| 1.Do I really need Travel Insurance? | If you plan to study in New Zealand the Government requires you to have travel and medical insurance for the duration of your study visa. In general the health care costs in New Zealand and Australia are continuing to rise. Some examples of New Zealand costs are:
If you require urgent surgery, it could cost you from NZ$5,000 onwards. |
| 2.How do I apply for QBE Insurance? | If you are an international student, you may already have insurance in place through your school. Contact your course co-ordinator to find out if you are insured with Uni-Care.
To apply for Uni-Care Insurance simply click on the get cover option. |
| 3.I am a Student, what date should my policy start and expire? | NZ Immigration requires Students to be insured for the duration of their visa. This means that your policy should be in place from the day you leave home until the day you arrive home for the final time after your studies are completed. Your policy can be taken out for 1 year and then renewed as required. It is important that your cover remains in place for the duration of your visa period with no gaps in cover when you go home for the holidays.
Please Note: Applications for insurance to start after the travel represent an increased risk to an insurer so these must be considered individually. Please contact usif you have been in NZ without insurance, or if they have a gap between policies. |
| 4.How do I renew my policy? | If your policy has been arranged by your Education Provider or an Agent we will advise them a month before your policy is due to expire and they will arrange renewal with you to ensure that your policy still meets your requirements and that uninterrupted cover is maintained.
If you have arranged your insurance direct with us online we will only advise you that your policy is due to renew if your policy was for a period of 6 months or longer. You will then need to apply for another policy online. If your policy was for a period of less than 6 months it is your responsibility to make sure you apply for another policy before your current one expires. |
| 5.Are pre-existing medical conditions covered? | Travel Insurance is designed to cover unexpected events. Pre-existing medical conditions are not automatically covered. A pre-existing condition is any medical or physical condition or circumstance which you are aware of, or ought reasonably to have been aware of, before the start date of your policy.
If you have a pre-existing medical or physical condition you need to tell us about it in your application and complete a medical assessment. Requests for cover may be made via an online medical declaration found at www.uni-care.org/home/medical-declaration.aspx. Once the outcome of your medical assessment is known you can decide whether or not to proceed with purchasing the policy. Note: If you are a NZ Citizen or Resident travelling under the Uni-Care Outbound policy there is a charge for medical assessment of pre-existing conditions. If the medical assessment team declines to cover a pre-existing condition it is not possible to pay extra premium to have the condition covered. |
| 6.How do I pay for my policy? | We accept payment via a secure Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard) payment site. |
| 7.Is my immigration medical and/or x-ray covered by my insurance? | No, your insurance covers unexpected events. Immigration medical and x-ray costs are not an unexpected event. |
| 8.Is pregnancy covered? | If you are pregnant when you apply for your policy there is no cover provided. If you became pregnant after your insurance policy was issued then you are covered for unexpected medical complications or emergencies that occur up to and including the 20th week of pregnancy.
Please note that there is no cover for doctor’s or midwives visits to monitor your pregnancy and there is no cover for delivery or hospital costs associated with delivery. Note: If you are a NZ Citizen or Resident travelling under the Uni-Care Outbound policy unexpected medical complications or emergencies are covered provided you had a medical clearance to travel, as required by your airline or travel provider. |
| 9.Are outdoor and extreme activities covered? | Some types of outdoor and extreme activities are covered by the Uni-Care policy. If you are going to take part in these types of activities please talk to your education provider, agent or us and we can tell you if the activities you are planning are covered.
Note: In NZ ACC pays towards your medical costs for accidental injury. Your Uni-Care policy will pay the amount not covered by ACC provided it is an insured activity. |
| 10.Are my household contents and carpets covered? | The Luggage section of the policy covers you for accidental loss of or damage to your accompanied luggage, personal effects, laptop computers and/or portable electronic property. It does not cover household contents or carpets of any kind. If you have general household contents that you need cover for you need to take out a domestic contents insurance policy. |
| 11.I am already in NZ; can I apply for cover now? | Yes you can apply for cover but we may need some additional information from you. Also, travellers who have already commenced their trip and are currently uninsured pose an increased risk for insurers. For this reason if we are able to provide cover your policy would be subject to special terms and conditions for the first 3 months of cover.
This also applies to people who have been covered by credit card insurance for the start of their journey but then need to purchase additional cover as their credit card insurance has expired. |
| 12.I will be in NZ for 12 months and will be spending 3 months studying. Can I have NZ Student cover while I am studying? | If your period of study is during the 12 month trip to NZ we will note your NZ Visitor policy that you are entitled to NZ Student cover for the period of your study. It is your responsibility to contact us and advise us that you are going to be studying so that we can note your policy accordingly. |
| 13. I have a NZ Student policy but have finished studying. I’m staying in NZ to work, what do I do? | You are able to upgrade your policy to the NZ Visitor policy. This can be done online by selecting the Upgrade option. |
| 14.What do I do if I have an emergency or claim? | In the event of an emergency, Uni-Care is ready to assist you 24 hours a day. Please call our toll free number 0800 864 227 in New Zealand, 1800 864 227 in Australia, or our Claims Team on +64 4 802 0173. Our Claims Team can help you with the following:
|
| 15.I am going to see a doctor now, am I covered? | While our Uni-Care Policy covers the majority of medical conditions, there are some medical conditions Uni-Care may not be able to provide cover for. If you are not sure if you will be covered, please contact our Claims Team for assistance. |
| 16.Is there a specific medical centre or a doctor I must see? | You can go to the nearest medical centre to see a General Practitioner (GP). However, if you need to see a specialist, you must see a GP first to obtain a medical referral to a specialist. |
| 17.Do I have to call you before I go to a doctor or a hospital? | You do not need to call us if you are admitted to the hospital in an emergency. However if your hospital stay is longer than 24 hours you will need to contact us. Please ask the hospital if you need assistance to contact us. |
| 18.How do I make a medical claim? | Just complete and sign a Uni-Care Claim Form and send it to us with the original invoice. It is important that you advise us WHY you needed to see a doctor. |
| 19.When do I need to advise you about a pre-planned surgery? | As soon as you are advised the likelihood of a pre-planned surgery you will need to contact us to arrange a Pre-Approval application. Please note that completing a Pre-Approval application does not mean your surgery is covered. We will advise whether or not your surgery is Pre-Approved. |
| 20.When should I send in the claim form? | Please send your completed claim form with all your original invoices or receipts as soon as possible. |
| 21.I have been burgled. What do I do? | You will need to notify the police immediately after you discover the loss. When reporting the loss to the police, you will need to describe as much detail as you can regarding the event or the offender. After you have notified the police and lodged a complaint with them, you need to notify us of your loss either by phone or by email and then complete a claim form and return it to us with the original invoices and accessories for the stolen items. If the invoices are from overseas, you can submit a copy first and send in the originals when you receive them. |
| 22.My electronic item is damaged. What do I do? | To make a claim for damaged personal effects, you will need to complete a claim form and supply a repair report. If the item is repairable, please send in the repair report and quote with your claim form. If the item is not repairable you need to send the item to us along with your claim form and the repair report. |
| 23.I have accidentally damaged my home stay’s property. What do I do? | Advise your home stay that you have an insurance policy which covers your personal liability and ask your home stay to make a claim with their own insurer. You must notify us of this accident and complete a claim form with the details of the loss. |
| 24.How is my claim settled? | Payments are made into your nominated New Zealand bank account. If you do not have a bank account in New Zealand or if you are travelling in Australia, we are able to arrange the funds transfer to a foreign bank account. We are not able to pay your claim to a credit card. |
HomepageOSHC FAQs QBE
