Before you start

A visa conferring Medicare eligibility, or citizenship of a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement country
Passport and current visa
A South Australian residential address
An SA Ambulance subscription or an ambulance-inclusive health policy — concession card holders are discounted, not exempt

Step-by-step

1
Establish which Medicare category you fall into
Permanent residents and applicants for certain permanent visas enrol. Temporary work-visa holders generally cannot. Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK hold reciprocal agreements, each with different terms and duration.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy Overseas Visitors Health Cover before you fly, if on a temporary visa
Employer-sponsored visas carry a condition requiring adequate health insurance for the whole stay, in force from the day you arrive rather than the day you start work. Check whether the policy includes ambulance in South Australia.
OnlineWho: You or your employer≈AUD 85–180 per month for a single adult
3
Enrol in Medicare, if eligible
Enrol online through myGov or at a Services Australia service centre. Documents do not need certifying, and a digital card appears in the Express Plus app before the plastic one arrives.
OnlineWho: YouSame day to a few weeks
4
Take out SA Ambulance cover
Buy the subscription directly from SA Ambulance Service, or check whether your health fund policy includes equivalent ambulance cover. South Australia does not give pensioners free ambulance the way Queensland gives all residents free ambulance — SA Pensioner Concession Card holders get a discounted subscription and may qualify for a concession on the gazetted transport fee, but they are not automatically covered.
OnlineWho: You and everyone in your household≈AUD 106 / year single within SA; ≈AUD 125 Australia-wide; family rates roughly double
5
Register with a GP practice
No catchment applies — attend any practice. Some bulk bill, meaning nothing to pay with a Medicare card; many charge and you claim a rebate. Ask when booking, because the same consultation can cost nothing or AUD 90 two suburbs apart.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and current visa
Evidence of permanent residency where applicable
For reciprocal agreement claims: the agreement country's passport, plus a national health card or statutory declaration for some countries
South Australian residential address
SA Ambulance subscription number or health fund membership details

Things most newcomers don’t know

Ambulance is not covered by Medicare in South Australia, and the state sells its own subscription.

Medicare covers ambulance nowhere in Australia; funding is a state matter and SA charges for it. The SA Ambulance Service subscription is the cleanest fix at roughly AUD 106 a year for a single within SA, or about AUD 125 to be covered anywhere in Australia. A single emergency transport costs many times that. Anyone arriving from Queensland, where ambulance is free to residents, should treat this as a moving-in task rather than an optional extra.

Source: SA Ambulance Service — ambulance cover and fees

The SA-only subscription stops at the border, and the Australia-wide one is only marginally dearer.

The standard subscription covers you within South Australia. If you drive to Melbourne, fly to Sydney for work or holiday interstate, the SA-only cover does nothing there. The Australia-wide option costs about AUD 19 a year more for a single and AUD 38 for a family. For anyone who leaves the state even occasionally, the cheaper product is a false economy.

Source: SA Ambulance Service — cover options

Heatwaves are South Australia's underrated health risk.

Adelaide records some of the highest summer temperatures of any Australian capital and can run four or five consecutive days above 40°C. Heat kills more Australians than any other natural hazard, and the risk concentrates in older people, in poorly insulated housing and in anyone newly arrived from a cool climate. SA Health publishes heatwave advice and cool-refuge locations each summer — read it before your first February.

Source: SA Health — extreme heat and health

A reciprocal health care agreement covers medically necessary care only.

It exists so treatment that cannot wait until you go home is not refused. Elective procedures, most dental and ambulance transport fall outside it, and duration differs by country. UK and Irish arrivals in particular assume NHS-equivalence and discover the gap at the worst possible moment.

Source: Services Australia — Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming Medicare covers ambulance, as it does not anywhere in Australia and is charged for in SA.
Buying the SA-only ambulance subscription then needing an ambulance interstate.
Assuming a temporary work visa includes Medicare — most do not.
Arriving before your Overseas Visitors Health Cover starts and breaching a visa condition.
Underestimating the first Adelaide heatwave, particularly in an older uninsulated rental without reverse-cycle air conditioning.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.