Visitors to Canada Insurance
If you are planning on visiting Canada or expecting family or friends from your motherland to visit you, you have to realize that visitors are not covered by Ontario Health Insurance Plans – OHIP. It means visitors could end up facing significant out-of-pocket expenses if an illness or accident occurs while they are in Canada.
Got a visa to visit Canada? Congratulations! Your medical insurance is almost as important as the visa…
Currently, most visitors to Canada may visit for up to 6 months when they first enter Canada. There are different medical insurance plans specially designed to suit a range of needs and budgets of Canada visitors. The most important component of all of them is emergency medical coverage to visitors. Visitor medical insurance plans offer a convenient, flexible and affordable protection against the cost of unexpected medical emergencies. Coverage can be purchased prior to or upon arrival in Canada.
If you have a medical emergency while visiting Canada, one toll-free phone call – anytime day or night – puts you in touch with a professional who will refer you to a Canadian doctor or facility to receive the care you need.
There are two basic types of medical insurance plans for visitors to Canada:
- Single-Trip plans
- Multi-Trip plans
Coverage: Medical insurance plans for visitors to Canada provide up to $25,000 of travel accident insurance, as well as up to $150,000 coverage of the eligible emergency medical expenses that you incur while visiting Canada, and that exceed the benefits of your government health insurance and other coverage.
- For a single-trip plan, coverage starts on the later of: 1) the effective date of insurance; or 2) the time and date you arrive in Canada from home. Coverage ends on the earliest of the following: 1) each time you leave Canada to return home; 2) when the number of days of coverage you purchased, as shown in your confirmation, expires; 3) no more than 365 days after your effective date of insurance.
- For a multi -trip plan, coverage starts on the time and date you arrive in Canada from home; thereafter, the time and date of each arrival in Canada from home. Coverage ends on the earliest of the following: 1) each time you leave Canada to return home; 2) when the number of days of coverage you purchased, as shown in your confirmation, expires; 3) no more than 365 days after your effective date of insurance.
Main Benefits of Medical Insurance Plans for Visitors to Canada
Medical insurance plans for visitors to Canada protect travellers from emergency medical care cost such as:
- physician services
- hospital stays
- diagnostic tests
- prescription drugs
A waiting period applies if the insurance is purchased after arrival in Canada and applies to any sickness or illness. The waiting periods are:
- the 48-hour period following the effective date of insurance if the insurance is purchased within 30 days of arrival in Canada; or
- the 8-day period following the effective date of insurance if the insurance is purchased more than 30 days after arrival in Canada.
You can get a refund of premium if you return home before the date you were scheduled, as per your confirmation, and have not reported or initiated a claim or been provided with any assistance services; you may ask for a refund of the premium for the unused days of the trip. You also might get a refund if you cancel your policy at any time BEFORE the effective date of insurance.
Please let us know how we can help. Whether it is a free no-obligation quote or just a question – we will be happy to provide you with detailed answers.
“We used Olga’s expertise to insure and protect business interest of our company. She also provided us with a very valuable financial advice that benefited our company greatly. Thanks a lot!”
