The Medicare levy on a temporary visa
Do I pay the Medicare levy on a Belgium passport?
Yes — almost certainly. Belgium has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia, which entitles you to Medicare. The exemption is for people who are not entitled, so the agreement that covers you at a hospital is the same one that makes you liable for the levy.
Why entitlement is the test, not your visa
The Medicare levy exemption is category 3: not entitled to Medicare benefits. It turns on entitlement, not on what visa you hold. Two people on the same 482 visa earning the same salary get different answers if one holds a reciprocal-agreement passport and the other does not.
What the agreement gives a Belgium passport holder
Full access. You can enrol in Medicare and hold a card, which means you are entitled — and the exemption does not apply. The 2% levy is payable in the normal way, and a Medicare Entitlement Statement application would be refused.
What would change the answer
The agreement list is set by Australia and it does change. This page is generated from a record read at the source, so if a country joins or leaves, the page moves with it rather than going quietly stale. The date it was last read is at the foot of this page.
The other condition applies regardless: every dependant must also be outside Medicare for any exemption to hold.
What this rests on
Every figure above comes from one of these records. This list is generated from them, so it cannot fall out of step with the calculator.
- Services Australia — RHCA
- au.rhca.members · effective 1 Jul 2026 · read 31 Aug 2026
- ATO — Medicare levy exemption, not entitled to Medicare benefits
- au.mes.exemption · effective 1 Jul 2019 · read 23 Aug 2026