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Overseas student health cover
Health insurance for international students and their dependants travelling with them.
Health Insurance – Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is health insurance for international students and their dependants travelling with them (for example, spouses and children under 18 years old). OSHC helps to cover some medical costs while studying in Australia.
The Department of Home Affairs requires overseas students (and dependants travelling with them) to have purchased OSHC for the duration of their studies in Australia, before applying for an international student visa. Some exceptions may apply for students from Norway and Belgium under their country's Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. Further information is available at the Department of Home Affairs website.
The cost of OSHC is additional to your tuition fees. You can organise your OSHC through TAFE Queensland when applying for your course. TAFE Queensland will receive an administration fee from Bupa for arranging your OSHC. You may choose to obtain your OSHC through any other government-approved provider.
OSHC must be purchased before arrival in Australia and must be aligned with the student visa period. It is most important that your health cover does not lapse, an overseas student must never be without OSHC while in Australia.
Further information about OSHC in Australia is available here.
Students on Bridging Visa
Students who are currently in Australia and studying towards a qualification while on a bridging visa, may be unable to claim against the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy due to their bridging visa status and will need to make arrangement to obtain an Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) policy.
OVHC insurance policy is vital to ensure you are covered for medical events while the student visa applications is being assessed. OVHC offers cover for those holding a bridging visa – it is generally able to be purchased by the month (and cancelled when a student visa is granted) – meaning there is no significant cash outlay.
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) can only be used whilst on a student visa. Once a student visa is granted you can then start to claim on the OSHC policy. When a student visa is granted the student should contact the OSHC insurer (if students purchased OSHC via TAFE Queensland then the provider is Bupa) and move the OSHC policy to begin from the date of the student visa grant.
OVHC plans have customisable cover levels – it is recommended at a minimum that you select a cover level which provides cover for the following items (these ensure the OVHC cover is the same as the OSHC policy).
- In Hospital Costs
- Ambulance Costs
- Doctor’s (GP) Appointments
- Out of Hospital Costs – Specialists and Medical tests etc.
The lowest levels of OVHC cover generally do not cover Doctor appointments – therefore it is recommended you select cover which includes access to Doctor Visits.
TAFE Queensland - Bupa
Bupa is TAFE Queensland’s preferred provider of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Bupa Asia Pacific is part of the Bupa Group, an international healthcare company serving over 60 million customers worldwide, with 37.8 million health insurance customers, 460 health clinics, 26 hospitals and around 900 dental centres.
Bupa OSHC offers International Students cover for a range of hospital, medical, pharmacy, and ambulance services during their time as a student in Australia (for additional services like dental and optometry, students can add extras cover to their policy after their initial purchase).
Students who purchase Bupa OSHC through TAFE Queensland also get the following benefits:
- 24/7 Bupa Student Advice Line: general advice and assistance in 150 languages, for a range of situations including medical, home, property inquiries and more.
- Life Rewards: Retail, Entertainment, Travel and Dining offers as well as Fitness and Wellness offers.
- myBupa.com.au is Bupa's member self service area, where students can easily manage and understand their Health Insurance online.
To learn more about Bupa Overseas Student Health Cover, please visit their website.
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Download the OSHC Important Information Guide
How to obtain your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) membership card and information
You will be sent your policy information and documents in 24 - 48 hours after processing your Confirmation of Enrolment. Information about your Bupa OSHC cover is available through myBupa. To view your policy details, you will need to login. If you haven't used myBupa before, please first register to login.
- You will need to have your Bupa membership number on hand
- Register for myBupa at https://my.bupa.com.au/login or download the myBupa app on your phone from the App Store or Google Play.
- Under the I'd like to .... section of the home page select 'update my personal details'
- Select 'Membership Address'
- Add or update your address and click "Submit"Make sure you have your membership number available before you start. You will need your membership number, your individual email address registered to your policy and date of birth to create your Login Id and Password.
If you need further help, please call Bupa on 134 135.
Early Arrival and OSHC: Students arriving in Australia more than one month prior to their start of study may not be sufficiently covered for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). In the case of early arrival, students will be required to organise additional OSHC. This will incur an additional cost. If you plan to arrive in Australia earlier, contact Bupa to adjust your cover.
You will need to speak to them about getting your membership card, what is included in your cover, and how to make a claim.
Purchase OSHC through another approved provider:
If you don't want to use Bupa, you can organise your OSHC through any other government-approved provider.
If you do choose to arrange your own OSHC, make sure to compare what other providers offer – for example, some do not offer cover for pre-existing conditions.
Visit the provider websites to find out more about the cover they offer: Find approved OSHC providers
If you use one of these providers, you must contact them directly to organise and pay for your cover.
When you accept your TAFE Queensland offer, you'll need to provide evidence of your OSHC to us before we can send you a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
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