International students

Find out how to register as an international student, whether you’re eligible for publicly funded healthcare, and how to make a claim on your insurance policy.

Both domestic and international students who are currently in New Zealand can access services at Mauri Ora—Student Health and Counselling services. We recommend that you register with us as your primary healthcare provider while you are studying at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

You do not need to be registered with Mauri Ora to access counselling services. However, you do need to be registered to access health services.

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Paying for your healthcare

Most international students are required to have appropriate health insurance to cover the cost of healthcare during their period of study in New Zealand. The University recommends the Studentsafe Inbound University policy provided by Allianz, who we can bill directly for some appointment costs.

With a Studentsafe policy, you will need to pay for your appointment and then submit a claim if:

If there is any uncertainty, we will ask you to pay for the appointment at the time. You can then contact Allianz to discuss whether you can make a claim on your policy.

If you have a policy with another approved insurance company, you will need to pay for all your appointments directly and submit a claim for those appointments that are covered by your policy.

Some international students are eligible for publicly funded healthcare as detailed below. If you are eligible, you will only need to pay for appointments as outlined in our pricing schedule.

For any questions about healthcare insurance for international students, contact international-support@vuw.ac.nz.

Submitting a claim

You will need to have the notes from your appointment in order to submit a claim on your insurance policy.

You can get your appointment notes in three different ways:

  1. During your appointment—simply ask your doctor or nurse at the time of your appointment to provide you with a copy of your notes.
  2. Via myIndici—you can easily get your notes through our patient portal. If you’re not signed up yet, email mauriora@vuw.ac.nz for assistance. To view your notes, go to the ‘Timeline’ section.
  3. After your appointment—you’ll need to email us to request a special form. Once you’ve completed the form, email it back to us with a scan or photo of your passport. It may take us up to 20 business days to process your completed form.

To protect your privacy, we don’t send records directly to your insurance company.

When you request your appointment notes, they are sent directly to you to complete the claims process. If you need assistance during the claims process, please contact your insurance company directly or International Student Experience.

You must complete the information request form before we can email you your notes. You can learn more about the Privacy Act 2020 on the website of the Privacy Commissioner.

Preparing to claim

There are some things that you can do to make it easier to claim back your healthcare costs from your insurance provider:

  • Review your insurance policy before your appointment to understand what it covers (and what is excluded).
  • Request your notes during your appointment, even if you’re not sure if the cost of the treatment will be covered.
  • Sign up for myIndici patient portal as this will make it easier for you to access your notes if they are needed for a claim.

Appointments that can’t be direct-billed

Some types of appointments are typically excluded from Allianz’s direct billing and may not be covered by your Studentsafe policy.

These excluded appointments include but are not limited to:

  • Medical certificates
  • Dermatology/acne treatments
  • Pre-existing conditions such as asthma (more information below)
  • Preventative/routine vaccinations
  • Aegrotats
  • Mole mapping
  • Mammograms
  • Pap smears/cervical screenings
  • Contraception
  • STI screening
  • STI symptoms
  • Sexual health discussions.

If you want to claim for the cost of one of these appointments, you will need to contact Allianz directly.

Pre-existing conditions

We can’t bill Allianz directly for appointments that cover (or may cover) any pre-existing conditions, even if you disclosed that condition at the time that you signed up for a Studentsafe policy and Allianz agreed to cover you for that condition. You’ll need to pay us for your appointment first, and then submit a claim on your policy as described above.

Eligibility for publicly funded healthcare

In New Zealand, public funding pays for most of the health and disability needs of citizens and permanent residents. As an international student, you may also be eligible for publicly funded healthcare if you hold one of the following:

  • a NZ Development/Manaaki Scholarship (formerly NZAid) and you are here for six months or more
  • a Commonwealth Scholarship
  • a resident visa or permanent resident visa.

Other situations:

  • In some cases, having a work visa may make you may be eligible for publicly funded healthcare.
  • If you are a dependant of Diplomatic, Consular, or Official staff of a foreign country, you are not eligible for publicly funded healthcare even if you have Domestic Student Status.

You need to have enrolled with Mauri Ora—Student Health and Counselling as your primary health organisation (PHO) before we can provide you with publicly funded healthcare.

Not all appointments are covered by public funding—see our pricing schedule for a detailed list of appointment costs.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible for publicly funded healthcare, you can contact the International Student Experience team or ask us when booking your appointment.