Alberta - Apply for Health Care Insurance Plan

ProcedureEdit

Registering at an Authorized Registry Agent OfficeEdit

Complete an AHCIP Coverage application form. The application form is also available at registry agent offices or by mail if you contact us.
Bring original documents to the registry agent office.
Processing time can take up to 5 days.

AHCIP Coverage Application Forms:
http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/forms.html

Registering by Mail or FaxEdit

Complete an AHCIP Coverage application form.
Send photocopies (front and back as applicable) of your documents.
Processing time can take up to 6 weeks.

AHCIP Coverage Application Forms:
http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/forms.html

Required DocumentsEdit

Alberta residency

Document must show name and current Alberta address, which must be the same as on the application

- Current Alberta drivers license
- Current Alberta registries identity card
- Current utility bills for an Alberta residence
- A current pay stub, bank statement or lease agreement may be submitted as proof of Alberta residency as long as it includes your full name and Alberta address.
Government issued photo identification

Document must be government issued identification (ID) which shows your photo, name and birth date

- Canadian/Non-Canadian passport
- Canadian citizenship card
- Permanent Resident Card
- Federal identification card
- Current Alberta, provincial or territorial drivers license.
Legal entitlement to be in Canada

Document must be ID which shows your name and birth date

Canadian passport
Canadian citizenship card
Canadian birth certificate
Permanent Resident Card
Canada entry document

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

To inquire about your account or update personal information, please quote your personal health number (not in an email*):

In person:

Albertans may register for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) coverage and update their information at participating registry agent office locations across the province, free of charge.

Telephone:

780-427-1432 (Edmonton) MondayFriday 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Closed statutory holid

EligibilityEdit

All eligible residents of Alberta must register themselves and their dependants with the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP). If you are a new or returning Alberta resident, you must register for AHCIP coverage to receive insured hospital and physician services.
No eligible Alberta resident with appropriate documentation will be denied coverage.

Eligible residentsEdit

An eligible resident of Alberta is a person who is:
- Legally entitled to be or to remain in Canada and makes his/her permanent home in Alberta;
- Committed to being physically present in Alberta for at least 183 days in a 12 month period;
- Not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another province, territory or country;
- Any other person deemed by the regulations to be a resident not including a tourist, transient or visitor to Alberta.
When you move to Alberta from another province or country, there may be a waiting period before you become eligible for coverage under the AHCIP.

For those Moving to AlbertaEdit

Moving to Alberta from elsewhere in CanadaEdit

If you are moving to Alberta from elsewhere in Canada, you are eligible for AHCIP coverage on the first day of the third month following your date of arrival. You should register within 3 months of arrival. If you apply later, the effective date of your coverage will be determined when you register. If you are moving within Alberta, please update your information.

Moving to Alberta from outside Canada / immigrantsEdit

If you are moving or returning to Alberta from outside Canada, you might be eligible for coverage on the date of your arrival. You must register within 3 months of arrival. Newcomers to Canada are required to present a copy of their Canada entry document along with their other supporting documents.
Contact us for more information if you or your dependants hold temporary immigration documents.
To apply for coverage, complete and submit the Application for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan Coverage (Form AHC0102), also available at an authorized registry agent location.

Arriving ahead of your dependantsEdit

If your dependants plan to join you in Alberta later, you should maintain coverage for your family and yourself at the location where your dependants still live. Contact us for more information if your dependants do not intend to move here within 12 months of your arrival.
If you apply for AHCIP coverage for yourself and your family within 3 months of their arrival, coverage will be effective on the first day of the third month after they arrive.

Temporary residentsEdit

Out of province studentsEdit

If you are a student from another province or territory studying in Alberta and intend to move back home after your studies, you must maintain your health insurance coverage from your home province.

Residents from out of countryEdit

Canada entry documents are required to apply for AHCIP coverage.
Alberta Health requires applicants to include one of the following documents from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) with your application for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) coverage:
- Confirmation of permanent residence
- Permanent resident card
- Active work* (minimum 6 months), study* or visitor* permit for Alberta or a designation as a Convention Refugee with accompanying documentation

NOTE: Not all Alberta permits qualify the permit holder for health care insurance coverage in Alberta.

You may wish to purchase Visitor to Canada Insurance, which is available from private insurance companies, if you are physically present in Canada but not eligible for AHCIP coverage.

Foreign studentsEdit

If you are a student from outside Canada, you may be eligible for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan coverage. You will need to apply for AHCIP coverage. Students under 18 years of age must be added to the AHCIP account of a custodian.

Students who have a 12 month Study Permit (valid for an Alberta educational institute) and who will reside in Alberta for 12 months or more are eligible for AHCIP coverage.
Students with Study Permits valid for more than 3 months, but less than 12 months, may be eligible for AHCIP coverage if their application is accompanied by a letter from the student confirming their intent to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months.
If the application is received within 3 months of your entry into Alberta, coverage is effective on the date of either entry into Alberta or the date signed on the Study Permit, whichever is later.

Temporary workers / extended work permitsEdit

(minimum 6 month permits)

AHCIP coverage is valid from the date signed (or the date of your arrival into Alberta whichever is later) until the expiry date noted on your work permit that was submitted to Alberta Health when you applied.
If your work permit has been renewed or extended, please provide Alberta Health with a copy of the new work permit in order to extend or reinstate your AHCIP coverage.
If Alberta Health does not receive a copy of your renewed or extended work permit, your AHCIP coverage will be cancelled on the expiry date noted on the previous work permit.
You may submit a copy of your renewed or extended work permit by mail or fax, or by visiting an authorized registry agent (original documents are required at the registry office).

Non-eligible residentsEdit

Non-eligible residents include members of the Canadian Armed Forces and federal penitentiary inmates. These residents receive coverage from the Federal Government. Dependants of these non-eligible residents, who reside in Alberta, must be registered with the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
Babies born in Alberta to a non-resident of Alberta are not considered residents of Alberta and are therefore not eligible for coverage with the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.

DependantsEdit

Dependants are defined as:
- Married spouses must register together
- Separated spouses may register together or separately
- Divorced spouses must register separately
- Adult interdependent partners may register together or separately
- Single children under the age of 21 and wholly dependent on the parent(s), including adopted children, foster children (if an income tax deduction was claimed) and wards of the court.
- In cases of separation or divorce, the custodial parent registers the children.
- In cases of joint custody, children are registered on the account of one or the other parent, but not both, as agreed to by both parents.
- Single children who are 21 years of age or older and wholly dependent on the parent(s) because of physical or mental disabilities
- Single children who are under 25 years of age and in full-time attendance at an accredited educational institute

FeesEdit

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

ValidityEdit

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to UseEdit

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Sample DocumentsEdit

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Processing TimeEdit

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

InstructionsEdit

Please provide instructions on obtaining the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required InformationEdit

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the DocumentEdit

All new and returning Alberta residents must register for the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) coverage to receive insured hospital and physician services.

Information which might helpEdit

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External LinksEdit

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OthersEdit

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