Best Travel Insurance for Australia: How to Choose the Right Policy (2026 Guide)

Looking for the best travel insurance for Australia? Australia is one of those trips that feels like a proper life moment.

It’s big. It’s far. It’s not cheap. 

And once you’re there, you’re often doing the kind of stuff that makes travel worth it: road trips, reef days, surf lessons, hikes, scuba dives, island hops, and “yeah, we’ll just wing it” plans that somehow turn into a three-week itinerary.

I’m Abie, Head of Ops at Rise & Shield, and I spend my working life thinking about what goes wrong on trips… so you don’t have to.

This guide is here to help you find and buy the best travel insurance for Australia, without getting trapped in fine print.

I’ll show you what to prioritise, how to compare policies fast, and when “cheap” is secretly expensive.

Ready? Let’s roll.

My Quick Takeaways

If you only read one section, make it this one.

1. Travel insurance isn’t usually a legal requirement to visit Australia as a tourist, but it’s strongly recommended. Some visas can include a condition to maintain adequate health insurance, so always check your visa conditions.
2. Australia has excellent healthcare, but visitors can still face costs. Ambulance services aren’t covered by Medicare and fees vary by state, so a single emergency call-out can get pricey fast.
3. If you’re a UK traveller, the UK–Australia reciprocal healthcare agreement can help with essential and urgent care, but it’s not a substitute for travel insurance and won’t cover big-ticket items like medical evacuation.
4. For most travellers, the “best” policy is the one that nails these three things: Strong emergency medical cover (and 24/7 assistance), evacuation/repatriation support (especially if you’re going remote) and cover that matches your trip cost and activities (surfing, scuba, hiking, etc.)
5. If you want the quick route, start here and build from this Australia travel insurance policy.
   

Do I Need Travel Insurance for Australia?

If you’re asking this, you already know the answer in your gut.

Australia is generally safe, organised, and has great hospitals. But “great hospitals” doesn’t mean “free for everyone”, and it definitely doesn’t mean you want to fund a medical mess out of pocket.

Here’s the practical reality:

• If you’re not covered by reciprocal arrangements, treatment costs can be high.
• Even if you are covered by a reciprocal arrangement (like UK visitors), reciprocal cover is not a substitute for travel insurance and it does not cover everything (especially evacuation).
• Ambulance costs are a classic gotcha. Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance transport in Australia, and fees vary by state.

So do you “need” travel insurance for Australia?

If you’d struggle to pay for medical treatment, an ambulance call-out, a last-minute flight home, or a cancelled £3,000+ trip… then yes. Properly.

Australia Travel Requirements

For many tourists, Australia doesn’t require proof of travel insurance at the border in the way some destinations do.

However, some Australian visas can be granted with conditions that require you to maintain “adequate health insurance” during your stay (this includes condition 8501 for certain visas).

The Department of Home Affairs is explicit that you must maintain adequate health insurance if your visa has condition 8501, and they also note that some visas require evidence of adequate health insurance arrangements.

My best advice here is very unglamorous: Check your visa grant letter and conditions before you fly.

Travel Insurance for Visitors to Australia

This is where most “best travel insurance for Australia” articles fall down. They either oversimplify or they drown you in jargon.

Let’s do neither.

UK Travellers: The UK-Australian Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement

If you’re visiting Australia from the UK, you may be eligible for Medicare for essential and urgent medical care under the UK–Australia reciprocal healthcare arrangement.

You can enrol through Services Australia. 

That’s the good news.

The important part is the limit: reciprocal healthcare isn’t travel insurance.

Australia’s own official travel advice (Smartraveller) says reciprocal healthcare is not a substitute for insurance, and it specifically warns that medical evacuations aren’t covered by reciprocal arrangements and can cost thousands.

Also, Australia’s healthcare system can still involve costs even with reciprocal access.

The UK’s Australia travel health advice notes that essential and urgent hospital treatment is free, but GP visits and prescriptions can involve charges, and you may recover some costs through Medicare.

In other words: RHCA can help with some treatment. It won’t protect your trip finances, your cancellation costs, your baggage, or a medical evacuation situation.

USA Travellers: Why You Should Assume You’ll End Up Paying

If you’re travelling from the USA to Australia, don’t assume you’ll get any reciprocal support. If you’re not covered by a reciprocal arrangement, costs can be high.

That’s why travel insurance to Australia from the USA tends to be very “medical-first”. The best policy for USA-to-Australia travellers typically prioritises:

• emergency medical expenses
• 24/7 emergency assistance
• evacuation/repatriation support
• trip cancellation (because long-haul trips are expensive to cancel)

Other Visitors To Australia

If you’re visiting Australia from somewhere else, the safest default is: Assume you’re responsible for healthcare costs unless you’ve confirmed otherwise.

And regardless of where you’re from, remember the big one…

Ambulance Costs

Ambulance transport isn’t covered by Medicare in Australia, and fees vary state to state.

To make this real:

• NSW Ambulance lists charges from 1 July 2025 for NSW residents as a call-out fee plus a per-kilometre charge.
• NSW Ambulance also lists full costs for interstate and overseas residents (emergency call-out plus per-kilometre charges).
• Victoria’s Department of Health publishes a fee schedule for ambulance services, and Ambulance Victoria notes you pay for ambulance services unless you have membership/concession/other coverage.

This is one of the reasons I’m such a pain about “medical cover + assistance” being the core of a good policy.

Because emergencies don’t ask permission before they invoice you. And on that note, what should the best Australian travel insurance policy cover? Let’s find out.

What Should the Best Travel Insurance for an Australia Trip Include?

When people say “best travel insurance for Australia”, they usually mean: “Tell me what to buy so I don’t regret it.”

So here’s my straightforward checklist.

My Australia Travel Policy Checklist

1. Emergency medical expenses (with strong limits): If something goes wrong, this is the foundation.
2. 24/7 emergency assistance: This matters more than people realise. It’s not just “money”. It’s help coordinating care and next steps.
3. Evacuation and repatriation support: Especially if you’ll be in remote areas. Official Australian travel advice explicitly points out evacuations can cost thousands and reciprocal healthcare won’t cover it.
4. Trip cancellation and curtailment: Australia trips often involve chunky upfront costs. You want cover that reflects what you’ve actually prepaid.
5. Delays and missed connections: Long-haul flights, stopovers, internal connections… the odds of disruption are higher than your average weekend hop.
6. Baggage and valuables (with realistic limits): Especially if you’re carrying cameras, laptops, diving kit, etc.
7. Activities cover that matches what you’ll do: This is the “best policy” difference-maker for Australia, because people go there to live, not just to sit.

A quick buying tip from the UK government: buy travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your trip, and read the small print and exclusions.

What You Do In Australia Matters (A Lot)

Two travellers can both say, “I’m going to Australia.”

One is doing Sydney, brunch, and a couple of museums.

The other is doing a campervan road trip, surf lessons, a reef day, a hike, and maybe a scuba dive because “how often are we here?”

Those are different insurance needs.

Here are the big Australia travel styles I see most often, and what to check for each.

Road Trips and Driving Holidays

Road trips are a core part of travelling in Australia.

Insurance-wise, your main focus is:

• medical cover (because accidents happen)
• trip disruption (because delays and changes happen)
• belongings (because you live out of your bag for weeks)

If you’re doing a long, multi-stop journey, backpacking-style cover is often a better fit than a basic “single hotel” holiday approach.

Water Days: Snorkelling, Scuba Diving and Surfing

Australia makes water sports feel inevitable. Which is wonderful.

Just don’t assume all policies treat water activities the same way.

If scuba is on your list, check depth limits and whether guided/instructor-led dives are required.

If surfing is on your list, make sure the activity is explicitly covered.

Here are some useful links (because yes, we’ve built cover around how people actually travel in Australia):

• Scuba diving cover
• Surf cover
• Broader adventure cover guide

Hikes, National Parks and Treks

Australia hiking ranges from casual coastal tracks to proper multi-day adventures.

Most travellers don’t set out to do something extreme. They just… end up doing more than expected.

Travel Insurance for Australia: Backpackers, Long Trips and Working Holidays

If you’re travelling Australia properly (moving around, changing plans, staying longer), your insurance needs change. Here’s what you need to know about the best travel insurance for Australia.

Backpackers and Long-Haul Travellers

If you’re hopping cities, doing internal flights, staying in hostels, and generally living your best chaotic life, you want a policy that’s comfortable with:

• longer durations
• multiple stops
• activities sprinkled throughout the trip

My Pro Tip: Check out our backpacker trip insurance for more info.

Working Holiday and Longer Stays

Some visas may include a requirement to maintain adequate health insurance during your stay (condition 8501 applies to some visas).

The Department of Home Affairs provides official guidance on this and also notes that some visas require evidence of adequate health insurance arrangements.

So if you’re staying longer (working holiday, student, extended travel), check your visa conditions and make sure your cover matches your stay.

Already in Australia (Already Abroad Travel Insurance)

This happens more than you’d think. People land, start travelling, then realise they’re uninsured.

MY “BEST AUSTRALIA TRAVEL POLICY” SCORECARD

1. Medical cover limit: ______________________

2. Evacuation and repatriation included? (Yes/No): ______________________

3. 24/7 emergency assistance included? (Yes/No): ______________________

4. Trip cancellation limit: ______________________

5. Trip curtailment limit: ______________________

6. Baggage limit: ______________________

7. Single item limit (gadgets/valuables): ______________________

8. Excess (how much you pay first): ______________________

9. Are my activities covered? (List them): ______________________

10. Any key conditions? (Depth/altitude/supervision/off-piste): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Pre-existing medical conditions: declared/covered? (Yes/No): ____________

12. Can I buy/extend while travelling? (Yes/No): ______________________

13. Destinations covered (any exclusions)?: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Use my scorecard to find “best” for you, not “best” according to a random affiliate page that’s trying to punt whatever pays the highest commission.

But, if you don’t feel like doing the work, I have a simple solution: Rise & Shield.

Why I Recommend Rise & Shield as the Best Travel Insurance for Australia

I’ll be direct: if you want the best travel insurance for Australia, you want a policy that matches how people travel in Australia.

That’s how we’ve approached it.

Start here: Travel insurance for Australia.

Here’s who we tend to be a great fit for:

1. People doing more than just the basics: If your trip includes surfing, scuba, hiking, road trips, and “maybe we’ll do that too”, you’ll appreciate having a policy built around activity cover.
2. Backpackers and travellers moving around a lot: If your Australia trip is part of a longer journey, or you’re travelling in a flexible way.
3. People who want clarity before they buy: If you’re the kind of person who wants to check the documents (I respect you), start on our policy wording page.
4. And if you’re planning other destinations before or after Australia, our destination hub is handy.

Next, let me teach you how to buy the best Australia travel insurance.

How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance for Australia

Buying travel insurance for Australia is easy. I’ve refined it into 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Confirm your trip structure

One base? Multiple stops? Campervan? Internal flights?

Step 2: List activities honestly

Surfing. Scuba. Hiking. Anything you’ll try “just once”.

Step 3: Set cover limits based on your real risk

Medical first. Assistance first. Then cancellation based on what you’ve prepaid.

Step 4: Check exclusions and conditions

This is where “best” lives or dies.

Step 5: Buy as soon as you book

The UK government advises buying travel insurance as soon as possible after booking and reading the small print and exclusions.

Best Travel Insurance for Australia FAQs

Let’s wrap up my guide on the best travel insurance for Australia by answering some frequently asked questions.

Do I need travel insurance for Australia?

It’s not usually a legal requirement for tourists, but it’s strongly recommended.

Australia has great healthcare, but visitors can still face costs, and ambulance transport isn’t covered by Medicare.

Also, some visas may require you to maintain adequate health insurance, so check your visa conditions.

Is travel insurance mandatory for Australia?

Often, no for standard tourist visits, but some visas can have conditions requiring adequate health insurance (like condition 8501). 

Always check your visa grant letter and the official visa conditions. 

What should Australia travel insurance cover?

At minimum: emergency medical expenses, 24/7 assistance, and evacuation/repatriation support. Then add cancellation, delays, and baggage based on your trip costs and valuables.

Does travel insurance cover medical bills in Australia?

Yes, travel insurance typically covers eligible emergency medical treatment (subject to the policy).

If you’re a UK traveller, reciprocal healthcare may cover some essential and urgent care under Medicare, but it doesn’t replace travel insurance.

What’s the best travel insurance for a trip to Australia?

The best policy is the one that matches your trip.

Strong medical cover, emergency assistance, evacuation support, and activities cover (surfing/scuba/hiking) are the usual deciding factors.

If you want a straightforward option built for how people travel, start here: Australia travel insurance.

What if I’m travelling from the USA to Australia?

Assume you’re responsible for costs unless you’ve confirmed otherwise.

Prioritise strong medical cover, 24/7 assistance, evacuation/repatriation support, and cancellation for long-haul prepaid trips.

Does Medicare cover ambulance transport in Australia?

No. Ambulance transport isn’t covered by Medicare in Australia; fees vary by state, and charges can be significant.

My Final Thoughts

And there you have it: If you’re flying to the other side of the world, don’t gamble on the boring stuff. Get cover that fits your actual trip.

If you want a clean starting point, here it is: The best travel insurance for Australia.