Does visitor insurance cover pregnancy and childbirth? Generally, no: it pays for unforeseen emergencies. Depending on the contract, pregnancy is excluded altogether, or routine prenatal care and the 9 weeks before and after the expected delivery date are. Protecto does, however, offer a visitor policy whose Maternity benefit covers a delivery occurring in the 9 weeks before the due date, up to $6,000, if the pregnancy began after the effective date. The newborn is not covered from birth by the mother’s policy.
This guide sets out what the visitor policies we offer provide, what giving birth costs in Quebec without public coverage, and which options exist depending on your status.
Insurance for unforeseen emergencies
Visitor insurance is emergency insurance. One of the contracts we offer puts it simply: travel insurance covers claims arising from sudden and unexpected situations, meaning accidents and emergencies, and typically not follow-up or recurrent care. The same passage, at the start of the policy, lists pregnancy among the examples of limitations and exclusions.
Two points stand out in the contracts:
- Routine care is generally not covered. Depending on the contract, routine prenatal care is excluded directly, or because pregnancy is excluded altogether. The exception: the Maternity benefit described above, up to $6,000 in the 9 weeks before the due date, if the pregnancy began after the policy’s effective date.
- A pregnancy already under way at purchase: check before you buy. Depending on the contract, it is excluded altogether, or in part, including routine care and the 9 weeks before and after the due date. In some contracts, the effective date cannot be earlier than the application: a pregnancy already under way at purchase therefore began before the effective date. The Maternity benefit does not apply to a pregnancy that began before the effective date. See also our guide on stable pre-existing conditions.
Two ways policies exclude pregnancy
Depending on the contract, pregnancy is excluded in one of two ways.
- Full exclusion. Some contracts exclude everything related to pregnancy: pregnancy, delivery, abortion, miscarriage and their complications. Even a miscarriage at 10 weeks is excluded.
- A window. Others exclude routine prenatal care, and pregnancy, delivery or complications of either in the 9 weeks before and the 9 weeks after the expected delivery date (in one of them, except as provided by the Maternity benefit). For a 40-week pregnancy, that means roughly anything after week 31. Outside that window, routine care and, in one of these contracts, a voluntary termination of pregnancy, these wordings do not expressly exclude a pregnancy complication, but they do not list it as a benefit either. Only the insurer can confirm how it would handle a claim. One of these contracts also excludes any pregnancy that began before the effective date.
Two takeaways:
- Depending on the contract, a full-term delivery is excluded, except with a Maternity benefit. The one Protecto offers covers a delivery occurring in the 9 weeks before the due date, up to $6,000, and requires the pregnancy to have begun after the effective date.
- Wordings change. This guide shows how policies are built. It does not replace reading the wording in force on the day you buy.
What about the baby?
As a rule, even when the mother is covered for a complication, the newborn is not covered by the mother’s policy. The baby is a new person, with no policy in their name.
If the baby needs to be hospitalized, Santé Montérégie’s 2026-2027 rate sheet for non-residents, for example, sets newborn hospitalization at $3,807 per day, with a separate rate for the mother of $4,749 per day. Its general intensive care rate, which is not specific to newborns, is $12,078 per day. These rates do not include physicians’ fees.
Depending on the contract, a newborn can be added to the policy, or insured under their own policy, from a minimum age, for example 15 or 30 days. Protecto offers a policy to which a newborn can be added from 15 days of age, for an additional premium. The FAQ section below explains how that works.
Citizenship does not settle the bill. A child born in Canada is a Canadian citizen, except for children of diplomats, consular officers, representatives of a foreign government or international civil servants. But RAMQ coverage depends on the child’s domicile and on the status of the parent the child lives with. Quebec covers a child born here if the parent they live with holds a stay authorization of more than 6 months, or if the child shows the intention to remain in Quebec for more than 6 months.
Two details. RAMQ issues a temporary certificate of registration, valid for 45 days, to a child born in Quebec when neither parent is eligible, as soon as it is informed of the birth. And the rule on a stay authorization of more than 6 months applies even if the parent’s authorization is valid for less than 6 months on the date of birth. These rules are in sections 2.1, 3 and 24.1 of the RAMQ regulation on eligibility and registration. Confirm your situation with RAMQ before the birth.
What giving birth costs in Quebec without RAMQ
The hospital fees charged to people who are not eligible are set by Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services. Physicians’ fees are added on top. According to a 2022 RAMQ report, a 200% surcharge applies to the cost of many hospital services billed to people not covered by RAMQ, including during the waiting period.
The Jewish General Hospital in Montreal publishes its fee structure for patients who are not eligible, with prices in effect until March 31, 2027:
| Item | Uncomplicated delivery | Complicated delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Mother’s hospital stay ($4,713 per day) | 2 days: $9,426 | 5 days: $23,565 |
| Prenatal outpatient services (hospital fees) | $2,000 | $3,500 |
| Obstetrician | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Anesthesiologist, if needed | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Deposit required | $15,426 | $31,065 |
Source: Jewish General Hospital, childbirth fees.
This deposit does not include everything. Physicians’ fees for prenatal consultations and ultrasounds are extra. The hospital’s fee structure covers an adult’s hospital stay and does not mention care for the baby. The hospital also notes that the number of hospital days can vary.
In 2019, using the rates of the time, the Observatoire des tout-petits reached a similar order of magnitude: between $8,934 and $17,280 for prenatal care and an uncomplicated delivery, without RAMQ. For a complicated delivery, the Jewish General’s required deposit slightly more than doubles, to $31,065.
Ask for the rate sheet of the hospital where the delivery could take place.
Who can get RAMQ coverage during pregnancy
RAMQ eligibility depends on immigration status and on the length of presence in Quebec.
Generally not eligible, according to a 2022 RAMQ report:
- visitor status holders, regardless of the length of the stay;
- study permit holders, except students from certain countries with a social security agreement with Quebec, such as France or Belgium;
- some open work permit holders;
- people present in Quebec for less than 6 months, regardless of status.
Generally eligible:
- foreign workers employed for more than 6 months with a work permit valid for more than 6 months that names the employer and the place of work;
- some open work permit holders, covered by a ministerial exemption according to the 2022 report: post-graduation workers, workers on a permanent residence pathway who work full time for more than 6 months for a Quebec employer, and holders of a bridging open work permit who have applied for permanent residence;
- a spouse accompanying an eligible worker, if she holds a stay authorization of more than 6 months herself.
RAMQ’s waiting period has an exception for pregnancy. Eligible newcomers normally wait up to 3 months before coverage starts. According to the Observatoire des tout-petits (2019), some services are free during that period, including care related to pregnancy, childbirth or termination of pregnancy. Under section 4 of the regulation, this period counts from registration: an adult becomes a resident or temporary resident of Quebec on the first day of the third month following the date of registration.
A practical tip: register with RAMQ as soon as you arrive if your status allows it. Every week of delay can mean bills you have to pay up front.
International students: check your institution’s plan
At UQAM, for example, international students must take out UQAM’s medical insurance offered by Desjardins. No other insurance is accepted, except RAMQ coverage or medical coverage from a cooperation organization for scholarship holders. UQAM asks students to read the Desjardins insurance documents carefully, especially the sections on pre-existing health conditions and pregnancy.
See also our international student insurance page.
Temporary workers: covering the wait
If your work permit makes you eligible for RAMQ, pregnancy and childbirth fall under the public plan, with the waiting-period exception described above. Private insurance then covers everything else in the first months: a fracture, an infection, emergency surgery.
If your permit does not make you eligible, for example some open work permits, you are in the same position as a visitor. Depending on the contract, a visitor policy excludes pregnancy in whole or in part, and a delivery will be billed at non-resident rates. Our foreign workers insurance page explains the options for the waiting period.
One thing to watch: if you buy your insurance after arriving, a waiting period applies to sickness, depending on the contract. See our guide to buying after arrival.
Checklist: before travelling pregnant, or inviting a pregnant relative
| Situation | Typically covered? | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Routine prenatal care | Almost never | Exception: a Maternity benefit, such as the one Protecto offers (9 weeks before the due date, $6,000 max, if the pregnancy began after the effective date). Otherwise plan to pay for it, or have it done before departure. |
| Full-term delivery | No, except with a Maternity benefit | Protecto offers a policy with a Maternity benefit covering a delivery occurring in the 9 weeks before the due date, up to $6,000, if the pregnancy began after the effective date. A birth after the due date is not covered. |
| Sudden complication before about week 31 | Depends on the contract | Does the policy cover pregnancy at all? What window around the due date is excluded? Did the pregnancy begin before the effective date? |
| Miscarriage | Depends on the contract | Some contracts exclude it by name or exclude pregnancy altogether. Others do not name it: ask the insurer how it is handled. |
| Complication in the last 9 weeks | Almost never | Excluded depending on the contract, except with a Maternity benefit, capped at $6,000, if the pregnancy began after the effective date. |
| Newborn care | No | Can the baby be added to a policy, from what age, and at what price? |
| Accident or illness unrelated to pregnancy | Can be covered | Subject to the policy’s conditions. Some contracts require that you know of no reason to seek medical consultation when you buy. |
Before departure, or before sending the invitation:
- Do the date math. Compare the expected delivery date with the exact dates of the stay. If the stay falls in the last 9 weeks, the pregnancy is excluded, except with a Maternity benefit, capped at $6,000, if the pregnancy began after the effective date.
- Answer every question accurately. Depending on the contract, an inaccurate or incomplete answer, or failing to disclose a material fact, can void the coverage or lead to a denied claim.
- Ask for the wording, not the brochure. Look for the words “pregnancy”, “delivery”, “expected date” and “child born during the trip”.
- Check the status. If the person can get RAMQ, that is often the best coverage for the pregnancy itself.
- Set aside an emergency budget. A hospital can require a deposit before admission. For an uncomplicated delivery at the Jewish General Hospital, it is $15,426.
- Keep the insurance anyway. Even if pregnancy is excluded, an unrelated accident or illness can be covered, subject to the policy’s conditions and exclusions. A visitor without insurance pays for everything.
- See a doctor before travelling. They can confirm the trip is safe at your stage of pregnancy. Check your airline’s rules too.
Visitor insurance and pregnancy at Protecto
Protecto offers:
- a visitor policy with a Maternity benefit, covering prenatal care, delivery or complications of either in the 9 weeks before the due date, up to $6,000, if the pregnancy began after the effective date;
- a policy to which a newborn can be added from 15 days of age, for an additional premium;
- visitor policies that cover accidents and illnesses unrelated to the pregnancy, subject to the contract’s conditions.
“Is pregnancy covered?” has no general answer. It has one answer per policy, and that answer is in the wording.
Before you buy, a licensed advisor can read the exact wording of the policy you are considering with you: the excluded window around the due date, how a known pregnancy is treated, what happens with the newborn. If no policy covers your situation, we tell you plainly, and we help you protect the rest of the stay.
Our clients rate us 4.9 stars on Google, across more than 700 reviews. Protecto is a firm registered with the Autorité des marchés financiers, number 602624. You get your price online in about 3 minutes. An advisor may call to help you choose, never to push.
Get your price or see our visitor insurance for Canada plans.
This article provides general information. Only your policy wording determines what is covered. The wordings and rates cited are those reviewed in September 2026. The 2019 and 2022 figures are dated in the text.
Sources
Checked on September 28, 2026.
- Jewish General Hospital, Childbirth fees (in French)
- Santé Montérégie, Tarification pour les non-résidents canadiens, 2026-2027 (in French)
- Observatoire des tout-petits, Accès aux soins de santé pour les femmes enceintes et les tout-petits de familles migrantes (2019, in French)
- Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, Portrait des femmes enceintes sans couverture santé au Québec (RAMQ report, June 28, 2022, in French)
- LégisQuébec, Regulation respecting eligibility and registration of persons in respect of the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (A-29, r. 1, sections 2.1, 3, 4 and 24.1)
- UQAM, Insurance for international students (in French)