Health insurance in New Zealand.
Student visas require insurance. A work visa of 2 years or more may open public health care. ACC covers accident injuries. Here is what to check.
The rules
What New Zealand asks of you.
Checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Rules change, so the broker confirms them again before you apply.
- Student visa: medical and travel insurance
For the fee paying student visa you need full medical and travel insurance for your stay. You agree to hold it from the start of your course until your visa expires, as a visa condition.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - Your school sets the detail
Your education provider tells you what the policy must cover, or may arrange it for you. It must meet the 2021 Code of Practice for tertiary and international learners and be acceptable to the provider.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - PhD students are exempt
Doctor of Philosophy students do not need to have this insurance.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - Work visa of 2 years or more
If you have a work visa for 2 years or longer, you may be eligible for publicly funded health care, where the necessary requirements are met.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - Visitor, student, working holiday: generally not eligible
You and your family are generally not eligible for state funded public services on a visitor, student or working holiday visa.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - ACC covers accident injuries
ACC provides personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors. If you are hurt in an accident here, you will not have to pay for health care services in most cases.
Source: immigration.govt.nz - UK and Australia agreements
New Zealand has reciprocal health agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom.
Source: immigration.govt.nz
Resident visa holders and some work visa holders can use public health services. Work visas of 2 years or longer may qualify. Check your visa conditions and the Health New Zealand eligibility guide.
Source: immigration.govt.nzLocal or international
We compare both. You keep the one that fits.
Visitors, students and working holiday visa holders are generally not eligible for state funded care. A private or international plan fills the gap, and ACC only covers accident injuries.
- Local plans
Plans sold in New Zealand. Often cheaper, sometimes required for your visa. Filed by a broker licensed in New Zealand.
- International plans
Plans that cover you in New Zealand and beyond, and stay with you if you move again. Filed by our international broker partner.
What to look for
Choosing a plan in New Zealand.
Ankyro checks each of these on every plan, so you don’t have to read the fine print.
- Illness, not just accidents
ACC is injury cover. For illness, check the plan pays for doctors, hospital and medicines.
- Match your provider’s rules
For a student visa, the policy must be acceptable to your education provider. Ask them for their list first.
- Cover for the full visa
Student cover must run from the start of your course until your visa expires. Check the dates.
- Travel cover
The student visa asks for medical and travel insurance. Check the policy covers travel as well as health.
Step by step
Getting covered in New Zealand.
- 01Check your visa length. A work visa that lets you stay 2 years or more makes you eligible for public care. The 2 years count from your first day in New Zealand, and legal time already spent here counts too.
- 02Bring your passport with the visa. Hospitals and clinics ask for a valid passport endorsed with your current work visa as proof. Australians also show a work contract, long-term lease or mortgage proving a 2 year stay.
- 03Students: ask your provider first. Your school tells you which policy it accepts. Hold it from the first day of your course until your visa expires, unless you are a PhD student.
- 04Enrol with a GP if you can. Health New Zealand says people here only temporarily may not meet the rules for enrolling with a general practice. Check with the clinic before you count on it.
- 05Know what ACC pays. After an accident here, ACC means you will not pay for care in most cases, resident or visitor. Illness is not ACC’s job, so your plan or public eligibility has to cover it.
Common mistakes
3 we see all the time.
- 01Thinking ACC is a full health plan. It covers accident injuries only.
- 02Buying a plan before asking your education provider what it must cover.
- 03Assuming any work visa opens public care. It may only apply to visas of 2 years or longer.
Real published prices, and the 6 things that move yours.
Questions
People also ask.
Do I need health insurance for a New Zealand student visa?+
Yes. You need full medical and travel insurance from the start of your course until your visa expires. PhD students are exempt.
Can expats use public health care in New Zealand?+
Resident visa holders can, and work visa holders with a visa of 2 years or longer may be eligible. Visitors, students and working holiday visa holders generally cannot.
Does ACC cover visitors?+
Yes, for injuries from accidents in New Zealand. It is not cover for illness.
Does New Zealand have health agreements with other countries?+
Yes, with Australia and the United Kingdom.
Other countries
Going somewhere else?
Most UK visas don’t ask for private insurance. You pay a yearly surcharge instead, and it opens the NHS. Here is what the surcharge buys, and what you still pay for.
02AustraliaMost visitors can’t use Medicare, and many visas carry condition 8501. Here is what each visa asks for, who gets Medicare, and what to check.
03Dubai and the UAEIn Dubai, no insurance means no visa. Your employer covers you, but not always your family. Here are the rules, and what the basic plan leaves out.
04PhilippinesThe retiree visa asks for a medical certificate, not a policy. The new nomad visa does ask for cover. Here is what each visa needs, and how PhilHealth works for foreigners.
05NetherlandsIf you live or work in the Netherlands, Dutch basic insurance is the law. A few people are exempt. Here is who must sign up, by when, and what it costs in 2026.
06CanadaEach province runs its own health plan, and some make you wait. The super visa has strict insurance rules. Here is how Ontario and BC differ, and what the super visa needs.
07Saudi ArabiaIn Saudi Arabia, no insurance means no iqama. Your employer pays for you and your family, and visitors need a policy too. Here is who pays, and what each policy covers.
08JapanIf you live in Japan, joining public insurance is the law. A private plan can only sit on top. Digital nomads are the exception.
09GermanyEveryone in Germany must be insured, and a residence permit needs cover equal to the public system. Here is how to choose, and what gets rejected.
10SingaporeThe national plan is for citizens and PRs. Hospital bills for foreigners are high, and families are often left out. Here is what to check.
11ThailandRetirement visas have hard minimums, the DTV has none, and public care is not free for foreigners. Here are the rules, and what to check.
12SpainSpain has the strictest visa insurance rules in Europe: a Spanish-authorised insurer, no co-pays, no waiting periods. Here is what passes.
13MalaysiaPublic hospitals charge foreigners full price, and work schemes only cover injuries at work. Here is what each pass asks for, and what to check.
14QatarMost visitors need a QAR 50 a month policy before Qatar issues a visa. The law covers expats too, but that part is still rolling out. Here are the rules.
15FranceThe public system is open to residents, but not on day 1 if you don’t work, and it only pays part of each bill. Here is how to cover the gaps.
16PortugalThe visa asks for travel medical cover. The public system opens once you are a resident. In between, and after, here is what to check.
17MexicoNo visa asks for it, so many expats skip it. Then a private hospital asks for payment first. Here is how cover really works in Mexico.
18ItalyWorkers join the public system for free. Retirees and nomads need private cover for the visa, then pay at least €2,000 a year to join. Here are the rules.
19South KoreaStay more than 6 months and you must join the national plan. Before that, and for your share of each bill, you need your own cover.
20VietnamOnly long local contracts come with public cover, and most expats use private hospitals anyway. Here is what the rules say, and what to check.
21Bali and IndonesiaMost Indonesian visas don’t ask for insurance. But hospitals ask for payment first, and serious cases fly to Singapore. Here is what to check.
22GreeceThe consulate takes travel cover for the visa. The residence permit then asks for full health cover. If you don’t work for a Greek employer, that means a private plan.
23ColombiaNomads and retirees need a private policy with exact wording. Residents who work must join the public EPS system. Here are the rules.
24Costa RicaResidents must pay into the Caja, whatever private plan they have. Nomads need their own cover for the visa. Here is how it fits together.
25USAThe US has no public plan you can simply join. Some visas set minimum cover. Others leave it to you. Here is what a J-1 needs, who can use the Marketplace, and what plans cost.
26SwitzerlandBasic health insurance is compulsory for everyone who lives in Switzerland. You have 3 months to sign up. Here is how it works, and what to check.
27IrelandNon-EEA students must hold private medical insurance. Everyone else gets public care once they count as living in Ireland for 1 year. Here is what to check.
28Dominican RepublicThe residence visas for retirees and rentistas ask for a medical certificate, not an insurance policy. Public care is limited. Private care is good but costly.
30IsraelIn Israel, the public system is for residents. If your life is centred there, you join a health fund (kupat holim). If not, you need private cover.
31Hong KongPublic hospitals in Hong Kong are cheap for eligible persons. Many foreigners are not on that list. Here is who is, what the rest pay, and what to check in a plan.
32ChinaIf you work in China on an employment permit, your employer must enrol you in social insurance. That includes basic medical cover. Here is how it works, and what to check on top.
33ArgentinaEmergency care is open to everyone. For other care at national hospitals, foreigners without permanent residence must show insurance or pay first. The rules are new, so check them.
34IndiaWe found no official rule that ties health insurance to an Indian work visa. We also could not confirm a public scheme for foreign residents. So the plan is yours to choose. Here is what to check.
35TurkeyA residence permit application needs valid health insurance for the whole permit. Most new expats buy a private policy. The public SGK system opens later, after 1 year of residence.
36BrazilThe digital nomad visa needs health insurance valid in Brazil. The public system is open to migrants by law. Many expats add a private plan for speed.
37PanamaThe Pensionado visa asks for a health certificate, not an insurance policy. The public system is tied to the Caja. Private care is the main option for most expats.
38South AfricaStudy and exchange visas ask for proof of cover from a registered medical scheme. Public clinics offer free primary care. Here is what to check.
39KenyaKenya’s public fund is run by the Social Health Authority (SHA). A foreigner who lives in Kenya for more than 12 months pays into it. Shorter stays need travel health insurance instead.
40TaiwanTaiwan has one national health insurance. Foreigners with a residence certificate can join. If you have a job, you join through your employer. If not, there is a wait.