BetterArriving in Quebec often means discovering you are not yet covered by health insurance. That wait has a name, precise limits, and three exceptions that can change a life.
This article does not tell you what your status is, only the RAMQ determines that. It sets out what the rules are.
Arriving from another country, coverage begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months. That period does not apply to children under 18. And during it, some care remains free: domestic or family violence and sexual assault; pregnancy, childbirth and termination of pregnancy; infectious diseases with an impact on public health.
Read this firstWhat stays free during the waiting period
We start here, because this is what pushes people not to seek care when they should.
The RAMQ states that free care applies only to the care and services required:
- by victims of domestic or family violence or of sexual assault;
- for pregnancy, childbirth or termination of pregnancy;
- by people with infectious diseases having an impact on public health.
Outside those three cases, care received during the waiting period is at the person's own expense.
Careful, this is the point that costs the most if you miss it: this free care is not automatic. You must present a letter from the RAMQ, which you receive after registering. Without it you pay yourself, the RAMQ says so in black and white, even in an emergency.
So: register with the RAMQ as soon as you arrive, even while in the waiting period. Keep the letter on you. And keep every invoice: if you present the letter later, the professional reimburses you.
This free care is an administrative measure of the RAMQ, not a provision of the law, which means it can change without any change to legislation.
If you are in one of those three situations, the waiting period is not a reason to avoid seeking care. And if there is immediate danger, our emergency help page gathers what you can reach right now.
The ruleThe waiting period, precisely
When someone arriving from another country registers for health insurance, their coverage usually begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months. This is what is called the "délai de carence".
- It starts on the date of registration, if the person is in Quebec and has all the required documents in hand.
- It applies even to someone who holds Canadian citizenship.
- It does not apply to children under 18.
Read up to 3 months, not 3 months. Eligibility starts on the first day of the third month following registration: registering on 15 January gives eligibility on 1 April, so roughly two and a half months. It is a ceiling, not a fixed length.
Some people are covered immediately, and this is rarely said.
Social security agreements, eleven countries, a closed list: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden. They remove the waiting period. But it is not automatic from nationality alone: you must fall into a covered category, settling in Quebec, or staying for work, study or an internship (tourists are excluded), and have obtained, before leaving, a certificate of affiliation in your home country. Ask for that certificate before you go.
Exemptions in the regulationeligible on the date of registration, with no waiting period: a person granted refugee status in Canada; a returning Canadian; a holder of a study or internship scholarship under an official programme; a seasonal agricultural worker (Caribbean, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala); a protected person in Canada holding a CSQ. Elsewhere in the same regulation: a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, a person released from a penitentiary, an incarcerated person, and a child born in Quebec.
Asylum seekers are not eligible for the RAMQ until they hold protected-person status with a CSQ. That does not mean no coverage at all: the Interim Federal Health Program covers asylum seekers, protected persons, resettled refugees, victims of trafficking, and victims of family violence holding a temporary residence permit. One condition matters in practice: the provider must be registered with the programme. Check the current co-payments on canada.ca before relying on a figure, that page carries no date.
You have 12 months from the registration date to submit any missing document. Otherwise, the start of your eligibility will be delayed.
So the clock does not run while the file drags: it is the completed file that sets the date. Registering quickly, with everything, is what shortens the wait.
Another point better known in advance than after the fact: the RAMQ does not reimburse care received in the period before eligibility begins. It strongly recommends taking out private insurance on arrival in Quebec.
The order of magnitude, given by the RAMQ itself: a day in hospital can cost more than $3,000, on top of doctors' fees. That is what private insurance covers during those three months.
A different caseIf you are arriving from another province
The rule is not the same, and that is good news.
During the waiting period of up to 3 months, you keep the health coverage of your province or territory of origin. Covered care is paid for by them, under interprovincial agreements. So there is no gap in coverage.
One special case: a person with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence who comes to Quebec for temporary work of 12 months or less keeps their home province's coverage and does not have to register here. Beyond 12 months, they are considered to be settling in Quebec and must register.
EligibilityWho can register
The RAMQ places people in two statuses. It is the RAMQ that determines yours; what follows describes only the categories.
Someone who meets neither set of conditions cannot registerthat is the case for a stay of 6 months or less. They can receive care, but they must pay for it.
A separate programAsylum claims and refugee status
The Government of Canada runs a program separate from the RAMQ: the Interim Federal Health Program.
It "provides limited and temporary health-care coverage until you are eligible for provincial or territorial insurance". Coverage depends on which eligible group the person belongs to, that is verified on the program's own site (in French), not anywhere else.
Take actionWhat to do right away
Frequently askedYour questions
What is the RAMQ waiting period?
When someone arriving from another country registers for health insurance, their coverage usually begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months. It starts on the date of registration, if the person is in Quebec and has all the required documents in hand. It applies even to someone who holds Canadian citizenship.
Do my children have to wait too?
No. The RAMQ is explicit: the waiting period does not apply to children under 18. It is one of the most useful things to know on arrival, and it is often overlooked.
Is any care free during the waiting period?
Yes, for three specific categories. Free care applies only to the care and services required: by victims of domestic or family violence or of sexual assault; for pregnancy, childbirth or termination of pregnancy; and by people with infectious diseases having an impact on public health. Outside those three cases, care received during the waiting period is at the person's own expense.
What if I am arriving from another Canadian province?
The rule is not the same. During the waiting period of up to 3 months, you keep the health coverage of your province or territory of origin, and covered care is paid for by them under interprovincial agreements. So there is no gap in coverage, unlike an arrival from abroad.
Does the RAMQ reimburse care paid for during the waiting period?
No. The RAMQ does not reimburse health care and services received in the period before eligibility begins. That is why it strongly recommends taking out private insurance on arrival in Quebec.
I am an asylum claimant or a refugee. Do I have coverage?
The Government of Canada runs the Interim Federal Health Program, which provides limited and temporary health-care coverage until the person is eligible for provincial or territorial insurance. It is a program separate from the RAMQ, with its own rules and its own eligible groups.
What happens if a document is missing?
You have 12 months from your registration date to submit any missing document. Otherwise, the start of your eligibility will be delayed. In other words: a missing document does not just hold up the file, it can push back the date from which you are covered.
Read nextRelated articles
Sources
- Health insurance eligibility conditions, RAMQ (in French)
- Interim Federal Health Program: coverage offered, Government of Canada (in French)
About this article. General and educational information, accurate as of the date shown. This is neither legal advice, nor immigration advice, nor an assessment of your eligibility: only the RAMQ determines your status and your eligibility date, and only the federal program rules on its own coverage. A detail of a permit or a status can completely change the answer, have your situation checked rather than inferring it from an article.
Spotted an error or an out-of-date figure? Write to us: we will correct it and re-date the article. Our texts are written with the help of artificial intelligence and checked against official sources before publication, but an amount or a rule can change without us catching it. If anything here does not match what an official body tells you, they are right.