You can enrol in Medicare if you’ve applied for either:
- a permanent residency visa
- a permanent protection visa.
You’ll need to give us all of these documents:
- a current passport or ImmiCard
- proof from the Department of Home Affairs that you’ve applied for permanent residency.
We need these for each person you want to enrol. You don’t need to get your documents certified.
If your visa doesn’t let you work in Australia, you’ll have to provide extra documents. You need to prove you have a parent, de facto, spouse or child who’s any of the following:
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent resident of Australia
- a New Zealand citizen who lives in Australia.
You can do this by giving us any of these documents:
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- joint bank account statement
- joint utility account statement
- proof you own or rent a home together.
If you don’t have these documents, tell us. We’ll talk to you about other options.
If your visa application fails
If the Department of Home Affairs refuses your visa application, you can appeal to them.
You can enrol in Medicare while you’re appealing. You’ll need to give us all of these documents:
- a current passport or ImmiCard
- valid visa
- evidence that you’ve lodged an appeal or a request for ministerial intervention dated within 2 years
- proof of a valid visa with permission to work.
We need these for each person you want to enrol. You don’t need to get your documents certified.
If your visa doesn’t let you work in Australia, you’ll have to provide extra documents. You need to prove you have a parent, de facto, spouse or child who’s any of the following:
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent resident of Australia
- a New Zealand citizen who lives in Australia.
You can do this by giving us any of these documents:
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- joint bank account statement
- joint utility account statement
- proof you own or rent a home together.
If you don’t have these documents, tell us. We’ll talk to you about other options.
Contact numbers available on this page.
Medicare program
Use this line if you need help with a claim, enrolments, ordering a new card or have a Medicare general enquiry. Let us know if you need an interpreter and we’ll arrange one for free.
There are other ways you may want to contact us.