Visitors to Canada Insurance: Complete Guide for 2026

Visitors to Canada insurance — sometimes called visitor insurance or visitor health insurance — is a private medical policy that covers emergency healthcare costs for people who are in Canada but are not covered by a provincial health plan. Canada's universal healthcare system applies only to permanent residents and Canadian citizens who have met their province's residency waiting period. Everyone else who enters the country — even for a short visit — is responsible for their own medical costs if something goes wrong.

The group of people who need this coverage is broader than most families realise. It includes:

A standard visitors to Canada insurance policy is designed for emergencies, not routine care. The core coverage includes emergency hospitalisation and surgery, physician and specialist visits related to an emergency, ambulance services, diagnostic tests ordered as part of emergency treatment, prescription drugs administered during the covered emergency, and medical evacuation or repatriation to the visitor's home country if medically necessary.

Many policies also include accidental death and dismemberment benefits, emergency dental treatment caused by an accident, and a 24-hour multilingual assistance line that can coordinate care, arrange direct hospital billing, and handle the paperwork so the patient or their family doesn't have to manage those logistics while in crisis.

What the policy does not cover is equally important to understand. Pre-existing conditions are the most significant exclusion. Most visitor policies define a lookback period — typically 90 to 180 days before the effective date — and any condition that was treated, had symptoms, or required a medication change within that window may not be covered for related claims. Some insurers offer a more generous stability clause, or a plan tier that covers stable pre-existing conditions, but these come at a higher premium.

Other standard exclusions include:

A single visit to a Canadian emergency room — before any treatment, surgery, or specialist referral — can easily run $3,000 to $5,000. A hospitalisation lasting several days, which is common for serious cardiac events, trauma, or stroke, regularly reaches $30,000 to $80,000 when you include surgery, anaesthesia, and intensive care. An air ambulance repatriation from Canada to another country starts at roughly $25,000 and can exceed $100,000 for intercontinental transport.

The minimum coverage recommended by most Canadian insurance professionals is $100,000. This is also the minimum required by IRCC for Super Visa applications (discussed below). However, $100,000 is adequate only for relatively short visits by younger, healthier travellers. For visitors who are 60 or older, plan to stay more than a few weeks, or have any chronic health conditions, $500,000 to $1,000,000 in coverage is a more appropriate benchmark.

Higher coverage limits do not cost proportionally more. The premium difference between a $100,000 limit and a $1,000,000 limit is often 15 to 25 percent — a modest additional cost given the gap in protection it provides. If you are comparing plans purely on price, consider the coverage limit carefully before assuming a lower-premium plan is better value.

Several factors move the premium significantly. Understanding them helps visitors and the families sponsoring them set realistic expectations before requesting quotes.

Age is the dominant factor. A healthy visitor under 40 can often find coverage for $2 to $8 per day for $100,000 in emergency medical coverage. A visitor aged 60 to 69 in good health may pay $10 to $20 per day for the same limit. Visitors over 70 typically pay $25 to $40 per day or more, depending on health history and policy tier.

Trip duration also affects the daily rate — policies for shorter trips (under 30 days) generally cost slightly more per day than longer-term policies, because the insurer has less premium to spread the risk across. Most insurers offer policies from 15 days up to 365 days, with multi-trip options for frequent visitors.

Pre-existing conditions are the third major variable. A visitor with a well-controlled chronic condition choosing a plan that covers stable pre-existing conditions will pay a noticeably higher premium than one with no health history. Visitors who choose to exclude their pre-existing conditions pay less but carry the risk of a denied claim if a condition flares during the visit.

The deductible the visitor selects also moves the premium. Plans with higher deductibles ($250, $500, or $1,000) cost less upfront. A $500 deductible can reduce the premium by 10 to 30 percent depending on the insurer. For visitors who are healthy and primarily want catastrophic protection, a higher deductible is a reasonable trade-off.

Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can apply for a Super Visa, which allows stays of up to five years at a time without renewing status. As a condition of the Super Visa application, IRCC requires proof of private medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that meets all of the following criteria:

Because Super Visa policies must be issued by Canadian insurers and must cover at least one year, they are a distinct product from standard short-stay visitor insurance. Premiums reflect the longer term: a healthy 65-year-old parent might pay $1,200 to $2,500 for a one-year Super Visa policy, depending on the insurer, coverage limit chosen, and whether pre-existing conditions are included.

If the parent or grandparent departs Canada early, some Canadian insurers will refund a portion of the unused premium — this varies by policy, and it is worth asking specifically about refund terms when comparing plans.

For a full breakdown of Super Visa requirements and the best plans available, see our dedicated Super Visa insurance guide at /super-visa-insurance/.

Several established Canadian insurers offer visitor health insurance. The following is a factual overview of the major providers as of 2026. Premiums and policy terms vary — these descriptions are a starting point for comparison, not an endorsement of any specific carrier. Comparing quotes across multiple providers is the only way to find the plan that fits a specific visitor's profile.

Manulife CoverMe is one of Canada's most widely used visitor insurance providers. Their Visitors to Canada Emergency Medical Insurance plan offers coverage up to $1 million, with optional coverage for stable pre-existing conditions and a 24/7 Assistance Centre. Plans are available from 15 days to 365 days and are accepted for Super Visa applications.

Sun Life offers visitor insurance through their Expatriate Benefits products, with coverage for emergency medical, repatriation, and optional supplementary benefits. Sun Life's financial strength and claim-handling infrastructure make them a common choice for longer-stay visitors.

Blue Cross (offered through various provincial plans, including Medavie Blue Cross and Alberta Blue Cross) provides visitor health insurance with high coverage limits and flexible deductible options. Blue Cross plans are widely recognised by Canadian hospitals, which can simplify direct billing arrangements.

TuGo is a travel insurance specialist with plans designed specifically for visitors to Canada, including Super Visa-compliant annual policies. TuGo is known for competitive pricing on longer-term policies and clear stability clause language.

Allianz Global Assistance offers visitor insurance through its Canadian platform, with plans covering new immigrants, Super Visa applicants, and short-stay visitors. Their policies include a multilingual assistance line and direct hospital billing in most provinces.

Lowest Rates Hub is a comparison marketplace that connects visitors, sponsoring families, and newcomers with licensed partner brokers in our network who can source quotes from multiple Canadian carriers. We do not hold an insurance licence and do not bind coverage directly — partner brokers in our network do that on your behalf.

To compare plans, use our online quote tool or call 647-362-5511. We'll connect you with a licensed broker who can walk through your specific situation: the visitor's age and health history, the intended length of stay, any Super Visa requirements, and the deductible and coverage level that makes sense for the trip. Having multiple quotes side by side is the fastest way to identify the best value — price differences of 25 to 40 percent for equivalent coverage are not uncommon between carriers.

Once you have a quote you're comfortable with, the licensed broker in our network can bind the policy and provide proof of insurance documents suitable for a Super Visa application, port of entry presentation, or employer verification. Most policies can be issued within 24 hours of application.