Enrolling in the health and hospitalization insurance plan for international students

For new international applicants, the insurance takes effect when you arrive in Québec and, at the earliest, from:

• August 15th for the fall semester
• December 15th for the winter semester
• April 15th for the summer semester

If you plan to arrive:

• in Québec before the dates mentioned above

OR

• in a Canadian province other than Québec and stay there before you arrive in Québec

Then it is your responsibility to do the following:

• Ensure that you are adequately covered until the insurance coverage with Université Laval takes effect (if you are covered by one of the reciprocal agreements giving access to the RAMQ (Québec's public health insurance plan), your RAMQ coverage may start earlier - see details below);
• Take out comprehensive travel-health insurance and emergency medical insurance for the duration of your journey until you arrive in the province of Québec.

The health and hospitalization insurance fees will appear on your electronic tuition fee invoice. 

Cost for the 2022-2023 academic year:

• Coverage for regular students
  September 1st to August 31st: $900
  January 1st to August 31st: $600
  May 1st to August 31st: $300
• Coverage for visiting (exchange) students
  Cost per semester: $300
  The insurance is billed each semester. For example, if you are coming for two semesters, you will receive two separate invoices of $300 each.
• Coverage for training or research interns
  Cost per month: $75
  The insurance is renewed and billed each semester as long as you stay. For example, if you are coming for two semesters, you will receive two separate invoices.

Sometime during the first few weeks after you enrol at Université Laval, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office with the insurance policy number and your personal certificate number that our insurer (Desjardins) issues to you. Desjardins health and hospitalization insurance takes effect as indicated above. Once you are in Québec and after the scheduled date, your coverage starts even if you haven’t received your personal certificate number yet.

With this information, you will be able to access your virtual membership card (also known as a payment card) through the Desjardins member site or through the Desjardins mobile app. You will also have access to phone numbers in case of a medical emergency.

View an example of the payment card. 

Documents to read:

• Desjardins online services (PDF)
• Your payment card (PDF)

The insurance coverage is individual and does not include dependants. Any accompanying family members must also have adequate insurance coverage for the duration of their stay in Canada.

Minor children (17 years old or younger) of international students may be eligible for health insurance and prescription drug insurance coverage (Québec’s public plan—RAMQ) provided they are present in Québec for more than 6 months a year. Registration is done online on the Québec government’s website. Contact the RAMQ within 15 days of your child arriving in Québec so coverage can start as soon as they arrive.

For your non-eligible family members (for example, children aged 18 or over and your spouse), you can get insurance coverage for your family members through Desjardins Insurance too. For more information, see Visitors to Canada Insurance and other private health insurance.
 

Your Desjardins health and hospitalization insurance coverage is valid from the policy start date until August 31 of the same academic year if you register for courses or other educational activities for the fall and winter semesters. Most study programs don’t require you to register for courses during the summer semester.

If you don’t register for courses, you won’t be covered by Desjardins’ health and hospitalization insurance anymore unless your program director approves your leave of absence and the Registrar’s Office has been notified. If your program director doesn’t approve your leave of absence, you will need to take out private health insurance for the semester when you will be absent and for the following summer (if applicable).

Your Desjardins health and hospitalization insurance coverage is automatically renewed if you register for courses or other educational activities. You don’t need to take any action. The Registrar’s Office will contact you by email.

We recommend that you carefully read the Desjardins Insurance policy to make sure all your needs are covered. If in doubt, contact Desjardins Insurance. You can take out additional insurance if you have other specific needs, such as pre-existing health conditions.

• Your mandatory group insurance plan (PDF) 
• Online services for members (PDF)
• How to submit a claim (PDF) - Make sure that your care bill specifies the reasons and the nature of the care received
• Frequently asked questions (PDF)

The Desjardins Insurance policy includes a telemedicine service. See the links below to learn more and to register. Note that dependents living at the same address as you can access this service, even if they are not covered by the plan.

• Virtual healthcare: Anytime, anywhere - DFS - Desjardins Life Insurance
• Welcome to TELUS Health Virtual Care
• FAQ - Virtual Care - DFS - Desjardins Life Insurance

Some international students may be exempt from the Université Laval health insurance plan. If the Québec government has signed reciprocal social security agreements with your home country (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Sweden), you may be eligible for coverage under the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec [Québec’s public health insurance plan] (RAMQ). 

To qualify for benefits under these agreements, you have to take certain steps before you leave your home country and when you arrive in Québec.

• Before you leave, contact your home country’s healthcare organization to find out whether you are covered by the social security agreement and to get the necessary document that is, proof that you are enrolled in your home country's social security plan or health care benefits. 
• Once you arrive in Québec, you must registrer with the RAMQ. You can only do this online. You must then provide your proof of RAMQ enrollment to the Registrar’s Office. See all the details below in the “Steps to take” section.

Coverage with the RAMQ for students covered under reciprocal social security agreements with certain countries begins only when you arrive in Québec. If you take all the right steps to enrol in the RAMQ as soon as you arrive in Québec, your RAMQ coverage should be retroactive back to the day you arrived in Québec, depending on the date indicated on your attestation form. Because of this, you don’t have to take out private insurance while your application is being processed.

If you plan to arrive in a Canadian province other than Québec and stay there before you arrive in Québec, it is your responsibility to take out comprehensive travel-health insurance and emergency medical insurance for the duration of your journey until you arrive in the province of Québec.

International students enrolled in a regular program who are eligible for the RAMQ can also take out supplemental health insurance through their student association with ASEQ. Visit the section "Supplemental health insurance with ASEQ" for more information.

To learn more about the reciprocal social security agreements established with Québec, visit those websites:

• General information for all countries involved
• Additional information for France

Before your departure for Québec, you must obtain the document proving your affiliation in your country’s social security program.

Once in Québec, you must complete the online RAMQ registration form. You will need the following documents in PDF format:

• Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), except for students who are exempt (program of less than six months).
• Passport identification page or study permit.
• Affiliation certificate form for your country’s social security program (reciprocity agreement form).
• Proof of full-time enrolment to be ordered from monPortail ($8) once you have registered for the current session. This document is not required for visiting (exchange) students who have form SE-401-Q-106.

Your RAMQ enrolment confirmation and your RAMQ card will be mailed to you in two separate envelopes to the address provided in the online registration form. Be sure to provide an address that will remain valid for a few months. To notify the RAMQ of a change of address, you must contact the RAMQ at 418 646-4636 (in the Québec region) or at 1 800 561-9749 and select Option 3, then Option 1.

Once you have received the “Confirmation de votre droit au régime d’assurance maladie du Québec” (confirmation of your right to the Québec health insurance plan) letter, you must submit it to the Registrar’s Office at assurances@reg.ulaval.ca.

Here are the deadlines for submitting this letter:

• Fall Semester: September 30
• Winter Semester: January 31
• Summer Semester: May 31

If you do not provide the letter by the required deadline, the billing for the Desjardins health and hospitalization insurance will remain in effect and the Registrar’s Office will contact you.

Minor children (17 years old or younger) of international students may be eligible for health insurance and prescription drug insurance coverage (Québec’s public plan—RAMQ) provided they are present in Québec for more than 6 months a year. Registration is done online on the Québec government’s website. Contact the RAMQ within 15 days of your child arriving in Québec so coverage can start as soon as they arrive.

Other family members may also be eligible for the RAMQ if they are allowed to stay in Canada (work permit, study permit, or visitor record) and are listed on your reciprocal agreement form (except spouses of students from Greece). Dependent children between the ages of 18 and 25 may also be eligible of conditions are met. The registration of family members is done online, on the Québec government’s website. An enrollment application must be completed for each family member.

For your non-eligible family members, you must arrange private health insurance.

If you are of French nationality and are taking courses in a regular study program (Form SE-401-Q-102), you must annually confirm to the RAMQ that you are studying full time. Each year, you will receive by mail a form from the RAMQ that you must complete and return to the RAMQ. You, therefore, must keep your mailing address up to date with the RAMQ. To change your address, you must contact the RAMQ at 418 646-4636 (in the Québec region) or at 1 800 561-9749 and select Option 3, then Option 1.

There are other exemptions, such as those for the following students:

• recipients of scholarships from a Canadian organization (for example: CMA, CFSP, CBIE, ICCS or Mitacs)
• recipients of scholarships from an international organization (for example: OAS, governments, or the World Bank)
• refugees in Canada (the Interim Health Program or the RAMQ)
• children of a parent who works for a Canadian diplomatic mission
• children of a parent who works for an international organization (for example: the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, or European Union)

If you think you may fall under one of these exemptions, write to assurances@reg.ulaval.ca. Having private insurance does not mean that you are exempt from getting Desjardins health and hospitalization insurance.

Your RAMQ coverage or any other health and hospitalization insurance coverage that Université Laval accepts is valid until the date indicated on your insurance confirmation letter. If your insurance coverage ends during the semester, we will be required to enrol you in Desjardins’ health and hospitalization insurance for when you don’t have coverage. We will be required to bill you for this coverage. It is your responsibility to provide us with evidence that your health and hospitalization insurance has been renewed before the end of the semester (if applicable).

If certain conditions are met, you may be able to renew your RAMQ coverage. To do this, you need to have first received your new Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ – Québec acceptance certificate).

Students enrolled in a Université Laval regular program are automatically covered with supplemental dental insurance through their student association (CADEUL or AELIES) in collaboration with the Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec [Québec student health alliance] (ASEQ) and Desjardins Financial Security. They have the option of cancelling it (before a certain deadline). Dental insurance includes the Programme mieux-être (mental health and well-being).

This insurance is not open to exchange students.

It is important not to confuse this supplemental insurance with the Université Laval basic insurance from Desjardins Insurance. This supplemental insurance is not Université Laval’s responsibility. Visit the ASEQ student association health insurance website for more information (in French only).

Students enrolled in a Université Laval regular program and who are covered by the RAMQ can take out supplemental health insurance through their student association (CADEUL or AELIES) in collaboration with the Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec [Québec student health alliance] (ASEQ) and Desjardins Financial Security. You will not be enrolled automatically. You have to enrol yourself (before a certain deadline) if you are interested in getting this insurance coverage. The health insurance is an add-on to the RAMQ. It covers certain vision care, certain paramedic services, and travel insurance. 

This insurance is not open to exchange students.

It is important not to confuse this supplemental insurance with the Université Laval basic insurance from Desjardins Insurance. This supplemental insurance is not Université Laval’s responsibility. Visit the ASEQ student association health insurance website for more information (in French only). 

This table provides a summary of insurance coverage. Be sure to double-check your coverage, conditions, and exemptions before seeking non-urgent care. Your insurance may reimburse only 50% or 80%, not 100%, of the cost of certain services, or there may be a maximum annual limit or deductible.

Helpful link: Healthcare covered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec