Travel Insurance For Visitors To Australia

Are you visiting Australia from overseas? Or do you live in Australia and need to arrange travel insurance for friends or family visiting you?

If that's you, you might be finding it tricky to find cover. To buy a standard comprehensive travel insurance policy, most insurers in Australia require you to be a resident to qualify for cover, but there are options out there for you!

What Are Visitors Options?

Visitors to Australia can either choose to buy a policy from within their own country or opt for Overseas Visitors Cover, which unfortunately only a handful of companies in Australia offer.

What Is Overseas Visitors Cover?

Overseas Visitors or Inbound policies generally are for those travellers coming to Australia on holiday (or business) who do not have travel cover from their home country.

While it is typical to purchase travel insurance from your home country before you depart, more and more travellers to Australia are taking out policies with Australian brands for their perceived reliability. With one in four Australians born overseas, and 46% of Aussies have at least one parent born overseas, increasingly these policies are bought by locals for friends and family visiting Australia.

What Are The Conditions of Inbound Travel Insurance?

• A visitors policy will typically cover your flight to Australia, the time while you are here, but cover will stop when you reach immigration at the airport when you are returning home
• Age restrictions may apply
• All or the majority of your trip must be within Australia to qualify for cover
• A waiting period may apply to medical claims
• Must purchase within a specified time frame of landing in Australia
• If you have Medicare, you may not be eligible for cover from some providers

Where Can You Buy Overseas Visitors Cover?

Insurer	Policy type	Conditions	Underwriter	Buy Now
Aussie Travel Cover	Top Non Residents/Basic Non Residents	Available to those aged 85 and under. Not available for those who are eligible for Medicare. 48 hour waiting period for medical claims from issue date.	Allianz Australia Insurance Limited
Cover-More	Inbound Travel Insurance	Available to those aged 68 and under, be returning to your country of residence at the completion of the Period of Insurance and within 18 months.	Zurich Australian Insurance Limited
Easy Travel Insurance	Inbound Travel Plan	Available to those aged 69 and under.	Zurich Australian Insurance Limited

General Advice Warning: The contents of this article were accurate at the time of writing. Insurers change their policies from time to time, so some information may have changed. You should always read the Product Disclosure Statement of your chosen insurer to understand what is covered and what isn't. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account any personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your personal circumstances.

What’s Typically Included?

• Medical cover within Australia: Medical expenses for injury or illness including hospital stays, surgery, dental, prescription drugs, doctor and dentist office visits. You will not be covered for medical treatment outside of Australia
   
• Luggage and personal items: Loss, theft or damage to luggage and personal items
   
• Personal liability: Cover in the event that you are found to be legally liable for accidental injury or damage you may have caused to another person or their property
   
• Cancellation fees and lost deposits: The cost of rearranging or cancelling your trip because of unforeseen circumstances such as illness, accidents and extreme weather conditions
    
• Rental vehicle excess: Cover for the excess payment on your rental vehicle’s insurance if the car you are driving is involved in an accident or is stolen
   
• Hospital cash allowance: A daily allowance if you are hospitalised overseas (allowance will start after a specified period of time spent in hospital)

Like any policy there are exclusions around pre-existing medical conditions and cancellation cover, so make sure you understand your cover by reading the Product Disclosure Statement before you buy.

Just After Medical Only Cover?

If you're finding it difficult to get travel insurance, but are mainly concerned about medical benefits, perhaps you'd consider overseas visitors health insurance cover instead? A few Australian health insurers (not travel insurers) offer cover to non-Australians, but remember these policies will not include any travel insurance benefits like cancellation, luggage, or personal liability benefits at all. Australian Unity, Bupa, HBF, HCF and Medibank all offer visitors health cover.

Do You Qualify For Medicare?

Some countries have reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia such as; New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Belgium, Malta, Slovenia and Norway.

Lucky for you, if you're from one of these countries and you've got your Medicare card, you're covered for medical treatment you receive while you're here already.

Are You A Non-Resident Living In Australia For A Few Years?

If you're in Australia on a working holiday visa (417), a sponsorship visa (457), a defacto visa, or even a student visa you should look into non-permanent resident travel insurance rather than a visitors policy. Follow the link for more info.

Whether you're here for a quick visit, or an extended break, overseas visitors travel insurance cover is a vital part of every trip. Get cover today to ensure a smooth-sailing, stress free holiday!