Australia is home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, forests and wildlife, which makes it a wonderful place to enjoy a resplendent balance of natural wonders and cultural ambience. As a result, millions of people flock to enjoy its beautiful climate and scenery each year, and if you’re one of those visitors, or you are living in Australia trying to arrange a trip and travel insurance for loved ones that are visiting, then you’ve come to the right place.

While finding travel insurance in Australia is quite difficult for non-residents, there are options available for foreign visitors to enjoy their trip worry-free, and we’ve put together a guide on what those options are.

What Are Visitor’s Options?

There are two main travel insurance options for international visitors and they include purchasing cover from your country of origin, or getting Overseas Visitors Cover, which is offered by a several Australian companies for overseas visitors.

The Overseas Visitors Cover

This type of cover is ideal for overseas visitors that are travelling to Australia for business or pleasure and have forgotten to purchase a travel insurance policy in their own home country. It will only cover your flight to Australiabut excludes your return flight, and most providers place stringent age restrictions on OVC policies. You can only qualify for the cover if you’ll be spending the majority of your trip within Australia, and you must purchase the cover within a particular time frame. In addition, some providers don’t cover visitors that have Medicare and there’s a waiting period for medical claims as well.

Where to Buy the Overseas Visitors Cover

Some of the travel insurance providers that offer Overseas Visitors Cover include:

• 1Cover – Their travel insurance for visitors to Australia is only available to visitors under the age of 74 and it’s not available to people who have Medicare. Also, a 7-day waiting period applies for all medical claims, and it should be purchased 14 days before your arrival in Australia.
• Aussie Travel Cover – The Plan-E Non-Residents policy only covers visitors that are under 85 years, and it’s available for people with Medicare, while a 48-hour waiting period applies for medical claims.
• Easy Travel Insurance – The Inbound Non-Resident Policy is only available to visitors that are under the age of 75, on condition that they spend most of their trip within Australia and that theyreturn straight to their home country after the trip.
• Go Insurance – Go Insurance’s Temporary Residents of Australia policy only covers visitors that are under the age of 76, and you must spend the majority of your trip within Australia. Also, a 30-day waiting period applies to any inbound travel within Australia, while travelling outbound will subject you to a 7-day waiting period.

What’s Included in the Overseas Visitors Cover?

Overseas Visitors Cover typically includes the following:

• Luggage and Personal Items – This applies to any damaged, stolen or lost luggage and personal effects.
• Medical Cover Within Australia – You’ll be covered for any medical expenses you incur while travelling within Australia, including prescription drugs, treatment costs for illnesses or injuries including hospital stays, dental care, surgery, as well as visits to the doctors’ or dentists’ offices.
• Personal Liability – You’ll also be covered for the legal costs associated with accidental damage or injury that you’ve caused to a third-party while travelling within Australia.
• Cancellation Fees and Lost Deposits – If you have to cancel your trip due to unexpected circumstances like extreme weather conditions, accidents or illness, then you’ll be covered for the associated cancellation fees and lost deposits.
• Hospital Cash Allowance – You’ll get a daily allowance in case you have to spend a certain amount of time hospitalized while overseas.
• Rental Vehicle Excess – This is cover for any excess rental vehicle costs that may happen as a result of losing or damaging your rental car.

Make sure you read the Product Disclosure Statement provided by your travel insurance provider to understand what’s included and what has been omitted from your Overseas Visitors Cover.