Tips for purchasing visitor insurance in Canada
Whether you want to spend the summer with family, or work on a temporary contract, if you visit Canada, you want to make sure you have access to essential health care services, especially if you end up needing emergency care.
If you are Canadian and you have someone coming to stay with you, it’s important to understand their insurance needs. When you are a resident of Canada, you have access to our health care system, and that means access to health and medical services. However, you pay for those through your taxes and in other ways. A visitor to Canada isn’t going to have the same access. That often means purchasing visitor insurance for whoever is coming to visit.
What is visitor insurance?
Visitor insurance is just another way of saying “travel health insurance for visitors to Canada”. While you can usually purchase travel insurance from your home country, you can also purchase the same coverage from the country you are visiting instead. You may find a better deal if you compare prices and get a Canadian version.
Visitor health insurance will cover you in a number of emergency situations including:
- Ambulance fees, including airlifting if necessary.
- Semi-private hospital room stay.
- Emergency dental work.
- Medical transportation to your home country.
Without coverage, any serious illness or injury can cost you thousands of dollars, even if you’re a Canadian visiting another province. So, if you plan to spend an extended period of time in another province, you might consider purchasing visitor insurance for that trip, in addition to making sure that your guests in Canada have the proper insurance coverage.
Who needs visitor insurance in Canada?
Visitor insurance coverage is best for people who are visiting Canada for an extended period of time. If you’re visiting the country for a month or longer, with no plans to become a citizen or permanent resident, you’ll want to have a health care plan in place.
You should also consider whether or not you have other types of insurance you might need as a visitor. Do you have temporary car insurance if you plan to drive a car? What about car rental insurance? Do you have trip insurance to handle hiccups?
Make sure you are ready for the unexpected when you visit Canada. While we are a safe and friendly country, you never know when something might go wrong.
Don’t leave home without proper visitor insurance coverage
There are lots of options for visitor insurance in Canada. Compare and find the best one for you online before you even step foot on the plane.
Once you purchase your insurance coverage, keep in mind that you should keep your insurance card on your person at all times when you’re in Canada, just as you should do with your travel documents.