Does Medicare cover me overseas? Retiring overseas and Medicare

What Medicare won’t pay for

No. Smartraveller says Medicare does not pay for medical treatment overseas, and neither do Australian private health funds. The only partial exception is a short list of countries where Australia has a reciprocal health care agreement, and even there the cover is limited.

That means your own cover for any time overseas. It usually comes as travel insurance for a single long trip, annual multi-trip travel insurance, or international health insurance for people who live outside Australia. Our guides to travel insurance for long stays and international health insurance by age explain where each fits and what to ask.

Which countries have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia?

Eleven countries, according to Services Australia in September 2026. In each one you can get help with the cost of medically necessary care in the public system, such as emergency care, or an illness or injury that can’t wait until you’re home. You show your passport and Medicare card.

Country	When care is covered	Medicines
Belgium	During a visit	Some prescription medicines
Finland	During a visit	Prescription medicines, with fees
Ireland	Within 12 months of arriving	Part of the cost, above a set monthly amount
Italy	Within 6 months of arriving	You may need to pay
Malta	Within 6 months of arriving	Covered as part of care in a government hospital
The Netherlands	Within 12 months of arriving (sometimes longer)	A full or part refund
New Zealand	Within 2 years of arriving	Hospital medicines covered; you pay part of the cost of medicines a GP prescribes
Norway	Within 12 months of arriving	Full price until you spend about $347 in a year
Slovenia	During a visit	Part of the cost, depending on the medicine
Sweden	During a visit	Part of the cost
United Kingdom	Within 6 months of arriving	A small fee if an NHS doctor treats you

Time limits and medicine rules are from Services Australia’s country pages, checked 20 October 2026. “During a visit” means the country page sets no time limit. Each country decides what it covers, and the treating doctor decides what is medically necessary.

Portugal and Spain are not on the list, and neither is anywhere in Asia. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia (including Bali) and the Philippines all need your own cover from day one. If you are weighing up Portugal or Asia, cost the cover in from the start. Assuming Medicare or an agreement will help in these countries could leave you with the whole hospital bill.

What don’t the agreements cover?

Medical evacuation home, for a start. Smartraveller says the agreements are no substitute for travel insurance and won’t cover you if a doctor recommends evacuation back to Australia. Services Australia’s country pages add:

• care that can wait until you are back in Australia is not covered
• private care is not covered (in the UK, for example, you pay the full cost)
• in several of the countries you still pay some fees, even in the public system.

Services Australia says you still need your own travel health insurance when you visit an agreement country.

What happens in countries without an agreement?

You, or your insurer, pay the full price. Smartraveller says medical help is usually the highest unexpected cost for Australians overseas, and hospitals in some countries will refuse to treat you until you pay upfront or hand over your insurance details. Leave a medical bill unpaid and you could be stopped from leaving the country until you settle it. The Australian Government cannot pay your bills.

If you live overseas long term, Smartraveller warns that Australian insurers might not cover you, and your visa conditions may require a local health insurance policy. International health insurance is the kind of cover built for living overseas.

Can I still use Medicare if I move overseas?

Only in Australia, and only for a while. Medicare never pays for treatment overseas, but Smartraveller says an Australian citizen who moves overseas can still use it for treatment in Australia (on a visit home, say) for up to 5 years after the move.

Services Australia’s staff guidance says the 5 years counts from when you first left, and a visit home doesn’t restart it. After 5 years you can’t use Medicare until you move back to Australia to live, and then you re-enrol with a current passport and 2 documents showing you now live here. The rule comes from a Ministerial order under the Health Insurance Act, which the Federal Register of Legislation shows as in force.

Your situation	Medicare
Australian citizen living here, travelling for part of the year	Usually stays enrolled. Nothing to do when you come home.
Citizen who has moved overseas, first 5 years	Can be used for treatment in Australia, such as on a visit home. Never pays for care overseas.
Citizen, more than 5 years after moving overseas	Cannot be used until you move back to live. Then you re-enrol, without visiting a service centre.
Permanent resident (not a citizen)	Stays enrolled for 12 months from first leaving. After that, no Medicare and no reciprocal agreement cover.

If you see a 12-month figure on some Services Australia pages, that’s the rule for permanent residents. For citizens the limit is 5 years. Our guide to returning to Australia lists the documents for re-enrolling.

Can I take my medicines with me?

Yes, for your own use or for someone travelling with you, with a doctor’s letter and in the original packs. Services Australia says taking or sending PBS medicines for anyone else is illegal, with a fine of up to $16,500, 2 years in jail, or both. Once you leave Australia you can’t get medicines under the PBS. Our guide to taking PBS medicines overseas has the rest of the rules.

How does this play out on two different trips?

An example, not real people. Geoff and Mary, both 72, spend 10 weeks of winter in Hua Hin, then visit their daughter in London the next year.

	Hua Hin, Thailand	London, United Kingdom
Reciprocal agreement?	No	Yes
Geoff falls and breaks a wrist	The full bill goes to their travel insurer, or to them	Medically necessary NHS care is covered within 6 months of arriving
Mary needs a flight home on a stretcher	Travel insurance, if their policy covers it	Travel insurance, if their policy covers it. The agreement does not.
Mary’s blood pressure tablets run out	Not subsidised. She sees a local doctor and pays.	If an NHS doctor treats her, she pays a small fee for the prescription

Travel insurance does most of the work in both places. In London the agreement just helps with part of the cost.

What to ask before you go

Take these questions to an insurance broker, or to the insurer:

1. Does this policy cover me for the whole time I will be away, at my age?
2. Is it for a trip, or for someone who lives overseas?
3. How does it treat my pre-existing conditions?
4. Does it cover medical evacuation, including back to Australia?
5. Does it cover me when I visit Australia, if I live overseas?

What this means for you depends on

• Where you are going, and whether it has an agreement with Australia.
• How long you will stay: some agreements only cover care in your first 6 or 12 months.
• Whether you are a citizen or a permanent resident, and when you moved overseas.
• Your health, your medicines and any pre-existing conditions you need to declare. Our page on retiring overseas with a health condition goes further.
• Whether you are travelling or living overseas, which decides between travel insurance and international health insurance.

This is general information. An insurance broker can help with cover for your trip, and Services Australia with your Medicare enrolment. Anything you’re still unsure about, bring to a free planning session on Zoom and we’ll tell you who to ask.