How do I see a doctor on a working holiday in Australia?

Last checked 28 September 2026

Short answer

It depends on your passport. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with 11 countries; working holiday makers from the UK, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Slovenia get some Medicare cover. Everyone else, including France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Korea, pays the full private fee, so health insurance is essential. For emergencies call 000; for advice call healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

Which WHV passports Medicare covers

Australia's reciprocal health care agreements (RHCA) cover 11 countries: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. New Zealand is not a working holiday country, which leaves 10 for backpackers. The rules differ by country:

United Kingdom

GP visits, public hospital care and some PBS medicines. You must have been living in the UK. Cover runs until your visa expires.

Ireland

Public hospital care and some PBS medicines only: GP visits are not included. No need to enrol and no Medicare card; show your Irish passport.

Italy and Malta

GP, public hospital and PBS medicines, but only for your first 6 months (or until the visa ends, if sooner). Italy requires cover by the Italian national health service.

Belgium, Netherlands, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, Finland

GP, public hospital and PBS medicines, as long as you are covered by your home country's system. Cover can end when your EHIC or national health card expires, so check the dates.

Not covered

France, Germany, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Estonia, Cyprus, Hong Kong and every 462 country except Slovenia. You pay private fees for everything.

Treated before you enrol?

Covered passports may still get a Medicare benefit by claiming after enrolling. The RHCA never applies if you travel to Australia to get treatment.

Enrolling in Medicare (covered passports)

Enrol online through myGov or with the Medicare enrolment form, sent by mail or email. You need your passport, your visa and proof you were living in (or insured by) your home country, such as an EHIC or GHIC.
Your Medicare card comes by post, and a digital card is available in the myGov app.
You can be treated as a public patient in a public hospital without enrolling.
RHCA cover is for public patients only. Medicare does not pay for ambulances.

What a GP visit costs

A bulk-billing GP accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment, so a covered patient pays nothing. The standard GP consultation (MBS item 23) has a Medicare benefit of $45.05 from 1 July 2026. If the clinic charges more, you pay the gap. You can only be bulk billed if you are enrolled in Medicare and the doctor chooses to bulk bill.

Without Medicare cover, the GP visit is a private fee set by each clinic. We found no official figure, so ask the clinic for the price when you book, and keep the receipt for your insurer.

Insurance: condition 8501 and why you need cover anyway

Home Affairs lists the 417 and 462 visas among those that can have condition 8501 (keep adequate health insurance) at the officer's discretion. Check your grant letter or VEVO: if 8501 is on it, it is a visa condition.
Even without 8501, the 417 and 462 pages say Home Affairs strongly recommends health insurance and that you are personally liable for all your healthcare costs in Australia.
For non-RHCA passports (including France), insurance is the only thing standing between you and a hospital or ambulance bill. Read what it covers: GP visits, hospital, ambulance, dental, repatriation, and work injuries if you do farm work.
Hurt at work? Tell your employer straight away and ask about a workers compensation claim. In Queensland, for example, a workers compensation claim is one of the exemptions from ambulance charges.

Prescriptions and medicines

RHCA visitors can get some PBS medicines at the general (subsidised) rate at the pharmacy.
Bringing medicines into Australia: keep them in the original packaging with the dispensing labels, and carry the prescription or a doctor's letter saying what you take and how much. The TGA's example allows a 3-month supply; more can be arranged through the Personal Importation Scheme.
Running out while here: we could not confirm on an official page whether an Australian pharmacy can fill a foreign prescription. Plan a GP visit before you run out, and ask the pharmacist.

Urgent care or emergency?

Life-threatening: call 000

Police, fire or ambulance. Free to call, 112 also works from a mobile, and you can ask for help in your language.

Not sure how serious it is

healthdirect on 1800 022 222: a registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (called NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria).

Urgent but not an emergency

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics: walk in, no appointment, bulk billed, open 7 days with long hours. Minor fractures, cuts that need stitches, UTIs, STIs. The official guidance says any service for patients without Medicare must be free, but a clinic may refer you elsewhere instead.

Hospital emergency department

Free for Medicare card holders. Without Medicare, expect to be billed (no official figure found).

Ambulance costs

Medicare does not cover ambulances, and costs vary by state. Queensland, for example, bills international visitors: emergency transport is $1,559.57 from 1 July 2026, with no reciprocal arrangements. A workers compensation claim is one exemption. Check that your insurance covers ambulances, whatever state you are in.

Mental health and support lines

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24 hours), or text 0477 13 11 14.
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 (24/7).
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 (24/7).
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic and family violence): 1800 737 732 (24/7).
13YARN, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: 13 92 76 (24/7).
Medicare Mental Health: 1800 595 212.

Interpreters

TIS National runs 131 450, 24 hours a day, and most of its interpreting is free for people who do not speak English. Private doctors can only book the free service for Medicare-rebatable care for patients eligible for Medicare, so without Medicare, ask the clinic before your appointment. Pharmacies have their own priority line, and Services Australia arranges a free interpreter for Medicare calls.

Health and safety in the bush Arrival checklist

Common follow-up questions

Can working holiday makers get Medicare?

Only with a passport from a reciprocal health care agreement country: for backpackers that is the UK, Ireland (hospital only), Italy and Malta (first 6 months), Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Slovenia. Other nationalities, including French, German and Canadian, are not covered.

Is France covered by Medicare?

No. France has no reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, so French working holiday makers pay private fees for doctors, hospitals and ambulances. Keep health insurance for your whole stay.

Do I need health insurance for a working holiday visa?

Home Affairs strongly recommends it, and condition 8501 can be put on 417 and 462 visas. If 8501 is on your grant, keeping adequate health insurance is a visa condition. Check your grant letter or VEVO.

How much does it cost to see a GP without Medicare?

Each clinic sets its own private fee; there is no official figure. For comparison, Medicare's benefit for a standard GP consult is $45.05 from 1 July 2026. Ask for the price when you book and claim it back from your insurer.

Where can I get urgent care without an appointment?

At a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic: walk-in and bulk billed, for things like minor fractures, stitches and infections. For advice first, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. In an emergency, call 000.

Sources

General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.

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