AnkyroTravel insuranceAustralia working holiday
Working holiday insurance for Australia.
The 417 and 462 visas don’t make you buy health insurance. But you pay every medical bill yourself, unless your passport gets you limited Medicare. Here is who is covered and what to buy.
The rules
What Australia asks of visitors.
Checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Entry rules change, so check again before you fly.
- Strongly advised, not a visa condition
Home Affairs strongly recommends health insurance on a Working Holiday visa. It also says you are personally liable for all your healthcare costs while in Australia.
Source: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au - The 462 has the same advice
The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), for people aged 18 to 30, carries the same “strongly recommend” line.
Source: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au - 320,234 visas in 1 year
In 2024-25 Australia granted 254,023 subclass 417 visas and 66,211 subclass 462 visas. The UK got 79,412 of the 417s, France 41,937 and Ireland 24,165.
Source: homeaffairs.gov.au - Medicare only for 11 passports
Visitors from the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Malta and Slovenia get free emergency care in public hospitals. France, the second biggest group, is not on the list.
Source: privatehealth.gov.au - UK: you must live in the UK
Since 1 September 2022, UK visitors must be ordinarily resident in the UK to use Medicare, and must show proof of it.
Source: operational.servicesaustralia.gov.au - Ireland: no doctor visits
The Irish agreement covers public hospital care and listed medicines (PBS) only. It does not pay for visits to a GP or specialist, and Irish visitors are not enrolled in Medicare.
Source: operational.servicesaustralia.gov.au - Italy and Malta: 6 months
For Italian and Maltese visitors, Medicare help stops 6 months after each arrival in Australia. On a 12 month visa, that leaves half the stay uncovered.
Source: operational.servicesaustralia.gov.au - 12 months, even with trips out
The visa lets you stay up to 12 months and leave and come back as often as you like. Time spent outside Australia does not extend the 12 months.
Source: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
What care costs
If something goes wrong, this is the bill.
What a visitor pays without insurance. Prices vary by hospital and change every year.
- Over $1,000 a day in a public hospital
Without Medicare, a visitor can be charged more than $1,000 a day in public hospital fees alone, before any doctor or test.
Source: privatehealth.gov.au - Ambulance in Queensland: $1,559.57
From 1 July 2026, an emergency ambulance in Queensland costs a flat $1,559.57. Medicare does not pay for it, and no reciprocal deal covers it for overseas visitors.
Source: qld.gov.au - Medicines can cost a lot
Most visitor health plans pay little toward medicines. The government warns cancer treatment is where visitors face the biggest out of pocket costs.
Source: privatehealth.gov.au - Private hospital: never Medicare
Even under a reciprocal agreement, Medicare does not pay if you are treated as a private patient in hospital.
Source: privatehealth.gov.au
What to look for
Choosing travel cover for Australia working holiday.
Ankyro checks each of these on every plan, so you don’t have to read the fine print.
- Injuries at work
If you take farm, fruit picking or building work, check the policy does not exclude manual work or injuries on the job.
- A full 12 months, and a way to extend
Many travel plans stop well short of a year. Pick one that runs the whole visa and can be extended if you get a second or third visa.
- Ambulance and the flight home
Neither Medicare nor the reciprocal deals pay for a Queensland ambulance or a medical flight home. Look for both in writing.
- Side trips out of Australia
If you visit Bali or New Zealand in the middle of your year, check the policy still covers you there and when you come back.
Before you land
Sort these before you fly.
- Call 000
Triple zero is the number for an ambulance, police or fire anywhere in Australia.
- Enrol in Medicare if your passport allows
Most visitors from the agreement countries enrol after they arrive. UK visitors need proof they live in the UK. Irish and New Zealand visitors are not enrolled at all.
- Keep every invoice
Queensland Ambulance asks visitors to pay the invoice and keep the receipt to claim from travel insurance. Do the same with every clinic bill.
Common mistakes
3 we see all the time.
- 01Skipping cover because the visa doesn’t check it. Home Affairs says every bill is yours.
- 02Counting on Medicare as an Irish or Italian visitor. Ireland gets no GP visits, and Italy stops after 6 months.
- 03Buying a cheap travel plan that excludes manual work, then getting hurt on a farm.
Travel insurance stops when the trip ends, and most visas for living in Australia don’t accept it. See what Australia asks of residents.
Questions
People also ask.
Is health insurance mandatory for a working holiday visa in Australia?+
No. Home Affairs strongly recommends it for the 417 and 462 visas, but it is not a condition of either. Without it you pay all your medical costs.
Do working holiday makers get Medicare?+
Only visitors from the 11 reciprocal countries: the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Malta and Slovenia. Each deal has limits, and none covers private hospital care.
Do British backpackers need insurance in Australia?+
UK visitors who live in the UK get free emergency care in public hospitals. Medicare still does not pay for a Queensland ambulance, private hospital care or a flight home.
How much money do I need for a working holiday visa in Australia?+
Home Affairs says usually about AUD 5,000 for your first stay, plus the fare for leaving Australia.
Does Medicare pay for an ambulance in Australia?+
Not in Queensland. Medicare does not cover ambulance there, and an emergency trip costs a flat $1,559.57 from 1 July 2026.
Other trips
Going somewhere else?
Visiting Singapore? Care is excellent and expensive. Living here and going abroad? MediShield Life does not pay overseas. Here is what to check.
02Schengen visaA Schengen visa needs travel medical cover of at least 30,000 euros, valid in every Schengen country, with repatriation. Here is what passes, and what doesn’t.
03MalaysiaVisiting Malaysia? Public hospitals charge foreigners full price. Living here and going abroad? Your cover at home stays at home. Here is what to check.
04ThailandThailand doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. But hospitals want a payment guarantee before they treat you, and private care is not cheap. Here is what to know.
05JapanJapan doesn’t ask tourists for insurance yet. But visitors pay the full bill, and unpaid bills can get you refused entry next time. Here is what to know.
06USA visitorsThe US doesn’t ask visitors for insurance. But a few days in hospital can cost more than a car. Here is what care costs, and what a visitor plan must cover.
07Bali and IndonesiaIndonesia doesn’t ask tourists for insurance yet. But a broken leg in Bali can cost over 160 million rupiah, and serious cases can need a flight out. Here is what to know.
08Dubai and the UAEDubai’s law says visitors must be insured, and the 5-year tourist visa asks for proof. Care is good but private, and an unpaid bill can stop you leaving.
09VietnamVietnam doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. But private hospitals cost a lot, and a motorbike crash can stop you leaving the country. Here is what to know.
10SpainPublic care in Spain is free with an EHIC or GHIC. Private clinics, dental care and the flight home are not. Here is what the card leaves to you in Spain.
11MexicoMexico doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. Private hospitals in big cities are good, but most want payment first, and Medicare won’t pay.
12FranceCare in France is not free, even with an EHIC or GHIC. You pay upfront, claim back part, and the flight home is never covered. Here is what to check.
13ItalyThe EHIC and GHIC work in Italy’s public system, but you still pay fees, most medicines and any private doctor. Here is the Italian bill the card leaves you.
14GermanyWith an EHIC or GHIC, most care in Germany costs little. Private extras, mountain rescue and the flight home are on you. Here is what to check.
15PortugalPublic care in Portugal is mostly free with an EHIC or GHIC. Private clinics, medicines and the flight home are not. Here is what to check before you fly to Portugal.
16Costa RicaCosta Rica doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. Only first emergency care is free, private clinics want payment first, and extensions have their own rules.
17ColombiaMost tourists need no visa and no policy for Colombia. If you do need a visa, insurance is part of it. Private clinics want payment first.
18South KoreaKorea doesn’t ask tourists for insurance, and the national scheme is not for short trips. Hospitals expect you to pay on the spot, then claim.
20New Zealand working holidayMost working holiday visas for New Zealand require medical and hospital insurance for your whole stay, and you can be asked for proof when you land. Here is who is exempt and what to buy.