Travel insurance for visitors to Canada

July 14, 2025 | 4-minute read

Under Canada’s universal healthcare system, Canadian residents are covered for essential medical care, including visits to the doctor and emergency treatment in a hospital. But non-residents aren’t covered.

So if you’re a visitor to Canada and you have a medical emergency, it can be very costly. In British Columbia, for example, the flat rate for a ground ambulance is $848. For transport by helicopter, it’s more than $4,000 hour.¹ Need to go to the Emergency Department in Toronto? It will cost you $800 at one major hospital, plus additional fees for x-rays, MRI or other tests. If you need to be admitted to that hospital, you’re looking at $3,700 to $5,700 per day.²

Travel insurance for visitors to Canada helps to protect against the financial impact if you need medical care in Canada and you aren’t covered by a government healthcare plan. 

Travel coverage for visitors to Canada varies from plan to plan, but most will include some or all of the following:

• Inpatient medical care by a physician
• Tests and scans
• New Prescription drugs
• Semi-private hospital room and intensive care or coronary care unit costs
• Transportation by ambulance
• Emergency dental treatment
• Paramedical services (chiropractic, massage therapy, etc.)
• Private duty registered nursing or licensed home care providers
• Rental of a hospital bed, wheelchair, crutches, cane or prosthetics
• Emergency medical transportation back to your home country
• Expenses to bring someone to your bedside, return your vehicle and return home children under your care 

Pre-existing medical conditions may or may not be covered, depending on the plan. A “pre existing condition” is a medical condition that you have before your coverage starts. Some plans will cover medical conditions that have been stable for a certain amount of time. 

Your policy will spell out the types of covered expenses as well as any maximums, exclusions and limitations.

Premiums for visitor-to-Canada travel insurance are based on age, amount of coverage and length of stay. You may be able to reduce the premium by opting for a “deductible.” With a deductible, you agree to pay part of the cost in the event of a claim. A $500 deductible might reduce your premium by 15%, for example, and a $5,000 deductible by 35%. 

Another way to save? Insure yourself, your spouse and your dependent children under one policy.

You can apply for travel insurance either before or after you arrive in Canada. If you apply after arriving, you may be subject to a waiting period of up to 48 hours before your overage starts.

Your coverage ends when you leave Canada or when your policy expires — whichever comes first. Most policies will allow you to extend your coverage as long as you make the request before your policy has expired. Check your plan for details.

What if your plans change and you need to cancel your trip? Providers will usually let you cancel your policy provided you do so before the effective date. Some may even give you a full or partial refund.

Travel insurance for visitors to Canada is mandatory only for parents or grandparents of a Canadian resident who are in Canada on a super visa. The super visa allows parents or grandparents to visit for up to five years at a time and provides multiple entries for up to 10 years. One of the requirements to get a super visa is a minimum $100,000 of health insurance.

While it may not be required, travel insurance for visitors to Canada can be an appropriate choice for anyone who is:

• Visiting Canada for an extended stay
• Sponsoring friends or family from outside Canada
• In Canada on a work visa and not covered by a government health plan 

¹ Ambulance Fees
² Emergency Care - Sunnybrook Hospital