Who is eligible for AHCIP
Alberta covers residents who are legally entitled to be in and remain in Canada and who make their permanent home in Alberta. Residents must be committed to being physically present in Alberta for at least 183 days in any 12-month period, and must not claim residency or benefits in another province, territory or country.
Some temporary residents also qualify. Alberta asks three things of them: you have established residency in Alberta (for example by renting or buying a home), you intend to live in Alberta for at least 12 consecutive months, and you hold an acceptable Canada entry document with at least 6 months left before it expires.
Alberta lists these groups as not eligible: tourists, transients and visitors; refugee claimants and refused refugee claimants; people with expired immigration documents; members of the Canadian Armed Forces; and federal penitentiary inmates (the last two are covered federally).
Work permit and study permit holders
Not every permit qualifies, and Alberta reviews documents case by case. The rules below come from the official temporary resident and student pages.
- Work permit: it must be for an Alberta employer with Alberta as the location, or be an open work permit, and it cannot expire in less than 6 months.
- Study permit (12 months or more): valid for an Alberta educational institution, and you will live in Alberta for 12 months or more.
- Study permit of more than 6 but less than 12 months: bring a letter from your school confirming enrolment, plus confirmation that you intend to live in Alberta for at least 12 months.
- Study permit from another province: it needs 6 or more months left, you have transferred to an Alberta school, and you bring a registrar letter confirming full-time attendance.
- Visitor record: accepted only in limited cases, such as clergy, or the spouse, interdependent partner or dependant of an eligible resident.
- Convention refugee: bring the refugee designation and the Notice of Decision letter.
When your coverage starts and the 3-month rule
If you arrive from outside Canada, you may be eligible from the date you established residency in Alberta, as long as you apply within 3 months and bring every required document. For temporary residents, coverage begins on the later of two dates: the day you established residency, or the day your entry document was signed.
If you apply late, the effective date is set when you register or when your application is processed, so waiting can leave you with a gap you pay for yourself.
If you move from another province or territory, coverage starts on the first day of the third month after you establish residency. Alberta's own example: residency on July 12 means coverage on October 1. Keep using your previous province's card until then.
For temporary residents, coverage ends on the expiry date of the document you submitted. That date also appears on your card.
Documents to bring to the registry agent
You need three kinds of proof, all originals. If they are missing, Alberta says your application cannot be processed, and you may be asked for more.
- If you have no entry document or stamp, a Travel History Report from the Canada Border Services Agency may be accepted instead.
- Your residency proof should show the Alberta address you put on the form, and you need a current mailing address because the card comes by mail.
| Proof of | Examples Alberta accepts |
|---|---|
| Legal entitlement to be in Canada | Canada entry document such as a work or study permit; permanent resident card (both sides) or confirmation of permanent residence; Canadian passport, birth certificate or citizenship certificate |
| Identity | Passport; permanent resident card (both sides); government-issued driver licence or registries ID card; Canadian citizenship card |
| Alberta residency | Rental or mortgage agreement; utility or phone bill; home insurance; vehicle registration; Alberta driver licence |
How to register, step by step
Alberta does not take applications by email and asks you not to send personal information that way. The registration itself happens at a registry agent.
- Check that you meet the eligibility rules for your situation (permanent resident, worker, student or family member).
- Complete and save form AHC0102, Application form for AHCIP Coverage, from alberta.ca. Forms are also available at registry offices.
- Gather original proof of legal entitlement, identity and Alberta residency.
- Bring the form and your originals to an Alberta registry agent. There is no charge for this service.
- Wait for processing, which can take up to 5 days. The AHCIP office mails your card on the date your application is processed, or 10 days before your effective date, depending on when you applied.
Spouses, children and family members
A child can qualify even if the parent does not, if the child is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or holds an acceptable study permit. The parent must intend to live in Alberta for 12 months and prove Alberta residency. Apply at a registry agent with form AHC11455, Application form for AHCIP Coverage: Canadian Children of Non-Eligible Parents. Children under 17 who are students must be registered by a parent, guardian or custodian with that same form.
If you move from another province and your spouse or dependants arrive later, they can keep their previous province's coverage for up to 12 months. Their Alberta coverage then starts on the first day of the third month after they arrive, or the first day of your 13th month, whichever comes first.
What AHCIP covers and what it does not
AHCIP pays for medically necessary physician services, medically required diagnostic tests, psychiatrist visits, and hospital services such as nursing care, a standard room, meals, medications given in hospital and operating room use.
Many things are not covered, so budget for them or check your employer or school plan:
- Prescription drugs outside a hospital (Alberta runs separate drug coverage programs).
- Ambulance trips, except transfers between facilities inside Alberta.
- Routine dental care such as cleanings, fillings and dentures.
- Eyeglasses, contact lenses and laser eye surgery; routine eye exams for ages 19 to 64.
- Chiropractors and other non-physician providers, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatment, travel vaccines and medical forms.
- Podiatry is partly covered, up to $250 per benefit year (July 1 to June 30).
Before your card arrives, and keeping it valid
Alberta recommends private health insurance before you arrive and while you wait to become eligible. You cannot be refused emergency care, but you may be billed for it. If you were eligible on the date of a service you paid for, bring your new card and the receipt to the provider and ask them to submit the claim as payment to patient.
When you see a doctor, show your health card with photo ID. If your work or study permit is renewed, bring the new document to a registry agent, because your card expires with your old permit. A document marked restored or maintained may reinstate coverage back to the cancellation date.
Waiting for a decision from IRCC on a new permit? If you recently enrolled, live in Alberta and have no denial, you can contact AHCIP with your IRCC application date and number to ask for an extension of up to 90 days. A second extension of up to 90 days is possible only if you are still working and have no denial letter. There is no extension beyond the second one, and applying for permanent residence does not, on its own, extend coverage.