Find a Bupa-friendly doctor
Doctors for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) members
Enter your location to find a Bupa-friendly doctor near you.
What is a Bupa-friendly doctor?
When you see a Bupa-friendly doctor (also known as a general practitioner or GP), they will submit your claim directly to Bupa health insurance. This helps reduce or eliminate any payment on the day of your appointment.
If a doctor charges more than the benefit you receive from Bupa health insurance, there may be some out-of-pocket expenses which won't be covered by your insurance. When making your appointment, it's a good idea to ask about the cost upfront, so you can work out what your out-of-pocket expenses might be.
Before your appointment
These three simple steps will help you prepare for your appointment.
Call the clinic first
We recommend calling or checking with your medical clinic before your appointment to ask about their billing arrangements and any fees that may apply. This way you can avoid any unexpected costs.
Have your membership card and student ID ready
On the day of your appointment, remember to have your Bupa membership card ready or download your Bupa digital card, and bring along your student ID. Try to arrive 15-20 minutes early, as there will probably be some paperwork for you to fill out.
Register for myBupa
Before your appointment, you may also wish to register for myBupa, which you can access online at any time via the website or app. myBupa is a secure online member portal that gives you 24/7 access to manage your Bupa health insurance.
What you'll pay
It depends on which doctor you see.
At a Bupa-friendly doctor
- They will submit your claim directly to us. This helps reduce or eliminate any payment on the day of your appointment
- If a doctor charges more than the benefit you receive from Bupa, there may be some out-of-pocket expenses - ask about the cost upfront
At any other doctor
- You pay on the day, then claim it back in myBupa
- Billing practices vary by clinic. It is best to check with your specific clinic to understand how they bill international patients
Not sure where to go?
Emergency
A serious illness or injury that poses an immediate risk to your life or long-term wellbeing.
Call 000Urgent care
For an illness or injury that needs treatment today, but isn't life-threatening.
Find an urgent care clinicNon-emergency
A non-emergency is an illness or injury that requires treatment but isn't immediately life-threatening. For non-emergency health concerns, make an appointment with your nearest doctor.
See a doctor online
Need a GP now? With Blua online doctors you can access qualified doctors anytime, across Australia. Available to Bupa health insurance members and non-members. For booking, eligibility and pricing information, visit Blua online doctors (opens in a new tab).
Learn more
Your doctor might organise some further tests (like blood tests or x-rays).
They might also refer you to a specialist, another doctor who is highly skilled in a specific area of medicine (for example, a dermatologist or psychologist).
They might write you a prescription (or 'script') so you can get medication from a pharmacy. To be able to receive an 'eScript' (a prescription you receive by SMS on your phone), you'll need an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number.
Your doctor might also suggest a follow-up appointment, so they can check on your progress and make sure you're getting better.
GP clinics can decide if they want to accept the government incentive to bulk bill their patients. On Nov 1, 2025, a previous restriction on this incentive was lifted, enabling GP clinics to claim this incentive for any Medicare eligible patient. Some clinics chose to charge Bupa for non-Medicare eligible patients too. Bupa has since been reviewing their position on these incentives for international customers and have made the decision to not pay these incentive items to the GP where this applies to non-Medicare eligible patients.
Bulk billing is when a GP clinic bills Medicare directly for your visit, meaning a person who is eligible for Medicare pays nothing out of pocket. The Australian Government recently expanded a payment called the Bulk Billing Incentive to encourage more GPs to bulk bill, but this only applies to Medicare-eligible patients. As an international student or visitor, you are not eligible for Medicare, which is why some things may be changing for you.
Billing practices vary by GP clinic. It is best to check with your specific clinic to understand how they bill international patients.
From 27 June 2026, Bupa will no longer pay an extra payment to GP clinics where incentive payments are available for Medicare eligible patients.
As international patients are not covered by Medicare, incentive items will return 'benefit is not payable' when you claim.
This does not change what you are covered for under your Bupa product and Bupa will continue to pay for eligible outpatient services as per your product entitlements.
Are you an Australian GP looking to become a Bupa-friendly doctor?
If you or your clinic would like to be added to our network of Bupa-friendly doctors, please get in touch.
