Insurance

All international students must have medical and travel insurance while studying in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Government’s Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2021 requires all international students to have appropriate health and travel insurance during their period of study.

Our recommended insurance

Studentsafe Inbound University is our recommended insurance. This comprehensive insurance policy is designed and supported by all New Zealand universities and is provided by Allianz.

If you’re bringing your family with you to New Zealand, you can get insurance for your family.

How to get cover

You’ll be signed up automatically by accepting your Offer of Place—you don’t have to fill in an application form.

Your cover will start 31 days before classes start so you’re covered for your journey to New Zealand, but you don’t have to pay until you get here and enrol. You can, however, choose to pay for your insurance online at the same time as you pay your fees.

Your insurance reference number will be your student ID number.

Offshore students

  • New international students who are studying overseas and without holding a student visa are not required to purchase insurance.
  • Returning students have an option to keep the insurance, to retain the continuity of the cover.

Renewing your insurance

For fee paying international students, insurance is a condition of your student visa—if your insurance policy lapses while you’re studying, any visa applications you make in the future might not be approved.

Your insurance cover is automatically renewed for one year for full-degree students and one trimester for short-course students. Find out more about how to renew your insurance.

Other insurance policies

If you want a different New Zealand insurance policy

If you don’t want to use Studentsafe Inbound University insurance, you can choose one of these approved alternative policies:

If you choose one of these other New Zealand policies, you’ll need to:

  • organise your cover before you arrive in New Zealand
  • provide a copy of your policy certificate to us before International Orientation
  • sign a waiver to say that you’ll take responsibility for your insurance and keep it up to date.

If you have an overseas insurance policy

Your overseas insurance policy can only be accepted if it meets the Code of Practice for international students.

If you already have overseas insurance, you’ll need to:

  • complete an Overseas Insurance Policy Checklist pdf293KB
  • email the full policy wording in English to the insurance adviser at least four weeks before your arrival in New Zealand.

Your policy will then be sent to our independent assessors for review. If your policy is approved, you’ll need to provide a copy of the policy certificate and complete a waiver form before courses start. If your policy is not approved, you’ll need to purchase Studentsafe Inbound University insurance or another approved insurance before you can enrol.