An animated, step-by-step explainer: enrol in Medicare, get your card, add it to your phone wallet and what to do when something changes.
Follow the process in six short steps, from enrolling to using your card. Swipe or tap Next.
You get a Medicare card when you enrol in Medicare, and you need to be in Australia to enrol.[1] You can enrol online through myGov, or complete a Medicare enrolment form and mail or email it with your supporting documents to Medicare Enrolment Services.[1]
Services Australia sets who can enrol and which documents are needed; its eligibility pages are the place to check your own situation.[1] Tap a chip to highlight one way.
When Services Australia receives your completed enrolment form and supporting documents, it processes them. You then get your card in the mail in 3 to 4 weeks.[2]
If you enrolled through myGov, you can view the status of your application there, and a status change sends a message to your myGov inbox.[3]
A family card shows each member’s name and an individual reference number under one Medicare number.[4] You can only be on 2 Medicare cards at the same time, and from age 15 you can have your own card.[2]
If a card lists a partner or children, Services Australia suggests an extra card; you can only get one extra card.[2]
The picture uses placeholders only. AskMyGP never asks for or stores a Medicare number.
To use a digital copy, add it to the wallet in the myGov app: open the app, go to Wallet, select the plus icon and follow the steps.[5] You need a myGov account with Medicare linked to it first.[5]
You can link Medicare to myGov using your Medicare card details.[3] The Express Plus Medicare app was retired on 1 November 2025, so the myGov app is the place for the digital card.[6]
Services Australia says to bring your valid Medicare card or number when you visit a health professional.[7] A digital copy can be used if you don’t have your card with you, though it’s a good idea to still carry the physical card.[2,5]
When a Medicare claim is made, the information is matched to the details on your card.[2]
A lost, stolen or damaged card can be replaced.[2] A newborn can be enrolled using the Newborn Child Declaration from the hospital.[8]
Visitors from countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement get a yellow card, valid until the expiry date on it. To continue to access Medicare, the criteria for your country must be met and you need to re-enrol.[2]
No Medicare card? → Digital Medicare card →Sources reviewed November 2026. The diagram is a simplified schematic and is not to scale.
General information only. It does not decide whether you are eligible for Medicare or what you can claim, and it is not medical or legal advice. Check your own situation with Services Australia. AskMyGP never asks for or stores your Medicare number.