Quick answer
You need private insurance for the gap if you land in British Columbia, Quebec or Saskatchewan, where provincial coverage starts up to about three months after you arrive, or if your work permit does not qualify you for the provincial plan at all. Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia usually cover eligible newcomers from the day they become residents, so most people there only need a few days of travel cover until their application is processed.
For a healthy adult aged 35 to 54, published "Visitors to Canada" rates for $100,000 of emergency cover work out to roughly $320 to $440 for 90 days, depending on the plan. Buy it before you arrive: most plans restrict cover for illnesses that start in the first days if you buy after landing.
Moving between provinces is different: your old province keeps covering you during the new province's wait, so you normally do not need gap insurance.
Who has a gap, province by province
Waiting periods for people arriving from outside Canada (permanent residents and returning residents), checked against each provincial health ministry. Details and sources for every province are on our health coverage by province page.
| Province | Wait for newcomers from abroad | Gap insurance needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | None ("There is no longer a waiting period for OHIP coverage") | Only until your OHIP application is processed |
| British Columbia | Rest of your arrival month plus two full months | Yes: land August 15 and MSP starts November 1, about 11 weeks |
| Quebec | Up to 3 months (none for children under 18 and some other groups) | Yes; RAMQ suggests buying private cover within five days of arrival |
| Saskatchewan | Up to the first day of the third month after arrival | Usually |
| Alberta | Usually none, from your residency date, if you apply within 3 months | Short-term only |
| Manitoba | None in the regulation for arrivals from abroad | Short-term only |
| Nova Scotia | Usually none, from the date you become a resident | Short-term only |
| New Brunswick | May start on your arrival date (assessed case by case) | Until New Brunswick confirms your start date |
| Prince Edward Island | Start date set by Health PEI; you must live on PEI 6 months and 1 day a year | Until Health PEI confirms your start date |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No fixed wait published | Until MCP confirms your start date |
Is my spouse covered because I have a health card?
No. Each person qualifies alone, and each person applies. Ontario's list is citizenship, permanent residence, a permanent-residence file that IRCC has already reviewed, or your own full-time work permit of at least six months. A spouse or dependant of that work-permit holder may also qualify, and they still apply in person (Ontario). British Columbia covers a spouse who is a resident in their own right, or, in some cases, a spouse who has applied for permanent residence and paid the fees (B.C.). It will not confirm that by phone. Alberta and Nova Scotia both exclude a tourist or visitor, and Nova Scotia says every family member must be legally entitled to remain in Canada. The wait, if the province still has one, runs from that person's own start date.
Work permit holders: who qualifies for the provincial plan
A work permit does not automatically get you a health card. If you do not qualify, you need private insurance for your whole stay, not just the first months.
| Province | Rule for work permit holders |
|---|---|
| Ontario | Valid work permit and working full-time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months. Spouse and dependants may also qualify. No waiting period. |
| British Columbia | Permit valid for 6 months or more. The normal wait (rest of month plus two months) applies. |
| Alberta | Permit names an Alberta employer with Alberta as the work location, or is an open permit; it cannot expire in less than 6 months; you must intend to live in Alberta for 12 months or longer. Coverage ends when the permit expires. |
| Quebec | Eligible work permit valid for more than 6 months; most open work permits do not qualify. Waiting period up to 3 months. |
| Manitoba | Work permit of 12 consecutive months or more, and you make your home in Manitoba. Spouse and children under 18 can qualify for the permit's validity. |
| Nova Scotia | Work permit for 12 or more months. |
| Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador | Rules depend on permit length (published guides cite 6 or 12 months and do not agree). We could not confirm them on the official pages as of November 5, 2026, so check with the province before you rely on public coverage. |
International students follow different rules; see student health insurance by province.
What newcomer and visitor insurance covers
- Covered: emergency hospital care, emergency doctor visits, ambulance, emergency prescriptions and, on most plans, repatriation.
- Not covered: routine check-ups, ongoing care for a condition you already had (unless the plan covers stable pre-existing conditions), pregnancy and childbirth on most plans, and anything after your provincial coverage starts.
- Pre-existing conditions: cheaper "basic" plans exclude them. Plans that include them usually require the condition to have been stable, with no change in treatment, for a set period before the policy starts (180 days on the GMS and Manulife plans below).
- Buying after you land: many plans exclude sickness that starts in the first few days if you buy after arrival. Buy before you travel and set the end date to the day your provincial card takes effect; check whether the insurer refunds unused days if your card starts earlier.
Will my health card, or gap insurance, pay the prescription I already take?
No. The card pays the doctor and the hospital. British Columbia says MSP does not pay prescription drugs, and Fair PharmaCare will not pay for a stretch when MSP was not active. If you do not return the consent form that lets PharmaCare check your income with the CRA, the default deductible is $10,000. Ontario's drug programs are separate from the health card. OHIP+ is only for people 24 and under who have OHIP and no private drug plan. In Quebec, once you are permanently settled you must have drug insurance, private if you can get it, otherwise RAMQ's public plan, and that plan follows health-insurance eligibility. A visitor policy's emergency prescription is not a refill of a drug you already take. Ask the province which drug plan, if any, starts before the health card does.
What it costs
Published daily rates for one person, $100,000 of emergency cover and no deductible, and what a 90-day gap costs at those rates. Rates as listed on November 5, 2026 by the broker visitorsinsurance.ca for GMS Visitors to Canada (rates effective April 15, 2025) and Manulife Visitors to Canada.
| Age | GMS per day | GMS, 90 days | Manulife Basic, 90 days (no pre-existing) | Manulife Enhanced, 90 days (stable pre-existing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–34 (Manulife: 26–34) | $3.55 | $320 | $246 | $353 |
| 35–54 (Manulife: 40–54) | $4.37 | $393 | $320 | $440 |
| 55–59 | $4.39 | $395 | $342 | $466 |
| 60–64 | $4.93 | $444 | $368 | $512 |
| 65–69 | $6.59 | $593 | $446 | $763 |
A $500 or $1,000 deductible lowers the price; a family plan is usually cheaper than separate policies. Treat these as a starting point and get a quote for your own ages and dates.
Moving between provinces
If you already have a Canadian health card, your old province keeps paying for medically necessary care until the new one takes over, usually on the first day of the third month. Register in the new province as soon as you arrive and keep your old card until then. Quebec is the exception for doctor visits: it has no reciprocal billing for physician services, so if you move into Quebec you usually pay Quebec doctors and claim from your old province, and if you move out of Quebec you may pay up front and RAMQ repays only at Quebec rates. A short travel policy can be worth it for those moves. See the moving between provinces checklist.