Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec

Quebec health insurance registration

Permanent residents and Canadian citizens settling in Quebec can usually register for health insurance online. You must be in Quebec and have a Quebec mailing address. Students and workers follow different rules.

Last checked: October 19, 2026
Source: RAMQ, newcomers register for health insurance online
Audience: Permanent residents, Temporary workers, International students

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What we could verify

RAMQ says Canadian citizens and permanent residents settling in Quebec can, in most cases, register online.
You must be in Quebec to register, and you need a Quebec mailing address so they can send the eligibility letter and then the card.
Each family member completes their own form. A child's form is completed by a parent or legal guardian. The first family member's acknowledgement email contains a reference number for the others.
Documents can include proof of citizenship, a PR card or confirmation of permanent residence, a Quebec Selection Certificate, and, if your country has a social-security agreement, a coverage certificate you get before you leave.
Students generally need to come from a country with a social-security agreement. Workers need the immigration document that allows the temporary stay. Tourists are not eligible. RAMQ tells you to read the waiting-period rules on the eligibility page.

Register when you have an address, not from the airport. The online newcomer page is aimed at citizens and permanent residents. Temporary students and workers are told, on the general registration page, to check a different set of conditions. A study permit alone is not described as enough. RAMQ says a student must come from a country that has signed a social-security agreement with Quebec.

We are not printing a waiting-period length. RAMQ's eligibility pages say those rules are explained there and that they depend on your status. Open that page for your situation rather than relying on a forum. Care without a card is care you pay for. RAMQ uses a hospital-day cost above $3,000, plus doctors' fees, as the reason visitors should carry insurance. That figure is about people who are not eligible, and it is a reason to keep private coverage until your card is active.

Who it is for

Depends on whether RAMQ considers you settled in Quebec or temporarily staying. Permanent residents settling in Quebec are the group the online newcomer page addresses. Tourists and stays of six months or less are not eligible. Presence-in-Quebec rules continue after you are registered.

How to act on it

Gather the documents for your status, then use the online registration on the RAMQ newcomer page if you are a citizen or permanent resident. Otherwise use the questions on the registration page, which will tell you if you must call.

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