Did you know that there are provincial healthcare qualification restrictions on travelling abroad, in addition to restrictions by the countries you may plan on visiting for an extended period?
Canadians like to frequent our North American counterparts, the U.S. and Mexico. We also like to travel to where our families have their roots. Sometimes, those trips abroad are not just a few days’ jaunt but extended to weeks and even months. Why? To enjoy a winter vacation, retirement travel or just to reunite and spend time with those we love.
If you are travelling for an extended period of time, there are two things you need to know:
- how long you can stay away and still qualify for your provincial coverage, and
- how long the country you are visiting will allow you to stay.
How long can you stay away and still qualify for your provincial coverage?
Every province and territory has residency rules that must be followed in order to remain eligible for your provincial health insurance coverage. If you stay out of the country (or even out of province) for too long, you can risk being ineligible and losing your health card privileges.
Here are the maximum durations you can be away and still maintain your health care coverage:
- 6 Months
Quebec, PEI, Northwest Territories and Yukon - 7 Months
B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia - 8 Months
Newfoundland and Labrador - 12 Months
Nunavut
What happens if you stay away longer than the maximum duration?
If you purchase travel medical insurance it will become void at the moment you fail to qualify for provincial healthcare coverage. Your provincial health plan must remain active for the entire duration of your trip.
You will need to requalify for provincial health coverage if you leave and stay out of Canada beyond the maximum provincial time limits. That means that when you return to Canada, you will not be covered for any of your medical expenses and you’ll be responsible for paying out of pocket for doctor’s visits, testing, treatment, procedures and hospitalization.
Getting provincial health benefits back after losing them usually requires living in the province for three months, at which point coverage begins again.
You can request extended leave through your provincial health care body if you need to be out of province for longer than the standard duration your province allows.
And remember, take your health card with you when you travel outside of Canada — but first, make sure it’s still going to be valid when you return (check the expiry date!). You should also check to make sure your personal information is correct, including your name, birthday and current address.
How long are you welcome to visit another country?
It’s not just Canada that has “duration rules” you need to pay attention to. The country you are travelling to also has rules on how long you are welcome to stay there as a visitor, for example
- The U.S.
A Canadian can stay for up to 182 days per calendar year (without paying U.S. income tax). - The U.K.
Visitors can stay for maximum of six months in each 12 months (not a calendar year, but counting backwards 12 months from your date of entry). - Mexico
You will be issued a visitor’s visa (keep it with your passport) that is meant for tourists or people who are conducting business for six months or less (it can be renewed if you leave Mexico and re-enter). - Philippines
Visitors are allowed to enter the Philippines without visas for a stay not exceeding thirty days, provided they hold valid tickets for their return. - Israel
Visitors are entitled to remain in Israel for up to three months from the date of their arrival. - India
An eTV visa allows a visitor to make two trips of up to 30 days per year. - China
A standard tourist visa allows visits up to 30 days, and a 10-year China Visa can allow visits of 60 to 120 days, depending on the reason for the visit. - Hong Kong
Canadians can visit for up to 90 days.
Be certain to check for any travel advisories before planning your trip abroad (read this article for more information).
Now that you have the facts, get ready to pack All-Inclusive Travel Insurance
When you are getting ready to go on your extended trip away from Canada, there is a lot to think about. Adequate travel insurance is the most valuable thing you can pack for you and every member of your family travelling with you.
All-Inclusive Travel Insurance covers
- Emergency medical costs like hospital and physician services, paramedical services, emergency dental treatment and ambulance
- Trip cancellation and interruption reimbursement of the prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable portion of a trip cancelled or interrupted by an unexpected medical emergency, business meeting cancellation, or missed connection
- Baggage loss, damage and delay in funds for replacing your passport, driver’s license, birth certificate or travel visa, toiletries and clothing
- Flight and travel accidents causing death, blindness or dismemberment.
At SBIS, we make buying coverage easy
Go online to purchase your travel insurance from the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night.
If you require any assistance at any time in the process, you may call us at 1-800-667-0429 during our regular business hours, or email us at general@sbis.ca for prompt service. We’re happy to help.
You negate to say that even if you stay over your maximum allowed time away from Canada, you are always welcome to come back. You healthcare will be reinstated after 3 months of living back in Canada. (Will need to go back to health office in your province to get started again). Once Canadian you are always Canadian… like any other country you can return as long as you wait the three months for coverage again. Additionally, best coverage would be one that will cover you during those three months back home if you choose to stay longer.
Thank you Rita for your comment. You are correct, you can always re-apply for your provincial healthcare, however the point of this article was to inform Canadians how long they can stay out of the country travelling and NOT have to be re-instated after waiting for 3 months. If you do require the 3 month coverage while awaiting your provincial healthcare to be re-instated we do offer that type of coverage for Canadians as well. Please call us for information.
If you do not report on time or report very late (but still before expiry of your healthcare card) to your provincial health provider that you have in fact exceeded your time allowance for being abroad (in this instance, 6 months), apart from the fact that you need to be re-instated after 3-month period, is there a chance that you may incur a financial fine or even become permanently banned for enrolling into provincial health coverage across Canada in the future? Thanks
Thank you for your comment/question. As we are not the government you will want to contact your provincial healthcare service to provide you specific details on your question.
Well said Rita
Re Rita’s “Once Canadian you are always Canadian” although true for 99% of Canadians in 99% of situations has become more precarious post-9/11, esp after Harper’s (rightful) passage re dual-citizenships, even for natural-born Canadians who’d never once stepped foot in their ancestral homelands. Rightly, even natural-born Canadians can either be stripped of citizenship or deported to their ancestral homelands as long as they don’t become stateless. Yes, even those of White European descent have been sent back to Europe.
Hi Bob, thank you for your comment. This article isn’t about losing your citizenship, you’re absolutely correct you never “lose” your citizenship. It’s actually about losing your provincial healthcare if you travel outside of Canada over and above the number of allotted days and how to get it back once it’s lost.
what happens if a Canadian
PR cardholder is stranded in
other country for more than 6
months because of
pandemic?Will it affect my PR
status and PR obligation even
though the circumstances is
unintentional because of the
lockdown.Thank you for your answer.
Thank you for your question…
International permanent residency holders who have not been able to come to Canada because of COVID-19 travel restrictions will be allowed into the country even if their confirmations have expired, a spokesperson for the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino told CTVNews.ca
You may also want to check in with the Canadian Immigration Department for your specific situation at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/permanent-residents.html
Hi! You say “If you purchase travel medical insurance it will become void at the moment you fail to qualify for provincial healthcare coverage. Your provincial health plan must remain active for the entire duration of your trip.” However, I’ve been in touch with some travel insurance providers (e.g. Nomad) who say I do not need to have provincial healthcare to qualify. Is this correct? Thanks! Rebecca
Thank you for your question. There are 2 different travel products for this situation
1st travel product that we offer is called Viator, this particular product is for long term travel situation, where it will remain in tact if your provincial healthcare ends during your trip.
2nd travel product is the regular travel insurance where if your provincial healthcare ends, this will also terminate regardless if you are still travelling or not. In situations like this, you would ask your province for an extension of your provincial healthcare so your travel insurance does not terminate. The extension application should be done before your trip
It’s best to contact us at 1-800-667-0429 for your specific travel situation before you make any decisions.
Thank you! It’s good to know that there are options for health insurance even when provincial expires. I’ll call the number!
What about time out of province vs. time out of country? I live in Ontario. Lets say I travel to another country for 7mos. So for the other 5mos. in the year do I have to stay in Ontario, or can I travel to other provinces in the country and not lose my coverage in Ontario?
Thank you for your comment/question. Specifically for Ontario, the province requires “to be continuously eligible for OHIP, a person must make their primary place of residence in Ontario and must be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any given 12-month period.” That goes for travel to other provinces and travel outside of Canada combined. Please be sure to check with the provincial requirements before you plan on travelling in case these change.
If you leave the country for the time allowed. How many days must you spend back in country before you cam leave again?
Thank you for your question. There is no set number of days you have to be back in the country to “start over” your number of days to leave again. There is a rolling calendar year that you are not supposed to go over the total amount of days in any given year before you would lose your provincial healthcare. Each province has different restrictions so it may be best to speak to your province’s ministry for specific information on your situation.
You are wrong about the Philippines, you can stay up to three years with renewing visas must leave for one day and can start the same three year process.
Thank you for the information/comment. This article focuses on how long you can stay out of Canada and still keep your provincial healthcare, not how long you are able to stay in another country with Visa’s, etc. The article states the number of days you can stay out of the country without losing your healthcare and the days stated are correct and current. Thank you
Hello, what has always confused me is if, for example, I am in Mexico (legally) for 10 months and during this time away from Alberta, I still maintain my address in Alberta and pay all my income taxes which includes healthcare coverage then, why do I loose my Alberta healthcare after 7 months being out of Alberta?
I wish I had the answer to that, but that is a question you should pose to the your provincial government. As I am not affiliated with any governments and am not privy to those decisions, I am unable to give you an insightful response.
I want to live in the US for approx 2 years. How often and for how long do I have to return to Canada to keep my health benefits, CPP and O A S
Thank you for your question, the best plan of attack would be for you to contact your provincial government regarding your specific situation. We do not specialize in CPP or OAS.
Medical insurance is not an issue as we joined the medical system of the country, we pay year round. Our issue is paying our taxes. We were told by our financial advisor we can do it by email, and the accountant with our permission(in writing) handle the Canadian T4s. Is that true ?
Thank you for the question. As we are not financial advisors/planners nor are we accountants we do not have the expertise to answer this question. I am sorry.
Hi, i am Canadian citizen however what happens if canadian citizen stay out of Canada for more than 10 years? Thank you.
Thank you for your question. I can only comment on the Provincial Healthcare portion of what you can do after you return to Canada full time after being away for 10 years. What you would need to do once you return to Canada full time is to contact your provincial government to start a reinstatement for your Provincial Healthcare. You would have a few months before you are reinstated, so what we offer is a Returning Canadians plan to help with your unforeseen accidents and illnesses. Please call us at 1-800-667-0429 for more information about this plan. Thank you
180 are the days I can be in Mexico, how do I count the days I arrive and leave.
Thank you for the question. The days are on a constant revolving calendar. It doesn’t start and stop on a specific day on the calendar. So if you left on July 1, 2023 and spent 1 month in Mexico, then came home for a month, then left again for Mexico on September for 5 months straight (that technically would equal the 180 days). Come July 1, 2024, you would only have 1 month to travel until September. The 180 days does not start over come July 1st.
Hopefully that makes things a bit clearer.
If I return to Canada from the US within the 221 day maximum, how long do I have to stay in Canada to retain my health coverage before I return to the US
Thank you for your question. There is no set time frame you have to stay in Canada before you return. The way the province calculates the time away is a fluid calendar. Depending on what province you reside in will determine how long you are allowed out of the country. Maximum number of days is 212. You have to be in Canada at least 153 days on your fluid/moving calendar year. Please see my response to Shirley below for more specific details on how the fluid calendar works.
Stayed in Mexico because of covid. I couldn’t come back to Canada because of covid but I had a house in Alberta that I would come home to for 6 months of the year! I was in Alberta April 2023 and I did sell my home and returned to Mexico August and was not feeling well so went to the hospital and had emergency surgery for tumers. I’m wondering what kind of coverage I would have as I’m a Canadian citizen and this was so devastating! I’m 65 and I need help!
Than you
Thank you for your question and I am sorry to hear about what you went through. It may be easier to call us to discuss your situation as I am sure there are many variables that need to be discussed. One of the main questions is, did you have any travel insurance before and while you were in Mexico? IF it’s easier to call please do so at 1-800-667-0429
Hi what about cases of people just working remotely but working for Canadian company and paying taxes in BC as it was living here? Why this person would loose the benefit of MSP if they are paying provincial taxes regularly?
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately we are not in charge of the qualifications of people losing their MSP because they are out of the province for over their limit. That is something you would have to ask the BC government. I am sorry I cannot be more helpful with this.
How can I keep my heart care coverage along with a 6 month stay in the Philippines.I have read you are only ALLOWED only 30 days,WTF is the cents of going for 1 month and then return then go back paying another 2 thousand dollars to go there.what is the scents in going to the Philippines for 1 month when you got return back in 1 month. How I apply to stay for 6 months and return back without losing any thing as CPP or OAS and HEALTHCARE?
Thank you for your comment and question Gordon. People who take 6 month long vacations do have the opportunity to take 6 months of medication with them. They would need to ask their insurance company for something called a “vacation override” which would allow the pharmacy to provide up to 6 months worth of prescriptions. As for losing your CPP or OAS after leaving the country for 6 months, that is not my specialty. What I can tell you is that you can also apply for an extension of your provincial healthcare so you do not lose it if you go over your allotted number of days outside your province of residence. Hopefully this helps.