If you’re an Australian permanent resident

To enrol as an Australian resident you need to have a permanent resident visa or have applied for one.

Temporary Protection visa subclass 785 and Safe Haven Enterprise visa subclass 790

Temporary Protection visa (TPV) (subclass 785) and Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV) (subclass 790) holders who arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023 are eligible to apply for a permanent Resolution of Status (RoS) (Subclass 851 visa). Read more about the TPV/SHEV transition to permanent visas.

If you’re an Australian permanent resident

You can enrol in Medicare if you live here on a permanent resident visa.

Complete a Medicare enrolment form and mail or email it with your supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services.

Find out what documents you need to enrol.

Living overseas after you enrol

You’ll remain enrolled in Medicare for 12 months from the date you first left Australia.

You can’t use Medicare services from outside Australia. You may have some cover under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. If so, you’ll need a Medicare card for this.

If you live overseas for more than 12 months, you’ll no longer be enrolled in Medicare. You also won’t be able to use a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.

You’ll need to enrol in Medicare again when you move back to Australia. You don’t need to visit a service centre. You can mail or email your Medicare enrolment form and supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services.

You don’t need to get your supporting documents certified. For further enquiries call us.

Find out what documents you need to enrol again.

If you’ve applied for permanent residency

You can enrol in Medicare if you live in Australia and have applied for either a permanent:

  • residency visa, except for a parent visa
  • protection visa.

You must also have either a:

  • visa allowing you to work
  • parent, spouse or child who is an Australian citizen
  • parent, spouse or child who is a permanent resident
  • parent, spouse or child who is a New Zealand citizen living in Australia.

This includes if you’ve applied for a combined spouse visa 309/100 or 820/801.

You can enrol in Medicare from either:

  • the date you applied for permanent residency
  • the date you arrived here to live if you applied outside Australia.

The date you apply for permanent residency may be different to the date you got your temporary 309 or 820 visa.

You don’t need to visit a service centre. You can mail or email your Medicare enrolment form and supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services.

Find out what documents you need to enrol.

If your permanent resident application fails

If you lodge an appeal, you can apply to stay enrolled in Medicare.

You can mail or email your Medicare enrolment form and supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services.

Find out what documents you need to enrol.

If you haven’t lodged an appeal, you’re not eligible for Medicare. You may have some cover under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.

If you’ve applied for a parent visa

You can enrol in Medicare once your Parent visa is granted. You may be eligible for Medicare while your visa is assessed, if any of the following circumstances apply.

Type of Parent visa Circumstances to enrol in Medicare

804

Aged Parent visa

You are from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) country. You must meet the conditions of that RHCA country.

103

Parent visa

You are from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) country. You must meet the conditions of that RHCA country.

143

Contributory Parent visa (permanent)

You are from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) country. You must meet the conditions of that RHCA country.

You can also enrol if you have previously held a Contributory Parent visa (temporary) subclass 173.

864

Contributory Parent visa (permanent)

You are from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) country. You must meet the conditions of that RHCA country.

You can also enrol if you have previously held a Contributory Parent visa (temporary) subclass 884.

Page last updated: 24 January 2023.
QC 60317