Supporting documents for exemption

If you are a citizen and a resident of Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Serbia, Romania or Greece, you may qualify for the Quebec Health Insurance Plan Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec(RAMQ).  

Registration for the RAMQ plan can be done online on the RAMQ website. You must go through the registration link to find the required supporting documents needed to obtain this RAMQ coverage. Please note, you can only complete the registration process once you have arrived in Canada. According to RAMQ processing delays, you may want to consider keeping McGill International Health Insurance while you wait for the RAMQ registration.

The RAMQ confirmation letter confirming your coverage start and end date is required by McGill to confirm your exemption. A RAMQ card could be accepted if it is submitted by end of the first month of each new term.

Note: International students who opt-out of the Medavie Blue Cross IHI plan and obtain RAMQ coverage are strongly recommended to enroll in the Supplemental Health Plan and must register with StudentCare directly. For undergraduate students Downtown campus - SSMU Supplemental Health Plan, for graduate students - PGSS Supplemental Health Plan, undergraduate Macdonald campus - MCSS Supplemental Health Plan.

Sponsored students and Award recipients (CBIE, CIDA, ICCS, SACB or DAAD) must present an insurance card and/or letter from their sponsor indicating the start and end date of the coverage. SACB: confirmation of coverage including dates of coverage available on the SACB website. Students must provide their Saudi ID # and date of birth to access this website.

Please note: you will be requested to pay upfront for all medical services, including at the McGill Health Clinics and Montreal hospitals. This does not apply to students who are covered by the IHI Medavie Blue Cross plan.

A scan of your diplomatic card or diplomatic visa in passport AND a valid RAMQ card or a letter from RAMQ or private insurance clearly indicating the name of the student and dates of coverage. The confirmation letter must be dated within the last 3 months.

Dependents of workers of an international organization must present a confirmation of coverage, which should include the international organization's name, the name of the student, the start and end date of the coverage. The confirmation letter must be dated within the last 3 months.

Please note: you will be requested to pay upfront for all medical services, including at the McGill Health Clinics and Montreal hospitals. This does not apply to students who are covered by the IHI Medavie Blue Cross plan.

If you are an international student residing outside of Canada (i.e. not physically in Canada), you may request an insurance exemption. To do so, you must submit the following:

Graduate Students

• An email/letter from yourself indicating that you are completing your thesis abroad including specific dates that you will be residing outside of Canada;
• An email/letter from your supervisor or Graduate Program Director to ISS containing your name, ID# and acknowledgment that you are completing your thesis abroad. They must also specify the dates that you will be outside of Canada (i.e. September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024);

Undergraduate Students

• Your transcript must indicate that you are on exchange or term-away status. If your transcripts indicate this, you must request an exemption on Minerva and select the 'non-resident' category

The RAMQ confirmation letter indicating your coverage start and end date. A RAMQ card could be accepted if it is submitted by end of the first month of each new term. If you have other provincial coverage, a coverage card is accepted.

If you are an international student participating in one of the following programs: Graduate Certificate in Driving Rehabilitation & Graduate Certificate in Chronic Pain Management and residing outside of Canada (i.e. not physically in Canada), you may request an insurance exemption. To do so, you must submit the following:

An email from yourself indicating that you are completing [the name of the program], including specific program dates, outside of Canada.

Note: If you do decide to come to Canada during the duration of your online program, even for vacation purposes, you must contact international.health [at] mcgill.ca (ISS).

Proof of Interim Federal Health Program