If you're coming to Canada on an IEC (Working Holiday) Visa or a Super Visa, figuring out how and where to see a doctor is just as important as booking your flight. Visiting Canada on a visa is an exciting experience. The second-largest country in the world has something to offer for everyone, from the hustle and bustle of city life, to the vast expanses of nature. Canada even has an excellent healthcare system, but it will be important for you to know how to find a doctor should an emergency arise during your visa. Eligibility for healthcare and various costs depend on your status and your insurance. This guide will wlak you through when to use your travel insurance assitance line, how to book in-person or virtual care, what to do in an emergency, and how provincial health plans fit in for eligilbe IEC visitors.
First things first: who pays for what
Depending on what type of Visitor to Canada you are (IEC, Super Visa, or a normal tourist) your coverage for healthcare while in Canada may vary. So, who pays for what?
Tourists/visitors (no provincial card): You can see a doctor or go to the ER, but you’ll be billed. Either self-pay or use a Visitors to Canada insurance policy to cover eligible emergency costs.
IEC work-permit holders: You must carry private insurance for your whole stay that includes coverage for medical, hospitalization, repatriation. In some provinces you may later qualify for a provincial plan (GHIP) once you meet their rules. Keep your private policy active even after GHIP enrollment (GHIP doesn’t include repatriation). If you want to learn more, we have an article outlining eligibility for Canadian healthcare and how to apply for it.
Super Visa visitors: You must have at least one year of private medical insurance (minimum $100,000 CAD emergency coverage) from a Canadian/approved insurer and keep coverage continuous while you’re in Canada.
If you’re not sure which bucket you’re in, assume no public coverage and make sure you’re insured for the full length of your stay.
The fastest way to a doctor: use your insurer's assitance team
When you buy a Visitors to Canada policy, your confirmation of insurance will include a 24/7 assitance number. Phone this number first (unless it's life threatening and you need 9/11). If your emergency is not life threatening follow the following steps to ensure that your trip to the doctors will be covered:
Call your insurer before you go (unless it is an emergency). You're insurance's assitance line will point you to a clinic near you that can direct-bill your insurer. If there are no clinics near you they will explain the claim process; you will pay up front, submit your receipts, and will be reimbursed.
Get your documents ready before arriving to the the office of the medical assitance you are going to. You will need your insurance policy number, and possibly your passport informaton. Your insurers may also ask you for details such as your symptoms, and how/when the injury/illness occured.
Follow the instructions your insurance provider gives you on where to go (walk-in, urgent care, ER, or virtual care).
Keep a paper trail. Keep everything from receipts, prescriptions, discharge notes, until your claim with your insurance provider is closed.
Finding a doctor in Canada (step-by-step)
Non-Emergency? Do this:
Check your policy card for the assitance number and nay provider search link
Ask for clinics that direct-bill to minimize out-of-pocket costs
If you're on the BestQuote MedEC policy, you also have three prepaid Maple® doctor visits per year (for non-emergency issues). Activate Maple with the instructions in your policy email and book a same-day virtual care visit.
Emergency? Do this:
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room
Show your insurance card and passport at reception
Contact your insurer's assitance line as soon as practical so theycan coordinate payment and any next steps
IEC visitors: where provincinal coverage fits (and where it doesn't)
If you’re on IEC and later qualify for your province’s public plan (GHIP), you’ll use your provincial health card for covered services once enrolled. But keep your private IEC insurance in force for the entire stay, IEC rules require it, and repatriation isn’t part of GHIP. If your private plan is BestQuote MedEC, you may be eligible for a 25% refund of remaining premium after you enroll in GHIP (terms apply), and you’ll still keep those Maple visits for everyday concerns.
How BestQuote helps
Best Quote Travel Insurance can help you find the best available policy for your needs, taking coverage and cost into account. We work with leading insurers across Canada to provide a variety of travel insurance options. That means you can focus more on your upcoming visit to Canada with the peace of mind that your travel insurance is set up and in place.
Get an insurance quote on the left-hand side of this page for peace of mind during your trip.
Did you know that we have a visitors to Canada (also available for IEC visa and Super Visa) insurance plan with coverage features not found anywhere else? With BestQuote MedEC, on top of all of the typical visitors to Canada emergency medical benefits, you also get three prepaid doctor's appointments per year for free with Maple.
Read more about MedEC's unique policy benefits here.