--- title: Medicare under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) country: australia service: "medicare-reciprocal-healthcare-eligibility-by-citizenship" category: healthcare difficulty: moderate estimated_time: "Cover starts the day of arrival; Medicare card issuance commonly takes a few weeks after enrolment through myGov, by post, or in person at a Services Australia service centre" cost_range: A$0 last_verified: 2026-05-18 canonical: https://publicservices.guide/australia/medicare-reciprocal-healthcare-eligibility-by-citizenship/ status: current confidence: low tags: - healthcare - medicare - rhca - tourist - "new-arrival" - "cross-citizenship" - "services-australia" sources: - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreements - https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&q=GN.3.9&qt=noteID - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreements-how-to-prove-youre-eligible-under-agreement?context=22481 - https://www.health.gov.au/news/new-name-for-department - https://www.health.gov.au/cheaper-medicines/pbs-co-payments - https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/health/reciprocal-health - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/enrolling-medicare --- # Medicare under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) **Country:** πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί Australia **Last verified:** 2026-05-18 **Estimated time:** Cover starts the day of arrival; Medicare card issuance commonly takes a few weeks after enrolment through myGov, by post, or in person at a Services Australia service centre **Cost:** A$0 ## Required documents - **Current passport from your RHCA partner country** - Issued by: Your partner-country passport authority - Required: Yes β€” for every partner-country visitor - Cost: A$0 at the Services Australia counter - _Note:_ Irish and New Zealand visitors present this document directly at a public hospital or pharmacy in place of a Medicare card. Belgian, Dutch, and Slovenian visitors may use a non-partner-country passport provided the partner-country health-system proof is also presented. - **Current Australian visa or visa-evidence document** - Issued by: Department of Home Affairs - Required: Required by Services Australia for enrolment from Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden; useful for all partner countries to confirm lawful stay - Cost: Variable β€” set by the Department of Home Affairs visa fee schedule - _Note:_ New Zealand citizens entering on the Special Category Visa do not need a separate visa label. Cover duration in several partner-country agreements is tied to the visa expiry date. - **Partner-country health-system proof** - Where to get: From your partner-country health authority before travelling - Required: Required for enrolment in every partner country except New Zealand and Ireland - Cost: Set by the partner-country health authority - _Note:_ Acceptable proof varies by country: Italian Tessera Sanitaria (Italy); valid Sickness Insurance Card from Kela or a European Health Insurance Card marked FI (Finland); a Swedish FΓΆrsΓ€kringskassan Health Insurance Certificate (Sweden); proof of Belgium-, Netherlands-, or Slovenia-system insurance plus a European Health Insurance Card with the matching country initials BE, NL, or an EHIC with expiry date for Slovenia (Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia); records of UK residency before arrival (United Kingdom); Norwegian health-system coverage proof (Norway); Maltese health-system entitlement evidence (Malta). Supporting documents need not be certified but must carry a date. - **Medicare enrolment form (MS004)** - Where to get: Services Australia β€” download from servicesaustralia.gov.au/ms004 or pick up at a service centre - Required: Required for Medicare enrolment from every partner country except New Zealand and Ireland - Cost: A$0 - _Note:_ The MS004 enrolment form supports enrolment as an individual or as a family. Dependants travelling with the visitor are enrolled on the same card subject to the same eligibility rules. - **Commonwealth statutory declaration of partner-country citizenship and health-system eligibility** - Where to get: Template at the Attorney-General's Department website - Required: Optional fallback β€” accepted by Services Australia where the Italian Tessera Sanitaria or equivalent partner-country health-system proof is unavailable - Cost: A$0 for the template; witness-fee may apply locally - _Note:_ Specifically named on the Services Australia Italy page as the acceptable fallback for Tessera Sanitaria; the same pattern applies where partner-country health-system proof is otherwise unavailable on arrival. ## Costs - **Medicare enrolment (form MS004) and yellow Medicare card:** 0 AUD β€” Services Australia does not charge a fee for Medicare enrolment under an RHCA or for issuing the yellow Medicare card. - **Public hospital care as a public patient:** 0 AUD β€” Medically necessary inpatient and outpatient public-hospital services are covered with no out-of-pocket cost for the treatment itself. Private-patient election in a public hospital is not covered and falls on the visitor. - **PBS general patient co-payment per prescription:** 25 AUD β€” Effective 1 January 2026. The general co-payment amount will continue to be adjusted on 1 January each year from 2027 in line with movements in the Consumer Price Index. RHCA visitors are treated as general patients and do not have access to the concessional co-payment rate. ## Steps ### 1. Confirm Your RHCA Partner-Country Eligibility - Check whether your country of departure is one of the eleven RHCA partners: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, or the United Kingdom - Identify the eligibility test that applies to your partner country: citizenship plus national-health-system membership (Italy, Ireland, Malta), residency in the partner country before arrival (United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Sweden), or current partner-country health-system insurance for citizens and non-citizens alike (Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia) - Confirm the cover scope and duration for your partner country: out-of-hospital MBS services are excluded for Ireland and New Zealand; Italy and Malta cap cover at six months > **Tip:** Visitors from any non-listed country are not eligible β€” including Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, the United States, Canada, and all other non-partner countries. Arrange travel or visitor health insurance instead. > **If this fails:** If you discover on arrival that your country is not on the partner-country list, contact your travel-insurance provider before seeking any care that is not an emergency. Emergency public-hospital treatment may still be provided to non-RHCA visitors but is charged at the full-cost rate. ### 2. Arrive in Australia - Your RHCA cover starts the day you arrive in Australia, regardless of whether you have enrolled in Medicare yet - If you need urgent care before enrolment, present your partner-country passport plus partner-country health-system proof at a public hospital and ask to be treated under the reciprocal health care agreement - New Zealand and Irish visitors do not enrol β€” proceed directly to the next steps about hospital and pharmacy access > **Tip:** These are agreements with some countries where visitors can get publicly funded medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital including inpatient and outpatient services, plus some PBS prescription medicines at the general rate. ### 3. Enrol in Medicare (Most Partner Countries) _Applies when: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, or the United Kingdom_ - Sign in to myGov and link Medicare, then complete the online enrolment as either an individual or a family - If online enrolment is not available, complete Medicare enrolment form MS004 and submit it with supporting documents by email to mes@servicesaustralia.gov.au with Enrolment in the subject line, by post to Medicare GPO Box 9822 in the capital city of your state or territory, or in person at a Services Australia service centre - Provide your current passport, current Australian visa where required, partner-country health-system proof, and any country-specific documents listed in the documents section > **Tip:** If online enrolment is not possible, complete a Medicare enrolment form and mail or email it with your supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services. _Links:_ - [Services Australia β€” Reciprocal Health Care Agreements](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreements) - [Services Australia β€” Medicare enrolment form MS004](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/ms004) - [Services Australia β€” Enrolling in Medicare](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/enrolling-medicare) ### 4. Receive Your Yellow Medicare Card _Applies when: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, or the United Kingdom_ - Services Australia issues a yellow Medicare card valid until the expiry date printed on the card, which is set to the end of your RHCA cover - Once enrolled, patients will have a yellow Medicare card - Photograph or scan the card immediately and store the original safely; you can also access digital Medicare card details through the myGov-linked Medicare service > **Tip:** Visitors visiting Australia from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) get a yellow Medicare card, which is valid until the expiry date on the card. ### 5. Access Public Hospital Care - At the public hospital, present your yellow Medicare card (or passport if the card has not yet been issued or none is issued under your country's agreement) and ask staff to treat you under the reciprocal health care agreement - Elect public-patient treatment β€” the RHCA does not cover the cost of treatment as a private patient in a public or private hospital - Medically necessary inpatient and outpatient care in a public hospital is covered with no out-of-pocket cost to you for the treatment itself > **If this fails:** If hospital staff are not familiar with the reciprocal agreement, ask to speak to the patient-liaison officer and reference the Medicare Benefits Schedule. If you are billed in error, retain the receipt and submit a Medicare claim through myGov after the card is issued β€” Services Australia will determine whether the benefit is payable under the agreement. ### 6. Fill PBS Prescriptions at a Pharmacy - At the pharmacy, present your yellow Medicare card to receive subsidised PBS medicines at the general patient co-payment rate - If you do not have a Medicare card under your country's agreement (Ireland and New Zealand), show your passport to the pharmacist when having a prescription filled - RHCA visitors are treated as general patients for PBS purposes and do not have access to the concessional patient co-payment rate > **Tip:** People visiting from countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement who haven't been issued with a Medicare card should show their passport to the pharmacist when having prescriptions filled. ### 7. Use Out-of-Hospital Medical Services (Most Partner Countries) _Applies when: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, or the United Kingdom_ - Book a general-practitioner appointment at a clinic of your choice; ask before the appointment whether the practitioner bulk-bills RHCA visitors - If the practitioner bulk-bills, the consultation is billed directly to Medicare and you pay nothing; if not, pay the consultation fee upfront and submit a Medicare claim through myGov afterwards - Irish and New Zealand visitors are not covered for out-of-hospital practitioner services and pay the full consultation fee > **If this fails:** Bulk-billing is at the practitioner's discretion. If you cannot find a bulk-billing clinic, retain receipts and submit Medicare claims through myGov; Services Australia will reimburse the Medicare benefit amount but you remain responsible for any gap between the practitioner's fee and the Medicare benefit. ### 8. Extend or End Your Cover - Your cover ends in line with your partner-country agreement β€” for Italy and Malta the cap is six months from arrival or the visa expiry, whichever comes first; for other partner countries the cover ends when your visa or partner-country health-system proof expires - If you are staying longer than your initial cover period and remain eligible, you can extend you and your family's Medicare eligibility online if it's about to expire - If your eligibility ends, submit any outstanding Medicare claims through myGov before your card expires > **If this fails:** If Services Australia declines an extension or finds you no longer meet RHCA eligibility, you can ask for an internal review and, if still dissatisfied, apply for external review by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). Visitor health insurance is the appropriate substitute for any uncovered period. ## FAQ ### Which countries are on the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement list? Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with eleven partner countries: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The list is set under Section 7 of the Health Insurance Act 1973 and is closed at eleven. Visitors from any other country β€” including Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada β€” are not eligible for Medicare reciprocal benefits and must arrange travel or visitor health insurance. ### Why is Denmark not on the list? Denmark is not party to a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. The eleven-country list is closed by bilateral agreement under Section 7 of the Health Insurance Act 1973 and Denmark is not among the eleven. Danish visitors are not eligible for Medicare reciprocal benefits and need travel or visitor health insurance for any care received in Australia. ### Do I need to enrol in Medicare on arrival? Not always. Cover starts the day you arrive in Australia regardless of enrolment. If you do not need care during a short stay, enrolment can be deferred. New Zealand and Irish visitors do not enrol at all β€” they show a passport at the hospital or pharmacy when care is needed. Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom visitors who need out-of-hospital care or PBS medicines with fewer pharmacy formalities should enrol through myGov, by post, or in person. ### Can I enrol online? Yes β€” through myGov, individually or as a family. Sign in to myGov and link Medicare, then complete the online enrolment with your supporting documents. If online enrolment is not possible, complete form MS004 and submit it by email to mes@servicesaustralia.gov.au with Enrolment in the subject line, by post to Medicare GPO Box 9822 in the capital city of your state or territory of stay, or in person at a Services Australia service centre. ### What if I receive treatment before my Medicare card arrives? Pay upfront. After your Medicare card is issued, submit a claim through myGov. Services Australia will determine whether the benefit is payable under the agreement. For urgent care before enrolment, present your partner-country passport plus partner-country health-system proof at the public hospital or pharmacy and ask staff to treat you under the reciprocal health care agreement. ### How does the RHCA interact with travel insurance? The agreement covers medically necessary public-hospital care and PBS medicines, but not medical evacuations, not private-patient treatment, not most ambulance services, and not most dental, optical, or cosmetic care. Reciprocal health agreements aren't a substitute for travel insurance. Evacuations aren't covered by reciprocal health care agreements. Travel insurance remains necessary for the gap. ### Does the agreement cover my dependants? Yes. The Medicare enrolment form MS004 supports enrolment as an individual or as a family. Dependants travelling with you are enrolled on the same Medicare card subject to the same partner-country eligibility rules. Diplomats posted to Australia from a partner country and their families are eligible for cover for the duration of the posting rather than the standard cap. ### How long does my cover last? Cover duration is country-specific. Italy and Malta cap cover at six months from arrival or the visa expiry, whichever comes first. For Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, cover runs until the visa or partner-country health-system proof expires. For Ireland, cover applies for the duration of the visa for ordinarily resident Irish visitors. For New Zealand, cover ends the day you leave Australia. If you remain eligible, extension is available online through myGov before the existing cover expires. ### What if my home country is not on the list? You are not eligible for Medicare. Arrange travel or visitor health insurance before travelling to Australia. Emergency public-hospital treatment may still be provided to non-RHCA visitors but will be charged at the full-cost rate. The eleven partner countries are the complete list β€” there is no separate concession for visitors from non-listed countries. ## Local tips - Cover starts on the day of arrival in Australia, not on the day of Medicare card issuance. If you need care before your card arrives, present your passport plus partner-country health-system proof at the public hospital or pharmacy and ask staff to treat you under the reciprocal health care agreement. - Bulk-billing for out-of-hospital general-practitioner consultations is at the practitioner's discretion. Ask the clinic before the appointment whether RHCA visitors are bulk-billed; otherwise pay upfront and submit a Medicare claim through myGov after the card is issued. - If you stay longer than your initial cover period and remain eligible, extend Medicare eligibility online through myGov before the existing cover expires. - The legacy domain medicareaustralia.gov.au redirects to servicesaustralia.gov.au β€” use servicesaustralia.gov.au for all current Medicare and RHCA information. ## Sources - [Services Australia β€” Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration; servicesaustralia.gov.au served HTTP 403 on direct fetch)](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreements) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” Australia has agreements with eleven countries that cover the cost of medically necessary care when Australians visit certain countries and visitors from these countries visit Australia. Cover starts the day the visitor arrives in Australia. Medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, including inpatient and outpatient services, plus some PBS prescription medicines at the general rate, are covered. People visiting Australia for the specific purpose of receiving medical treatment are not covered. Reciprocal Health Care Agreements do not cover the cost of treatment as a private patient in a public or private hospital. If a visitor gets medical treatment before enrolling in Medicare, they may submit a claim once enrolled and Services Australia will determine whether the benefit is payable under the agreement. Medicare eligibility can be extended online through myGov before the existing cover expires. - [Department of Health, Disability and Ageing β€” Medicare Benefits Schedule Note GN.3.9 (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration)](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&q=GN.3.9&qt=noteID) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” Under Section 7 of the Health Insurance Act 1973, the Australian Government has agreements with eleven other governments to cover the cost of certain medical care. The partner countries are New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, Malta, Belgium, and Slovenia. Once enrolled, patients have a yellow Medicare card. Visitors are not eligible for MBS services unless they hold a green Medicare card. Visitors from New Zealand and Ireland do not need to enrol in Medicare to access public hospital services and PBS medicines under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, but they are not eligible for MBS services unless they hold a green Medicare card. - [Services Australia β€” How to prove you're eligible under the agreement (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration)](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreements-how-to-prove-youre-eligible-under-agreement?context=22481) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” Supporting documents do not need to be certified, but they must carry a date. For Italy the documents required are the current visa and current Italian passport plus the Italian Health Insurance Card (Tessera Sanitaria) valid on date of arrival, or in lieu of the Tessera Sanitaria a Commonwealth statutory declaration from the Attorney-General's Department website. For Finland the documents required are the passport, current visa, and either the valid Sickness Insurance Card from the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela) or the valid European Health Insurance Card with the initials FI. For the Netherlands the documents required include proof of valid insurance in the Netherlands Health Insurance Scheme and a valid European Health Insurance Card with the initials NL. For Sweden the documents required are the passport, current visa, and the valid Health Insurance Certificate from a Swedish Social Insurance office. - [Department of Health, Disability and Ageing β€” News (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration; health.gov.au served HTTP 403/timeout on direct fetch)](https://www.health.gov.au/news/new-name-for-department) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” On 13 May 2025, the Australian Government health portfolio was renamed Department of Health, Disability and Ageing following an Administrative Arrangements Order. The change reflects the transfer of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Foundational Supports into the Health portfolio. - [Department of Health, Disability and Ageing β€” PBS co-payments (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration)](https://www.health.gov.au/cheaper-medicines/pbs-co-payments) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” The general patient co-payment will be reduced to A$25.00 on 1 January 2026. The general co-payment amount will continue to be adjusted on 1 January each year from 2027 in line with movements in the Consumer Price Index. The concessional patient co-payment will not be indexed on 1 January 2026 and will remain at the amount of A$7.70 until 2029. Under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, visitors from participating countries are treated as general patients for PBS purposes and do not have concessional entitlements. - [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade β€” Smartraveller (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration)](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/health/reciprocal-health) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” Reciprocal health agreements are not a substitute for travel insurance. Evacuations are not covered by reciprocal health care agreements. Evacuations often cost thousands of dollars. Travel insurance is recommended for any travel to Australia. - [Services Australia β€” Enrolling in Medicare (snippet_source: WebSearch corroboration)](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/enrolling-medicare) β€” accessed 2026-05-18 β€” _T1_ β€” Enrolment in Medicare can be completed online as either an individual or a family through myGov with progress tracking. If online enrolment is not possible, the Medicare enrolment form (MS004) can be mailed or emailed with supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services. The postal address is Medicare GPO Box 9822 in the visitor's capital city. The email address for enrolment is mes@servicesaustralia.gov.au with Enrolment in the subject line. --- Verification pending β€” see the canonical page for the latest trust state. Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/australia/medicare-reciprocal-healthcare-eligibility-by-citizenship/