Patients from countries with reciprocal rights

Residents of countries that have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia are usually eligible for free emergency treatment under Australia’s Medicare system - for example, if you have an accident while in Australia.

Governments with reciprocal agreements with Australia

The Australian Government has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) with the following governments:

• Belgium
• Finland
• Republic of Ireland
• Italy (covered 6 months from the date of arrival in Australia)
• Malta (covered for 6 months from the date of arrival in Australia)
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

If you are a visitor to Australia and not covered by an RHCA, see Patients without a Medicare card.

Documents required for eligibility

Patients must provide appropriate documents to be eligible for reciprocal care, such as a:

• passport
• visa
• date of entry confirmation
• country of birth residential status

When documents are presented to the Patient Liaison Officer, we can waive the associated fees.

Patients unable to provide appropriate documentation will be treated as a Medicare Ineligible Patient and will be expected to pay for all associated medical costs.