Registration
To register
Persons arriving in Québec to take up residence must register for the Health Insurance Plan, even if they were registered for the plan in the past. It is very important to call the Régie or visit an office of the Régie upon your arrival in Québec to obtain a registration form and submit your application as soon as possible. This will avoid delaying the effective date of your coverage. However, those returning to Québec after a temporary absence during which they remained covered by the plan are not required to re-register.
Parents take steps to register their child for the Health Insurance Plan if they have taken up residence in Québec and adopted a child.
Parents who have taken up residence in Québec or who are registered for the Health Insurance Plan as persons staying in Québec temporarily don't need to take any steps with the Régie to register their child born in Québec. All they need to do is register their child with the Directeur de l'état civil
, using the form obtained form the hospital or given to them by the midwife. The information needed for registering the child for the Health Insurance Plan and, where applicable, for the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan will be sent to the Régie automatically.
Here are the steps necessary to submit an application for registration.
Step 1: Fill out the registration form
First, you need to obtain the registration form from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec. You cannot register a child online. You must call the Régie or visit an office of the Régie during office hours to obtain a registration form.
Please note that the Régie cannot send you this form before you arrive in Québec. If you call, the Régie recommends that you have your proof-of-identity documents, or those of the child you wish to register, handy. If you come to an office of the Régie, you can submit your application for registration at the office, as long as you have all the required documents with you. Next, provide the requested information, check the information appearing on the form and make corrections if necessary. Be sure to sign the form.
Step 2: Attach the required documents
Original documents or photocopies
You must attach certain documents to your registration form.
If, as part of the registration process, you go to a service outlet (usually a CLSC) to be authenticated (see step 3), bring the required original documents, along with legible photocopies of both sides of each document. An agent will check the originals and hand them back to you afterwards. The photocopies will be forwarded to the Régie, together with the form.
If you go to one of the Régie's reception desks, only the original documents are required. An agent will check them and hand them back to you afterwards.
If you are one of those people who doesn't need to have their photo taken and you mail your form and required documents, you must send the originals. After duplicating them, the Régie will return them to you within 30 days, but you won't receive them at the same time as your Health Insurance Card.
Instead of original documents, you may submit certified true copies Certified true copy
A copy of an original document that is certified true by a competent authority. Not just a photocopy. Only true certified copies from the organization that issued the original document are accepted by the Régie de l'assurance maladie.
Foreign language documents
Documents written in a language other than French or English must be translated into French (at the applicant's expense). The Régie accepts translations done by members of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec or by members of companies or organizations recognized by the Conseil des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes du Canada. The Régie also accepts translations done by staff members of foreign states' consulates or embassies located in Canada.
The type of document you need to attach to your form depends on your situation:
Permanent residents
The originals of all the following documents:
- Permanent Resident Card, or any other document issued by the Canadian immigration authorities attesting to their permanent resident status in Canada, along with their visa
- Québec selection certificate, in most cases
Indians recognized by the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
Indians born outside Canada must attach to their form the original of their Indian status certificate issued by the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, along with the original of their birth certificate
Other foreign nationals taking up residence in Québec according to the conditions
- the originals of the documents issued by the Canadian and Québec immigration authorities.
Foreign nationals in Québec as temporary workers
- the original of an employment authorization issued by the Canadian immigration authorities allowing them to work in Québec. The authorization must indicate the employer's name and the place of employment.
Foreign nationals in Québec as seasonal workers
- the original of an employment authorization issued by the Canadian immigration authorities.
Foreign nationals in Québec temporarily to hold a liturgical office
- the original of the document issued by the Canadian immigration authorities allowing them to be in Canada for more than 6 months and a document proving that they hold a liturgical office.
Recipients of study or training scholarship
These persons must attach to their form the original of the attestation of stay in Québec as a scholar (document issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec or the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie du Québec).
Spouses accompanying a worker or scholar
Spouses Spouse
Two persons (of the opposite sex or the same sex) are considered spouses if they are married and have entered into a civil union, or have been living together for 12 months (separations of less than 90 days do not interrupt the 12-month period), or are living together (regardless of for how long) and together have had or have adopted a child. who are foreign nationals:
- the original of the document issued by the Canadian immigration authorities allowing them to be in Canada for more than 6 months
- a photocopy of their marriage certificate or of their certificate of civil union, or a sworn statement Sworn statement
A statement made under oath and signed before a commissioner for oaths. made before a commissioner for oaths, attesting that they are living in a de facto union or in a civil union with the person they are accompanying or else that they are married to that person
Dependants accompanying workers or scholars
Dependants who are foreign nationals:
- the original of the document issued by the Canadian immigration authorities allowing them to be in Canada for more than 6 months
- if they are age 18 or over, proof of school attendance or a medical certificate attesting that they have a functional impairment
Adopted child
Please contact the Régie.
Proof of residence in Québec
If you have taken up residence in Québec after coming from another country or province, in addition to the proof-of-identity documents, you must attach proof of residence in Québec to your registration application form. A single proof of residence can be used for a family, if all family members living at the same address register simultaneously.
Step 3: Send in the documents and have your photo taken
To obtain a Health Insurance Card, you must in most cases provide your signature and a photo meeting specifications established by the government. The section on photo and signature explains who must have their photo taken and what the procedure is.
Those persons not required to provide their photo and signature must mail their form and the required documents to the Régie or bring them to one of the Régie's offices.
Prescription drug insurance
Persons covered by the Health Insurance Plan may, under certain conditions, register for the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan.
Agreements with other countries
If you are arriving from another country that has signed a social security agreement with Québec, you could be registered for the Health Insurance Plan under that agreement. For details about how to register for the Health Insurance Plan, consult the page on social security agreements.
Receiving a Health Insurance Card
The Régie will process your application and, if you fulfill the eligibility requirements, will send you a letter indicating when your coverage under the Health Insurance Plan takes effect. You will receive your Health Insurance Card within 2 weeks after that date.
Apart from certain exceptions, the Régie does not reimburse the cost of the healthcare received during the waiting period. During this period, to save you from having to pay for any healthcare services that you or your family members may need, the Régie strongly recommends that you take out private insurance within 5 days following your arrival in Québec. Thereafter, coverage is more difficult to obtain. For information about private insurance, contact the OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance (OLHI).