Before you start

A visa conferring Medicare eligibility, or citizenship of a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement country
Passport and current visa
A WA residential address
Ambulance cover through a health fund, if you live in metropolitan Perth

Step-by-step

1
Establish which Medicare category you are in
Permanent residents and applicants for certain permanent visas enrol. Temporary work-visa holders generally cannot. Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK hold reciprocal agreements, each with its own terms.
OnlineWho: You
2
Take out Overseas Visitors Health Cover before you fly, if on a temporary visa
Employer-sponsored visas carry a condition requiring adequate cover for the whole stay, live from the day you land. Check the policy explicitly includes ambulance in WA.
OnlineWho: You or your employer≈AUD 85–180 per month for a single adult
3
Enrol in Medicare, if eligible
Enrol online through myGov or at a Services Australia service centre. Documents do not need certifying. A digital card appears in the Express Plus app before the plastic one arrives.
OnlineWho: YouSame day to a few weeks
4
Arrange ambulance cover through a health fund
St John WA does not sell membership in the metropolitan area, so metropolitan residents take an ambulance-inclusive health fund policy — St John itself points people to ambulance-only cover from the major funds, from around AUD 100 a year. Regional and remote residents can join St John's Country Ambulance Benefit Fund directly. Check the actual limit on your policy rather than assuming 'ambulance included' means unlimited.
OnlineWho: You and everyone in your householdVaries by fund; country St John membership runs roughly AUD 75–99 single and AUD 124–164 family per year by sub-centre
5
Register with a GP practice
No catchment applies — attend any practice. Some bulk bill, meaning nothing to pay with a Medicare card; many charge and you claim a rebate. Ask when booking, and be aware that GP wait times in outer suburbs are among the longest in the country.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and current visa
Evidence of permanent residency where applicable
For reciprocal agreement claims: the agreement country's passport, plus a national health card or statutory declaration for some countries
WA residential address
Health fund membership details showing ambulance cover

Things most newcomers don’t know

You cannot buy St John ambulance membership in metropolitan Perth — it is only offered in the country.

This is the WA detail that catches people. Victorians arrive expecting to buy the roughly AUD 56 Ambulance Victoria membership and South Australians the roughly AUD 106 SA Ambulance subscription; in Perth neither exists. The metropolitan answer is an ambulance-inclusive private health policy, and until you have one an emergency call-out is billed directly to you at around AUD 1,300 as a WA resident, more as a visitor.

Source: St John WA — metro ambulance fees and Country Ambulance Benefit Fund

'Ambulance included' in a health policy is not the same as unlimited ambulance cover.

Many policies cap the benefit, exclude non-emergency clinically required transport, or pay only a proportion of the fee. In a state where a road transport from an outer suburb can run into four figures and a Royal Flying Doctor retrieval far more, read the actual benefit limit rather than the marketing line.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published health fund policy documents

A reciprocal health care agreement covers medically necessary care only.

It exists so treatment that cannot wait until you go home is not refused. Elective procedures, most dental and ambulance transport sit outside it, and cover length differs by country. UK and Irish arrivals in particular assume NHS-equivalence and find the gap at the worst moment.

Source: Services Australia — Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

Remoteness changes the health calculus the moment you leave the metropolitan area.

WA is a third of the continent with a small population, so specialist care, emergency retrieval and even GP access thin out fast outside Perth. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is genuine infrastructure here, not folklore. If your work involves site rotations or you plan regular trips north, check what your policy covers for retrieval and repatriation before you go.

Source: community-reported, consistent with WA Country Health Service material

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming you can buy a state ambulance membership as you would in Victoria or South Australia.
Reading 'ambulance included' on a health policy without checking the benefit limit or the exclusions.
Assuming a temporary work visa includes Medicare — most do not.
Arriving before your Overseas Visitors Health Cover starts and breaching a visa condition.
Booking a GP without asking whether they bulk bill, then facing a AUD 90 invoice for a short consultation.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.