Inform RAMQ of a departure from Québec

Procedure to follow before leaving Québec

You are required to inform us when you are absent for 183 days or more per calendar year (January 1 to December 31). The total of 183 days may be reached through one or multiple absences from Québec.

Step 1

Call us to obtain the Temporary Departure From Québec form:

Québec area: 418 781-2520
Montréal area: 514 687-4571
Throughout Québec: 1 833 203-5524
Outside Québec: 1 514 687-4571

When you call, select option 4 from the telephone menu.

Step 2

Send us the form

Send your completed and signed form by mail to the address at the bottom of the document.

Eligibility for health insurance

You will receive a letter confirming whether your eligibility for health insurance will be maintained during your absence. If your eligibility is maintained, you may benefit from services covered outside Québec. Otherwise, you will have to pay out of pocket for any health services you need.

Furthermore, upon your return to Québec, you will not be eligible for health insurance for the rest of the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).

Presence in Québec rule

To remain eligible for health insurance, you must not be absent from Québec 183 days or more, consecutive or not, in a given calendar year (January 1 to December 31). To calculate your absences, add together all your days of absence in a given year, excluding:

Absences of 21 consecutive days or less
The days on which you leave and return

To check whether you will remain eligible for the Québec Health Insurance, use our calculation tool to tally your absences from Québec.

Exception

Once every 7 years, you may be absent for 183 days or more in a given calendar year (January 1 to December 31) without losing your eligibility for the Québec Health Insurance Plan. This absence, called the 7-year provision, is permitted for personal reasons, for example, to travel or work abroad.

For more details about exceptions to the Presence in Québec rule and the 7-year provision, refer to the webpage Exceptions to the Presence in Québec rule.

Travel insurance recommended

We recommend purchasing travel insurance. In general, health services covered outside of Québec are reimbursed in part by the Québec Health Insurance Plan. Travel insurance covers the part not reimbursed by RAMQ.