The Quebec healthcare system is public and universal, funded through taxes. It offers excellent coverage, but works differently from what you may have experienced before.
RAMQ: your health passport
Your health insurance card (the "sun card") gives you access to medical consultations, exams, tests, hospitalizations, and surgeries in the public network, at no cost.
To register: apply online on the RAMQ website or in person with your passport, proof of immigration status, and proof of address.
Waiting period: 3 months (it starts from the date of your arrival in Quebec). Exception: if you're coming from a country with an agreement with Quebec (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, or Sweden), you may be covered from your arrival; the form depends on your country (for example, SE-401-Q-207 for France). Get temporary private insurance during this waiting period.
When and where to get care
811 (Info-Santé): free 24/7 nurse helpline, your first reflex for a non-urgent issue.
GAP (811 option 3): Guichet d'accès à la première ligne, consultation within 36 hours.
Rendez-vous santé Québec (rvsq.gouv.qc.ca): free online appointments at a clinic near you.
Bonjour Santé: paid service but efficient for appointments within 24 hours.
Emergency rooms: for serious cases. Wait times are often long for non-critical cases. Hospitals near Saint-Laurent: Sacré-Cœur, Lakeshore.
Family doctor
Register with the Guichet d'accès à un médecin de famille (GAMF) through Carnet santé Québec. Wait time: a few months to over a year. In the meantime: GAP, walk-in clinics, nurse practitioners.
What RAMQ covers and doesn't cover
Covered: doctor consultations, exams, hospitalizations, surgeries, emergency care, pregnancy, dental care for children under 10.
Not covered: adult dental care, eyeglasses/optical care (except under 18 and 65+), psychotherapy, private physiotherapy, ambulance ($125-400).
Tip: if your employer offers group insurance, take it.
For children
All children living in Quebec are covered by RAMQ, regardless of their parents' immigration status. Free vaccines at CLSCs and in schools.
