Guides
Seeing a doctor without an Ontario health card
No OHIP card does not mean no doctor. What applies to you depends on why you do not have one.
New to Ontario? Apply now
There is no OHIP waiting period any more. If you are eligible, your coverage starts right away, and you can apply as soon as you arrive.
Eligibility rests on where you live and how long you are in Ontario. The rules, and the documents to bring, are on ontario.ca.
Which one is you?
Here on a work permit
You may qualify for OHIP if you work full time in Ontario, for an Ontario employer, for at least six months. Some spouses and dependants qualify too.
International student at a university
Ontario universities cover international students through UHIP, a compulsory plan they created in 1994. It covers doctor visits, lab tests and hospital care.
Student at a college
Your college arranges your health plan. Student services can tell you which plan you have and how to use it.
Refugee claimants and some other newcomers
The Interim Federal Health Program gives limited, temporary coverage until provincial insurance starts. What it covers depends on your immigration status.
From another province
Bring your provincial health card. Ontario doctors can bill most provinces’ plans directly. Quebec is the exception, so you may be asked to pay and claim it back.
Visiting from outside Canada
You pay the clinic yourself. Keep the receipt, because travel insurance may pay you back.
Your card is lost or expired
Renew or replace it through ServiceOntario. Tell the clinic at the desk, so it can explain how the visit will be handled.
Care that does not need a health card
Toronto Public Health sexual health clinics
Free and confidential, with no referral or health card needed. They test for and treat STIs and HIV.
Health811
Ontario’s free health advice line. Call 811 (TTY 711), day or night, for advice or help finding a service.
Emergencies
Call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not let a missing card stop you.
Paying for a visit yourself
A visit no plan pays for is an uninsured service, and each clinic sets its own fee. Ask what it will cost before the visit starts.
With UHIP, the Interim Federal Health Program or travel insurance, ask whether the clinic bills the plan directly or whether you pay first and claim it back.
Common questions
Is there a waiting period for OHIP?
No. Ontario removed it. If you are eligible, coverage starts right away, and you can apply as soon as you arrive.
Can I see a doctor in Ontario without a health card?
Yes. Depending on your situation another plan may pay, or you pay the clinic yourself. In an emergency, go to the emergency department.
What do international students use instead of OHIP?
At an Ontario university, UHIP, which is compulsory there. At a college, the plan your college arranges.
Will an Ontario doctor take my card from another province?
Usually, yes. Ontario doctors can bill most provinces’ plans. Quebec is the exception, so you may be asked to pay and claim it back.
When Kind Clinic opens
If you do not have a health card, tell the desk. It changes how the visit is handled and what it costs, and there will be options to talk through.
The walk-in page describes the walk-in, and physicals and forms is where the clinic’s fees will be published before we open.