Enrolling your new baby in Medicare allows them to access free or low cost healthcare and prescription medicines. Your baby will also get free treatment in a public hospital. Here is some information to help you enrol your newborn in Medicare.

As soon as you add your baby to your Medicare card, they can get free, or lower cost healthcare.

How do I add my baby to my Medicare card?

If your baby is less than 1 year old, you can register them using a Newborn Child Declaration form. This form is provided in the Parent Pack you get from your midwife or hospital. The back page of the form needs to be filled out by the midwife or doctor who was at your baby’s birth. Submitting this form automatically enrols your baby in Medicare.

You should fill in the Newborn Child Declaration form and submit it through either:

• your Medicare online account through myGov
• your Centrelink online account through myGov
• your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app

You can also enrol your baby using your Centrelink online account when you claim any of these payments:

• Family Tax Benefit including Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement
• Parental Leave Pay
• Dad and Partner Pay

A new Medicare card with your baby’s name on it will be sent to you in 3 to 4 weeks. You can get a digital version of the card straight away in the Express Plus Medicare app.

What if I don’t have a Newborn Child Declaration form?

If you don’t have a Newborn Child Declaration form, or if your baby is older than 1 year, you can use a Medicare enrolment application form. You will need your child’s birth certificate and some supporting documents. You can mail or email the form to Medicare.

Read more on the Services Australia website.

What if I’m Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander?

If you want to add an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander baby to your Medicare card and you do not have identification documents, you should fill in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare enrolment and amendment form.

You will need someone to be a referee and sign the form. The form explains who can be a referee.

If you need help with the form you can call the Indigenous access line on 1800 556 955 Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm.

When to enrol your newborn in Medicare

It is a good idea to add your baby as soon as possible after they are born. Once your baby is on your Medicare card, they will be able to receive free or subsidised healthcare through Medicare.

Whose Medicare card should my baby be added to?

You can add your baby to either parent’s Medicare card. Once your baby is on your Medicare card you can copy your baby onto 1 other Medicare card.

Other things to consider when enrolling your baby in Medicare

If you are the baby’s mother, you can use the Newborn Child Declaration form to be an Authorised Representative for your baby’s My Health Record, a secure online summary of their health information. This allows you to share your child’s health information with doctors and other healthcare providers online.

Enrolling your baby in Medicare will also register them with the Australian Immunisation Register. This register keeps track of your child’s immunisations.

You can visit Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s health service finder to find local health services in your area.