Expatriate Insurance and Backpacker Travel Insurance Canada

Travel Insurance for Overseas Canadians

These medical policies are for Canadians outside of the country without OHIP, MSP or other provincial medical plans.

For more information on expat insurance, explore our expat insurance blog page. 

Global expatriates fall into three categories:

Returning Canadians

Expatriates who have left Canada for a lengthy period of time, and are no longer covered by their provincial health care plan, need to reapply for coverage. These 'repatriates' must wait for their application to be approved, and for the mandatory waiting period to pass, before they become covered under their provincial plan (usually 7-91 days depending on the province, but it can take longer). Three months is a long time to have no medical coverage in Canada, because accidents and illnesses happen. And Canadian hospitals can be expensive.

Fortunately, returning Canadians can purchase a Visitors to Canada policy from any one of the several companies we offer in order to bridge the gap in coverage they face during their waiting period. Simply choose Global Expats and then Returning Expats in the top left corner of this page to get a quote and look at the coverage available. We'll start off showing you the $100,000 plans, but you can change coverage levels on your quote page. We recommend having a plan of no less than $100,000, although lower coverage options do exist.

Departing Canadians

Had enough? Off to greener pastures for a while? International experience can be invaluable, and may require more than just a short term sojourn abroad. Studying or working overseas might take longer than a year. For some people, 'backpacking' or other forms of travel 'research' can take years. If so, expatriate hospital & medical insurance is a good way to insure against financial loss associated with unexpectedly high medical expenses. For backpackers, it may actually prove less expensive than regular travel medical insurance.

Your provincial health care provider usually won't allow you to be absent for more than 183 days or 212 days (depending upon the province) per year and still continue to be covered under their health care plan. However, It may be possible, if you speak to them and ask for a waiver, for you to have one extended absence (see our links page for contact numbers).

All Canadian travel insurance providers require you to be covered under a provincial plan for your entire trip in order to be fully covered under one of their travel medical insurance plans. So if you are travelling longer than six or seven months, it may be appropriate for you to cancel your provincial health coverage by notifying them that you will be leaving the country for an extended absence. Then, you would need to purchase an expatriate health insurance plan in order to have yourself and your family's finances protected against the possibility of accident or illness abroad. You may only need this coverage in place for a certain waiting period before becoming covered under a plan provided to you in the country that you are going to. If that is not the case, you may have an expatriate policy for as long as necessary, but you must reapply each year.

How does expatriate coverage compare (price) to regular travel medical insurance? Generally, it's more expensive and the coverage is less because the insurance company cannot easily minimize their risk exposure by returning you to your province for further care. But for younger travellers, it can actually be less expensive than travel medical insurance (which offers more coverage).

You can get a quote for expatriate travel medical insurance by going to the top left corner of this page and clicking on Global Expats and then Canadian Expats. We have a few plans to look at, but for a complete search of all your options from Canadian and international suppliers, please call us toll-free at 1-888-888-0510. We'll help find a plan that works for you. 

Your other insurance option is to obtain permission from your provincial plan provider for an extended absence, which allows you to buy coverage under a regular Canadian travel health insurance policy (which comes with a higher maximum limit). Most Canadian insurance companies will allow you to purchase coverage for one year, and we now also have a two-year policy available.  For trips longer than six or seven months, we need to ensure that you have the correct coverage in place, so please call us toll-free for assistance at 1-888-888-0510.

International Expats

The other category of expats might have nothing to do with Canada! International travellers leaving their country of residence (not Canada) who may need travel insurance while they travel (majority of time outside Canada) can obtain a quote and purchase coverage with the following links, but please call us at 1-888-888-0510 for assistance.

Note that "the Atlas Series is not available to individuals who are physically located in the state of New York, Maryland, or Washington or in the country of Canada or Australia at time of purchase, and IMG is intended for international travellers who are outside of Canada at the time of purchase."

Atlas Series

Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, the Atlas plan may be just what you're looking for. Plans are available from a minimum of 5 days up to a maximum of one year.

At no additional cost, the Atlas Series adds coverage for Emergency Medical Evacuation, Acts of Terrorism and Complications of Pregnancy.
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Patriot Travel Medical Insurance 

Designed to meet the needs of international travellers looking for temporary medical insurance coverage while travelling outside their home country. In addition to medical benefits, the plan includes coverage for emergency medical and political evacuation, repatriation, and a choice of deductibles and plan maximums up to $2,000,000.

There are two plans available:  Patriot International provides coverage for U.S. citizens travelling outside the U.S., and Patriot America provides coverage for non-U.S. citizens travelling outside their home country. 
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Global Medical Insurance

Global Medical Insurance (GMI) is a flexible, long-term, annually renewable, U.S.-style major medical insurance program designed for U.S. citizens living abroad, and non-U.S. citizens throughout the world.

GMI offers the flexibility to select from an assortment of four unique benefit plan options – Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum - each with different levels of coverage. In addition, there are different areas of coverage available, optional riders, flexible underwriting methods, as well as multiple deductibles and modes of payment.
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