Who is eligible for RAMQ health insurance
Eligibility depends on your status with RAMQ. You are a person settled in Quebec if your main residence is in Quebec, you are present there 183 days or more per year, and you are authorized to remain in Canada: Canadian citizen, permanent resident, refugee or protected person, person authorized to apply for permanent residence from within Canada, or holder of a permit granted in exceptional circumstances.
You are a person temporarily staying in Quebec if you do not leave Quebec for more than 21 consecutive days and you hold one of these statuses:
- An eligible work permit valid for more than 6 months. RAMQ's registration path names employer-specific (closed) permits, post-graduation work permits, bridging permits and International Mobility Program Plus (IMP+) permits.
- A study or internship permit, if you come from a country that has a social security agreement with Quebec.
- A study or internship scholarship from Quebec's Ministère de l'Éducation.
- A Canadian citizen in Quebec to carry out a work contract of more than 6 months.
- A child under 18 in Quebec for more than 6 months.
- A spouse, or a dependant aged 18 to 25, with authorization to stay more than 6 months, who accompanies an eligible person.
Who is not eligible
RAMQ gives these examples. People who are not eligible can still get care, but they pay for it.
- Tourists, with or without Canadian citizenship.
- Students arriving from a country without a social security agreement.
- Holders of an authorization to stay of less than 6 months, with some exceptions.
- Holders of an open work permit, with some exceptions. If you get an open permit instead of an employer-specific one, contact RAMQ.
- Refugee claimants, who may be covered by the federal Interim Federal Health Program.
- People aged 18 to 25 who accompany a parent staying in Quebec and are not studying full time.
The waiting period: up to 3 months without coverage
If you arrive from another country, coverage usually starts after a waiting period of up to 3 months. It starts on the date you register, as long as you are in Quebec and have all the required documents. It applies even to Canadian citizens, but not to children under 18. You have 12 months from registration to send any missing document; otherwise the start of your eligibility is delayed.
RAMQ does not reimburse care received before your eligibility starts. Some necessary care is free during the waiting period: care related to domestic or family violence or sexual assault, to pregnancy, childbirth or termination of pregnancy, and to infectious diseases that affect public health.
Moving from another province or territory? You also wait up to 3 months, but your home province keeps covering you during that time under interprovincial agreements.
Exemptions: covered from the day you register
You can be covered from registration in these situations:
- You arrive from a country with a social security agreement with Quebec: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia or Sweden. RAMQ says this applies under certain conditions: you must provide the certificate of entitlement (attestation d'affiliation) from your home country's social security system, obtained from the competent authorities before you leave (for France, form SE 401-Q-207). Check the rules for your country, especially if a spouse or children come with you. Without the certificate, expect the usual waiting period.
- You are a refugee or protected person in Canada.
- You are a Canadian repatriated by the government.
- You receive last-resort financial assistance.
- You hold a scholarship from Quebec's Ministère de l'Éducation or Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur.
- You work in Quebec under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or the agricultural stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and come from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador.
How to register with RAMQ
In most cases you register online on RAMQ's website, where a few questions lead you to the right form. Each family member fills in their own form with their own documents, even within a couple; a parent registers children with the Child form.
- Check your status (settled or temporarily staying) and whether a waiting period exemption applies to you.
- Prepare your documents as PDF or JPG files. Documents not in French or English must be translated at your own expense.
- Fill in the online form once you are in Quebec: the waiting period runs from the date of a complete registration.
- Wait for the answer. The posted processing time is 60 business days for a complete application; you may not get an acknowledgment, and RAMQ contacts you if something is missing, which adds to the wait. Send every document from the start.
- You must register by phone if you are on maintained status (permit expired after you applied to renew it before it ended) or hold an open work permit for vulnerable workers: 418 781-2520 (Quebec City area), 514 687-4571 (Montreal area), 1 833 203-5524 (elsewhere in Quebec).
Documents RAMQ asks for
The exact list depends on your answers in the form. These are the examples RAMQ gives.
| Situation | Example documents |
|---|---|
| Permanent resident or citizen settling in Quebec | Permanent resident card or confirmation of permanent residence (COPR); proof of Canadian citizenship; Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) |
| Temporary worker | Work permit valid more than 6 months (closed, post-graduation, bridging or IMP+) |
| Canadian citizen with a work contract | Proof of citizenship and a contract or employer letter showing the employment dates |
| Agreement country | Certificate of entitlement from your home country's social security system |
The photo appointment and your card
The card shows your photo and signature if you are 14 to 74. If your card has no photo yet, your identity must be checked in person: by appointment at a SAAQ service point, where the photo is taken on site, or at a health network service point such as a CLSC, where you bring the photo. Bring 2 original pieces of ID, one with a photo, such as your passport and your immigration document. Photo fees are not refundable, and photos sent by mail are refused and destroyed.
A photo you supply must be 7 cm by 5 cm, in colour on a plain white or light background, professionally printed, less than 6 months old and dated on the back. Neutral expression, mouth closed, head uncovered except for medical or religious reasons.
A newcomer's first card can be valid for up to 75 months (cards are usually valid 8 years, with exceptions for people staying temporarily). A card is valid until the last day of its expiry month.
Renewal and common mistakes
Settled residents usually get a renewal notice by mail 3 months before the card expires. International students and temporary workers cannot renew: they register again when their permit expires, when they get a new one, or when their status changes, for example on becoming a permanent resident.
- Waiting to register: the waiting period only starts with a complete registration.
- Forgetting that care without a valid card is paid out of pocket: if you forget your card or it has expired, you pay and can ask for reimbursement up to one year after the care.
- Letting the card lapse more than 6 months: renewal then costs $25 on top of the photo.
- Mixing up health insurance and drug insurance: prescription drug insurance is mandatory for permanent Quebec residents, through your employer group plan if you are eligible, otherwise through the public plan.
- Staying away too long: a settled resident loses eligibility for the year if absent from Quebec 183 days or more in a calendar year.