How to Apply for a Medicare Card: 2 Ways to Enrol and Who Qualifies

You’ve just landed in Australia, or your visa has finally come through. Everyone tells you to “sort out Medicare”, but the form asks about your visa, and you’re not sure yours counts.

That doubt is normal. Medicare rules turn on your visa, not on how long you’ve been here.

Once you know which group you’re in, signing up is free, and you can do it online. Most people finish in one sitting.

This guide explains how to apply for a Medicare card, step by step. It shows who qualifies on each type of visa, the papers you need and the 2 official ways to enrol.

It also covers the cases people most often get wrong. Two of the most common are couples waiting on a partner visa and parents waiting on a parent visa.

If you’re not sure your visa qualifies, you can book a consultation with our registered migration agents.

What is Medicare, and what does it cover?

Medicare is Australia’s public health scheme. It pays some or all of the cost of basic health care for people who qualify. It is run by Services Australia.

What you pay depends on whether your doctor bulk bills. Many people add private health cover for the gaps. Before any of that, you need to know if you can enrol.

Who is eligible for Medicare in Australia?

You can get Medicare if you live in Australia and are a citizen, a permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen. Some people waiting on a permanent visa, some temporary visa holders and some visitors can enrol too.

If you’re waiting on a permanent visa

• You must live in Australia and have applied for a permanent visa that is not a parent visa.
• You also need a visa that lets you work, or a spouse, parent or child who is a citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen living here.
• If you applied for a partner visa in Australia (subclass 820/801), you can usually enrol from the date you applied.
• If you applied outside Australia (subclass 309/100), you can usually enrol from the date you arrived to live here.

If you’ve applied for a parent visa

• Applying for a parent visa doesn’t let you enrol in Medicare while you wait.
• A temporary parent visa, such as the Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173), also doesn’t let you enrol.
• Parents can enrol once a permanent parent visa, such as the subclass 143 or 864, is granted.
• Until then, plan for private health cover. Many parent visitor visas also require health cover as a condition.

Families at our Harris Park office ask us about this often. It catches out many parents who arrive on a visitor visa while their parent visa waits in the queue.

If you’re visiting from a reciprocal country

• Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with 11 countries, as at October 2026.
• They are Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
• Cover is for care you need for your health, not elective treatment.
• Irish visitors are covered for public hospital care and PBS medicines only. Italian and Maltese visitors are covered for 6 months from each arrival.

If you’re an international student

• Most students on a Student visa (subclass 500) can’t enrol in Medicare.
• You must keep Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your whole stay. This is usually visa condition 8501.
• Some students from these 11 countries have different rules, so check before you change your cover.
• You can see the conditions on your visa with a free VEVO check.

What documents do you need to apply for Medicare?

You need your passport or ImmiCard, your visa details and papers that fit your situation. Services Australia lists the exact papers for each group on its website.

• Identity: your current passport or ImmiCard.
• Visa details: your visa grant letter, or your visa record from Home Affairs. A VEVO email is a quick way to show this.
• Other papers: for example, proof that you’ve applied for a permanent visa, or your marriage certificate if you’re enrolling through a spouse.
• Children: details and identity documents for children under 15. Anyone aged 15 or over completes their own enrolment.

Your papers don’t need to be certified, as of October 2026. Clear copies are enough, so you can skip the trip to a Justice of the Peace.

How do you apply for a Medicare card?

You apply for a Medicare card in one of 2 ways: online through myGov, or with the Medicare enrolment form (MS004) sent by mail or email. You don’t need to visit a service centre.

Option 1: Enrol online through myGov

1. Sign in to myGov, or create an account if you don’t have one.
2. Choose to enrol in Medicare and answer the questions about you.
3. Enter your passport or ImmiCard details and your visa details.
4. Upload your papers.
5. Submit, and keep your application number. Family members aged 15 or over use it to finish their own enrolment.

You can enrol online if you’re a citizen, a permanent resident, waiting on a permanent visa, or a New Zealand citizen. Visa holders named in a Ministerial Order, and visitors from Italy or the UK, can too.

Option 2: Send the MS004 form by mail or email

1. Download the Medicare enrolment form (MS004) from Services Australia.
2. Complete and sign it.
3. Attach copies of your papers.
4. Email it to Medicare Enrolment Services with “Medicare enrolment” in the subject line, or post it.

Emailed files must be PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF or BMP, up to 5 MB each and 10 MB in total. Visitors from the other 9 reciprocal countries use this form.

When will your Medicare card arrive?

• Once you’re approved, your card is posted to the address you gave.
• You can usually see a digital card in the Medicare app, or through myGov, before the plastic card arrives.
• It takes longer if papers are missing or hard to read, so check every upload before you submit.

Which Medicare mistakes cause the most delays?

Most delays come from applying under the wrong group, or sending the wrong papers for that group. Visa mistakes take the longest to fix.

• Thinking you can enrol because a friend on a different visa got a card.
• Applying as someone waiting on a permanent visa when you’ve applied for a parent visa.
• Partner visa holders using their grant date instead of the date they applied or arrived.
• Uploading blurry photos instead of clear copies.
• Cancelling OSHC or private cover before Medicare has been confirmed.

Not sure which group your visa or application puts you in? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) can check your visa details with you before you apply. You can book a consultation in person or online.

How The Migration helps with Medicare and your visa

Medicare depends on your visa, so we help you see where you stand now and what changes as your visa does.

• Visa check: we confirm whether your current visa, or the permanent visa you’ve applied for, lets you enrol.
• Partner visa timing: we explain when you can enrol on a partner visa, and what to do if it is refused.
• Parent visa planning: we help families plan health cover for parents while a parent visa waits in the queue.
• A registered agent: your matter is handled by a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738). You can check the number on the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) register.
• Experience and access: our team has 7+ years of experience in Australian migration, with consultations at our Harris Park office or online.

Are you ready to apply for your Medicare card?

You’re ready once you know your group, have your passport or ImmiCard and have your visa details to hand. Then enrol through myGov, or send the MS004 form by mail or email.

If you’re waiting on a permanent visa, check the extra rules first. If you’re waiting on a parent visa, keep private cover in place until the permanent visa is granted.

Frequently asked questions