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If you got a new passport, the first thing to know is this: in most cases, you are not transferring the policy itself. You are updating the identity details linked to the existing OSHC or OVHC policy and asking for a corrected or reissued certificate. That distinction matters because cancelling and rebuying the cover is often the wrong move. Home Affairs says you need to tell them when you get a new passport so it can be linked to your visa or visa application, and the quickest way is usually to update your passport details in ImmiAccount.
Bupa’s OSHC and OVHC rules say the policyholder must provide proof of identity, including a current passport where required, and must advise Bupa as soon as possible about a change in that information. nib’s OVHC rules also say applications must be supported by proof of details reasonably required by nib/IMAN, and its policy only properly commences once it is accepted, active, and financial.
A lot of people think a new passport number means they need to “transfer” their insurance. In most cases, that is not the real issue.
What usually needs to happen is:
Home Affairs is very clear that a new passport should be updated against your visa or application. On the insurance side, Bupa’s OSHC and OVHC rules both require the policyholder to provide proof of identity, such as a current passport, and to notify Bupa as soon as possible about changes to that information.
The person needs to make sure the insurer record, the certificate, and the immigration record all point to the same current identity details.
This is where people often fix one side and forget the other.
Updating Home Affairs is one step. Updating your insurer is another. If only one is corrected, you can still end up with a mismatch between:
Home Affairs says a new passport should be linked to your visa or visa application through ImmiAccount. It also says some visas require evidence of a current private health insurance policy for the applicant and any additional applicants. That means the certificate and the underlying member record should still be current and accurate when used for visa purposes.
This is why the cleanest process is always immigration update plus insurer update, not one without the other.
In most cases, the smartest move is to correct the current policy record, not replace the policy.
Bupa’s OSHC and OVHC rules say only the policyholder can change policy details unless an authorised person has been approved to act on the policyholder’s behalf. That matters because a passport-number update should usually be done by the policyholder directly or through an approved authorisation path, not by guessing through a new application.
nib’s OVHC rules also say cancellations generally may not have retrospective effect and that a policy must be continuous, with reapplication required if a lapse goes beyond two months. nib’s OSHC rules say retrospective cancellation may be permitted only where reasonable documentation supports it. In other words, cancelling first is often riskier than fixing the details on the existing cover.
That makes the order of action very important.
The practical update process is similar, but the reason it matters can differ between OSHC and OVHC.
For OSHC, Study Australia says international students are required to have OSHC for the full duration of study in Australia, and Home Affairs says the OSHC expiry date is taken into account when deciding the length of a student visa. The 2025 OSHC Deed also requires insurers to provide policy schedules and related disclosure documents for the student and dependants, and it allows policy changes such as start-date changes or insured-group corrections where evidence supports them.
For OVHC, Home Affairs says some visas require evidence of adequate health insurance before a decision is made, and may ask for a copy of a current private health insurance policy for the applicant and any additional applicants. GetMyPolicy’s OVHC page also positions OVHC for visitor, working, and temporary resident pathways.
So the passport update is not only an identity clean-up. It helps keep the certificate reliable in the visa pathway you are actually on.
A passport-number update is usually not just a quick note saying “my passport changed.” It often requires supporting details.
Bupa’s OSHC and OVHC rules both say the policyholder must provide relevant information required for each insured person, including proof of identity and proof of age such as a current passport, and must advise Bupa as soon as possible about changes to that information. nib’s OVHC rules likewise say the application must be accompanied by proof of details reasonably required by nib/IMAN.
In practice, the insurer will usually want the new passport details and may also want related personal details verified at the same time.
This is the most reassuring point for readers.
If your cover itself is still the right cover, and the policy remains active and financial, changing your passport number should normally be a member-details update rather than a continuity break. The continuity risk appears when people cancel the old policy, open a duplicate one, or let the old policy lapse while trying to “fix” the document. nib’s OVHC rules say a policy must be continuous and a lapse greater than two months requires reapplication. nib’s OSHC rules say no-gap logic matters when transferring between nib OSHC products.
That is why the smart mindset is: update the record, reissue the certificate, preserve the policy.
A lot of people receive a new passport and keep using the old insurance certificate without checking whether the insurer needs to issue a fresh one.
That can become a problem if:
Home Affairs says some visas require a current private health insurance policy as evidence. The safest reading of that, together with the insurer rules about updated personal details and identity proof, is that you should not rely on an outdated identity record if the passport details have materially changed.
The practical takeaway is simple: once the passport changes, ask whether the insurer will issue an updated certificate or policy schedule reflecting the new details.
If the real issue is a passport-number change, opening a fresh OSHC or OVHC policy is usually unnecessary and can create overlap or eligibility issues. nib’s OSHC rules say a person already insured under another OSHC or OVHC product is not eligible to contribute to or claim under another nib OSHC or OVHC product. Bupa’s rules also say the policyholder may not acquire or have more than one of its products at the same time.
So if the cover is still correct, treat the passport change as a policy-details correction, not as a reason to duplicate cover.
Sometimes the passport change is just a passport change. Sometimes it comes with a visa-stage change, arrival timing change, or family-detail change.
If the visa subclass, insured group, or dates also changed, then the right answer may be bigger than a passport update. The 2025 OSHC Deed allows insured-group corrections and start-date changes when evidence supports them. Medibank’s visitor rules also say visitors cover can become ineligible if visa or residency status changes, and the insurer may then terminate or migrate the membership.
So ask two questions separately:
That separation avoids overcorrecting a simple record update or undercorrecting a real eligibility change.
If you get a new passport number, do not think of it as “transferring” your insurance to a new passport. In most cases, it is an identity-details update plus certificate reissue.
The safest path is to update Home Affairs first so the visa or application is linked to the new passport, then update the insurer record, then request a fresh certificate or schedule if needed. Home Affairs explicitly says new passport details should be updated in ImmiAccount, and the insurer rules you shared make it clear that policyholders must keep identity-related information current and provide proof when required.
The main thing to avoid is cancelling correct cover or opening duplicate cover just because the passport number changed. If the policy itself is still the right one, protect continuity and fix the record properly.
Get Quote on GetMyPolicy.online to compare the best OVHC and OSHC providers to make your Australian Dreams smooth!
Q1. Can you transfer OSHC or OVHC to a new passport number?
Usually, you are not transferring the cover itself. You are updating the passport and identity details on the existing policy and then asking for corrected documentation if needed.
Q2. Do I need to tell Home Affairs if I get a new passport?
Yes. Home Affairs says you need to tell them when you get a new passport so it can be linked to your visa or application, and the quickest way is through ImmiAccount.
Q3. Do I also need to tell my insurer about the new passport number?
Yes, in practice you should. Bupa’s OSHC and OVHC rules say the policyholder must advise Bupa as soon as possible about a change in the identity information supplied for the insured person.
Q4. Should I cancel my current policy and buy a new one with the new passport?
Usually no. Cancelling first can create a gap or duplicate-cover issues. It is generally safer to update the existing policy record and ask for a reissued certificate if the cover itself is still correct.
Q5. What documents should I keep ready for a passport-number update?
Usually the new passport, old passport details, your current certificate, visa details if relevant, and any policyholder authorisation if someone else is helping manage the update. Bupa and nib rules both show that proof of identity and updated details can be required.
Q6. Will changing my passport number reset waiting periods?
Not by itself, if it is handled as a member-details update on the same active policy. Waiting period risk usually appears when people create a gap, cancel, or duplicate cover instead of updating the record properly.
Q7. What if my visa or insured group also changed with the new passport?
Then the issue may be bigger than a passport-number update. You may need a policy correction, insured-group update, or even a different cover type if the visa pathway changed.
Q8. Which providers can I review on GetMyPolicy.online?
For OSHC, GetMyPolicy currently highlights nib, Medibank, Allianz Care Australia, and ahm. For OVHC, it highlights AIA, Bupa, nib, Medibank, and Allianz Care Australia.
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