Where Will You Need International Health Insurance For Overseas Study?

If you are thinking of moving abroad to study – whether for a semester, an academic year, or a multi-year course – you may be asking whether you will need international student health insurance.

International health insurance is a specially-designed policy intended for people who intend to live in another country, including international and foreign exchange students. International health insurance offers worldwide coverage, giving you access to the highest-quality medical facilities if and when you need them. That means you can relax and enjoy your time studying in another country without worrying about the cost of healthcare.

International health insurance can also help you to secure a student visa in countries that require foreign students to have private health insurance. In this article, you’ll discover which countries require students to have health insurance if they intend to live and study, and how to choose the right international student health insurance.

In this article

• Countries where health insurance is required for international students
• Countries where health insurance is highly recommended
• Health insurance for international students

Which countries require health insurance for international students?

While only a few countries specify that international students must have health insurance, universities tend to recommended that all international students look into private health insurance.

According to TU Delft, international students are significantly more likely to phone for emergency services than their non-international counterparts, highlighting how anxiety-inducing it can be to experience a medical episode in a foreign country, and the extra reassurance you might need to feel comfortable and secure.

Countries that require students to have health insurance

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. China
4. Germany
5. South Korea
6. United Kingdom
7. United States of America

International health insurance guarantees that, if you need medical attention while living abroad, you will always be referred to the highest-quality medical treatment centre, without being left out-of-pocket for the expenses. Many policies also include the option of mental health and maternity care support, for extra reassurance.

International health insurance is a great option to have no matter where you study, but if you’re moving to one of these countries, it could be absolutely essential.

Looking for international health insurance for studying abroad?

Here’s what William Russell’s international health insurance covers

Australia

Students studying in Australia will need to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of their stay. OSHC is a government-mandated policy.

Australia ranks as our fourth-best country for international students in 2024. The cities of Sydney and Melbourne boast six and five world-leading universities respectively.

You will need OSHC in order to apply for a visa, then maintain it continuously for the entire length of your stay in Australia. OSHC is mandatory for international students of all nationalities, except citizens of Belgium, Sweden and Norway, who are covered under reciprocal health insurance schemes.

When moving to Australia to study, you will have two options. You can either choose the OSHC policy recommended by your university, or you can choose a private OSHC provider. The advantage of choosing a private provider is that you could benefit from country-wide cover, while sticking with your university’s recommended provider may only give you cover in one state.

OSHC typically costs around AUD$478/US$300 for 12 months of cover for a single person, or AUD$2,600/US$1,640 for 12 months of couples cover and AUD$4,200/US$2,650 for 12 months of family cover

Taking out international health insurance for the first time?

Our step by step guide explains how it works

Canada

As an international student coming to Canada, you may need to take out private medical insurance for the duration of your stay, depending on which province you’ll be moving to.

Canada ranks as our fifth-best country for international students in 2024.

While Canada is widely praised for its healthcare system (it’s one of the top 10 healthiest countries in the world), the North American country is not in the business of just giving it away.

Before you move to Canada, you should check with the government of your province to determine whether you will need health insurance, and how much coverage you’ll need. Some provinces offer public health insurance for international students who intend to be in the country for longer than 6–12 months, while others will require you to have private health insurance at all times.

See the table below to understand whether you will be eligible for public health insurance as an international student in Canada:

Province

Public health insurance available?

Terms

Alberta

Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) available to students staying longer than 6 months. Only covers basic expenses

British Columbia

Medical Services Plan (MSP) available to students staying longer than 6 months. Must apply as soon as you arrive in Canada; applications take 3 months to purchase

Manitoba

Private health insurance essential

New Brunswick

Medicare available to students staying longer than one year

Newfoundland and Labrador

Medical Care Plan (MCP) available to students staying longer than one year

Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories Healthcare (NWTHC) available to students staying longer than one year

Nova Scotia

Private health insurance essential

Ontario

Private health insurance essential

Prince Edward Island

PEI Health Card available to students staying longer than 6 months, however students can only apply for the card after they have lived in the province for 3 months, during which time private health insurance will be required

Québec

Some students may be eligible for state healthcare under a reciprocity agreement. All others will be automatically enrolled onto their university’s own healthcare scheme, unless they choose private health insurance

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Health Card available to students staying longer than 6 months

Yukon

Health insurance will be provided by Yukon College, unless you choose private health insurance

Your college or university may be able to help you by offering their own health insurance schemes for international students. But if you want to guarantee the best policy at a great price, with coverage that extends across the whole country and worldwide, it’s a good idea to shop around for your own international health insurance policy.

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China

International students in China must have both private medical insurance and accidental death and injury insurance for the entire duration of their stay.

Beijing is on our list of the most popular cities for international students in 2024, while Wuhan, Nanjing and Guangzhou are among the cheapest student cities.

You will need to take out your health and accident policies soon after you arrive in China, but you won’t need proof of insurance in order to acquire an entry visa.

If you intend to study in China for longer than a year, you will need an X1 visa, for which you will need to undergo a medical assessment.

International health insurance is important to have in China, as the quality of healthcare can be hit-or-miss depending on where you study. Especially in rural areas, hospitals may seem under-equipped and short-staffed (China has the fifth lowest number of nurses per person in the world). Some hospitals in major cities have ‘VIP’ sections for foreign nationals, where you may find doctors who can speak English, but you may still find waiting lists to be very long for these services.

Therefore, it’s recommended you take out a comprehensive international health insurance policy that will allow access to high-quality private medical facilities. William Russell’s international health insurance policy includes personal accident cover as an additional extra, and can help to ensure you’ll have access to our network of medical facilities while you study in China.

Learn more about moving to China in our essential handy guide

Here’s everything you need to know about living in China as an expat

Germany

As an international student, you won’t be eligible to use public healthcare services until you achieve settled status in Germany and start paying national insurance.

Germany is the third-best country in the world to study in 2024, recommended especially for the quality of its universities and student culture in major cities Berlin and Munich.

Germany has an excellent public healthcare system, and is particularly renowned for the quality of its mental health services. However, these services are only available to permanent residents.

Therefore, in the meantime, you will need to take out private medical insurance. In fact, you will need to demonstrate that you have health insurance before enrolling at your German university and applying for your student visa.

There are some exceptions. Naturally, citizens of the EU will be able to move to Germany visa-free and won’t need a private health insurance policy. You will also be able to transfer your existing state policy to Germany if you are moving from one of these countries;

• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Morocco
• Macedonia
• Montenegro
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Serbia
• Tunisia
• Turkey

Germany offers international students a reduced rate for access to the state national insurance scheme, at a cost of €110/US$115 per month. Once you complete your third year of university, or turn 30 years old, you will need to pay the full rate of €190/US$200 per month.

Prioritising mental health has never been more important

Germany is on our lists of the best countries for mental health

South Korea

Health insurance is a must-have if you are over 20 years old and intend to study in South Korea for longer than one year.

As well as being the eighth-best country for international students in 2024, South Korea’s capital Seoul has the third-highest number of internationally-renowned universities.

While applying for your D-2 or D-4 visa, you will need to register with the country’s official health insurance scheme and start paying for this service monthly, to the tune of US$30 per month.

You are also free to choose your own health insurance policy, if you wish to receive a higher quality of care. South Korea is among the best countries in the world for the quality of its healthcare, but waiting lists can be exceptionally long and there is no guarantee you will have access to English-speaking medical professionals, even in major cities. If you choose a private health insurance policy, you may still be obligated to pay into the state-funded health insurance system.

Seoul in South Korea is one of the best cities in the world for healthcare

Find out the best and worst cities for healthcare

United Kingdom

International students in the UK will need to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) in order to access the healthcare system.

The UK is the second-best country in the world for international students. London has the highest number of world-renowned universities in its midst, and is particularly known for its excellent business and medicine courses.

While the UK is known around the world for its excellent state-funded healthcare system, the NHS, international students will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £470/US$570 a year in order to access this service.

Furthermore, if you only intend to study in the UK for less than six months, you will not be eligible to apply for a student visa and will therefore need to take out short-term private health insurance.

Either way, international students may find they benefit from a comprehensive private health insurance policy. Waiting lists in the UK can be notoriously long, and the quality of health services can vary dramatically by region.

Private healthcare in the UK comes with a cost

Learn more about healthcare options and average costs

United States of America

International students studying in the USA require private medical insurance.

The USA dominates the leaderboards for the best universities in 2024. We’ve named it the number one country for international students.

While it should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with the American healthcare sector, it bears mentioning that international students will absolutely require private medical insurance if they intend to study in the USA.

In fact, during the process of applying to your college or university in the United States, you may find that the institution automatically enrol you onto one of their own health insurance programmes. According to Forbes, these policies can cost as much as US$5,000 per year. However, you are not obligated to accept these plans, and you can often find a better deal by searching elsewhere.

When it comes to finding health insurance in the USA, you will need to find a specialist health insurance provider. Because the cost of healthcare is so expensive in America, many international health insurance providers (including us at William Russell) do not include the USA in their areas of cover. Some international health insurance providers offer USA-only plans, or you could try looking for local health insurers in the state you’ll be moving to.

The cost of prescription medication is rapidly increasing

Discover which US states are spending the most on healthcare

Which countries require all foreign nationals to take out private health insurance?

It is always advisable to have international health insurance if you are living or working overseas to provide you with emergency health and medical coverage in the event of an accident, injury or sickness beyond your control.

Some countries require all visits, whether tourists or expats, to be covered by a private medical insurance policy when they arrive.

Find out which countries require international health insurance for entry here.

Countries where health insurance is not mandatory but essential

Brazil

While health insurance is not mandatory in Brazil, and international students will be eligible to apply for state-funded healthcare, it’s highly recommended you take out private medical insurance if you intend to study in Brazil. The Brazilian healthcare system is notoriously under-funded, leading to poor quality medical care and long waiting lists. With up to 75% of the country’s hospitals being private, the best way to ensure access to high-quality healthcare in Brazil is through a private health insurance policy.

São Paulo is a fantastic place for international students, ranking among the cheapest cities in the world to study at a leading university.

France

As an international student, you will be eligible to apply for French social security after living in the country for four months, after which you will be able to partake in France’s excellent state-funded health system. However, during this initial period, you will need to show that you have private health insurance. This is an essential stage in the application process for a French student visa. EU citizens will not need to apply for health insurance if they hold a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

In 2024, France ranks as the sixth-best country for international students, with the capital city Paris having the second-highest number of internationally-renowned universities.

Learn more about international student health insurance

Read our full guide on health insurance for students

Health insurance tailor-made for international students

If you’re thinking about moving abroad to study, go with total peace of mind. William Russell’s international health insurance is designed with international students like you in mind.

With William Russell, you’ll have access to an extensive network of over 40,000 medical facilities worldwide, offering you the highest-quality, flexible healthcare, wherever you need it. Our policies includes optional mental health cover, plus up to US$500,000 of benefits if you are injured in an accident.

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer discounted rates to students. However, with William Russell you can be sure you’ll always receive the best quote relative to your age, general health and living situation.

Get an online quote today and start your studies overseas with total peace of mind.

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