waiting periods.

Family arrives later and the single policy is not upgraded in time

A child born while you are in Australia means you must move from a single policy to a family policy; for family members arriving later, you must show their visa was covered by OSHC throughout.

Arriving before the policy start date

Condition 8501 requires insurance to be in force before you arrive in Australia: OSHC should start before the course begins (usually about a week prior) and cover the whole stay; do not arrive before the policy start date.

Subclass 500 student visa explained— eligibility, process, documents, and fees
Health requirement and examination guide— appointed clinics, examination process, and result validity
Genuine Student (GS) requirement— the core scrutiny points for student visas
Visa cost calculator— estimate fees for various visas and related costs

Last checked: June 2026. Refer to the Department of Home Affairs for the authoritative position. Policy, fees, and waiting periods may change at any time.

This site is an information guide and does not constitute migration agent (MARA) advice; for application decisions, refer to the official information from the Department of Home Affairs, or consult a registered migration agent (OMARA registered).