Australians and the UK's health surcharge
Australian nationals are exempt from the health surcharge but will still need to complete a simple online process.
From 6 April, people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) visiting the UK for longer than six months will need to pay a health surcharge.
Australian nationals are exempt from this surcharge because of existing reciprocal health arrangements. However, you will still need to complete a simple online process to receive a unique surcharge reference number. Quoting this number on your immigration forms will help to avoid any unnecessary delay when processing your application.
Note: The exemption applies only to Australian and New Zealand nationals. It does not apply to people of other nationalities who apply for a long term visa (more than 6 months) from Australia.
To get a unique surcharge reference number, Australians should visit the Health Surcharge website and complete the online process. This should be done before your appointment at one of our Visa Application Centres.
For more details on the surcharge, what it costs (for those who are not exempted) and why it was introduced please see this document.