As an international student, you need medical insurance to cover the costs of:
- visiting your local doctor or clinic, or a student healthcare centre on campus
- healthcare like a doctor's prescription for medicine
- going to hospital if you need to
- serious illness.
Even if you work in New Zealand on your student visa, you need to pay full healthcare costs. Having suitable medical and travel insurance is a condition of all student visas.
You also need to have travel insurance to cover you and your possessions before you arrive in New Zealand and while you are here. For example, if you lose or damage your computer, travel documents or musical instruments like guitars.
Studentsafe insurance
We have worked with Studentsafe and other New Zealand universities to design a special insurance policy for international students. Studentsafe insurance meets the legal requirements in the New Zealand Government's Code of Practice for Pastoral Care of International Students
As an international student at Massey, you are automatically covered by Studentsafe insurance. You can choose other insurance policies as long as they meet the requirements that Massey and other universities follow. Studentsafe is backed by Allianz, which is one of the world’s largest insurance companies.
See more about Studentsafe from InsurancesafeNZ
What Studentsafe covers
Studentsafe medical insurance covers everyday healthcare, like visits to the doctor and prescriptions. You are also insured against the costs of:
- serious accident or illness in New Zealand
- plane tickets if you or someone in your family overseas is critically ill.
Studentsafe travel insurance starts 31 days before you arrive in New Zealand to begin your studies. Whenever you travel between New Zealand and your home country, it includes the costs of:
- travel delays
- lost or damaged baggage
- lost or damaged personal possessions.
Full details of the Studentsafe insurance policy (PDF, 955KB)
Length of Studentsafe insurance
Studentsafe medical and travel insurance policies last as long as your studies in New Zealand.
Studentsafe insurance covers you over semester breaks. This includes travel to your home country over the summer break and coming back to New Zealand the next year to study.
Costs of Studentsafe insurance
The cost of Studentsafe insurance depends on how long it lasts. The cost of an insurance policy is called a 'premium'. This table shows Studentsafe premiums in New Zealand dollars for one person in 2025. There is a minimum charge of two months' cover.
| Length of time | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 academic year | $855 |
| 1 semester | $427.50 |
| Short courses of less than 1 month | $142.50 minimum cover (2 months) |
Getting Studentsafe insurance
You don’t need to do anything to get Studentsafe insurance. You are automatically covered by Studentsafe insurance when you accept your Offer of Place at Massey.
If you have been charged insurance and are studying outside New Zealand, please contact us.
Pre-existing conditions
You need to declare any pre-existing medical conditions that Studentsafe insurance may need to cover. A 'pre-existing medical condition' is any illness, injury or health condition you have had before you arrive in New Zealand.
Fill in this form to declare pre-existing conditions
Email your completed form to MedicalAssessments@allianz-assistance.co.nz
If you require cover for your pre-existing medical conditions, you must complete the Medical Risk Assessment form and email it to Allianz within 31 days of arriving in New Zealand. Your insurance premiums or costs may be higher than standard Studentsafe cover.
If you do not declare pre-existing conditions, your insurance policy will not cover medical costs linked to these conditions. So you will be asked to pay when you see the doctor or nurse about these pre-existing conditions.
Family cover
If you are bringing your partner or family to New Zealand, you can apply for Studentsafe insurance for them. If your children go to school in New Zealand, they also need to have medical insurance. It is not compulsory for adult visitors to get travel and medical insurance but it is wise to have it.
The cost of Studentsafe family cover depends on who it is for and how long it lasts. This table gives premiums in New Zealand dollars for couple and family cover in 2025.
| Length of time | Couple cover – student and partner, or student and child | Family cover – student and 2 or more family members |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | $1,710.00 | $2,137.50 |
| 1 semester | $1,016.00 | $1,270.00 |
You need to fill in a form to apply for couple or family cover. You can do this at any time.
Email the completed form to admission@massey.ac.nz
If your partner or family have any pre-existing medical conditions, you need to declare them. Fill in the form about pre-existing conditions for each person with health conditions.
Renewing your insurance
Each time you enrol in a course at Massey, your Studentsafe insurance is automatically extended.
If you are studying a qualification that lasts:
- more than one year, your insurance renews automatically for the next year
- two semesters, your insurance renews automatically for the second semester.
Your insurance premium is added to the cost of your fees. See your fee and insurance costs in an invoice by logging in to the student portal.
If you have a family cover insurance policy, you need to apply to renew it each year. Remember to declare any pre-existing conditions each year for you, your partner or family.
Changing your insurance
You need to tell Studentsafe about any changes in your health or family in New Zealand. For example, family changes like:
- a new baby or other family members joining you in New Zealand
- family members returning to your home country.
We tell Studentsafe about changes to your study, including:
- suspending your studies
- withdrawing from university.
Depending on the changes, you may need to pay a higher insurance premium.
Claiming on your insurance
If you want to claim on your Studentsafe insurance, you need your:
- student ID number
- bank account details so the insurer can pay you
- documentation to support your claim – for example, medical reports, police report, receipts, airline tickets or proof of ownership.
It is easy to make a Studentsafe claim online.
See full details on the Insurance Safe NZ website
Healthcare claims
With Studentsafe insurance, you do not need to make an insurance claim each time you visit the doctor or nurse in a Massey student health centre. This is done automatically unless your visit is related to a pre-existing condition.
You can register with the Student Health and Counselling Centre on your campus as an international patient. Appointments at Massey health centres are convenient and cheaper than seeing a doctor or nurse off campus. The fees for all healthcare appointments include Goods and Services Tax (GST).
If you have other medical insurance, you may have to pay whenever you see a doctor or nurse. Then you have to claim back the cost from your insurer later.
Student health centres on campus
Your partner and family cannot register with a student health centre so you need to find them a local clinic or healthcare centre.
Learn about health services in New Zealand
ACC –Accident Compensation Scheme
If you are hurt in an accident in New Zealand, the Accident Compensation Scheme (ACC) may cover some or all of your medical costs. ACC is for anyone in New Zealand who is injured in an accident, but does not cover illness.
To claim from ACC, you need to see a doctor. The doctor fills in ACC paperwork if it is needed.
Check what ACC covers for visitors to New Zealand
Other insurance policies
If you want to use an insurance policy that is not Studentsafe, it needs to meet the legal requirements as set out in the Code of Practice for Pastoral Care of International Students. Having suitable insurance is a condition of all student visas.
We need to approve any other insurance policies you want to use. We can only approve insurance that meets the legal requirements for international students in New Zealand. If you do not have the right insurance, this may affect your enrolment at Massey.
The following insurance policies have been assessed and are compliant for international students studying in New Zealand:
- Uni-Care Ltd – New Zealand Student Plan and New Zealand Visitor Plan
- Southern Cross International Student Travel Insurance
- Orbit Protect Prime Plan
- SITE – First-Class Foreign Travel Insurance Plan (Germany)
- Swedish State – Student UT Plan (Sweden)
Getting other policies approved
If you want to use an insurance policy that is not Studentsafe, we need to approve it before you start studying in New Zealand
At least four weeks before your semester start date, send us:
- the detailed policy
- a copy of your insurance certificate.
If these documents are not in English, they need to be translated into English.
Email your insurance details to admission@massey.ac.nz.
If your insurance policy is not approved
If your insurance policy does not meet legal requirements, you are automatically enrolled with Studentsafe for that semester. This means you need to pay the Studentsafe premium.