New to Alberta? How to get set up in the health care system

Moving to Alberta means signing up for the province’s health plan, knowing where to go when you get sick, and knowing what you will pay for yourself. This guide walks through each step in plain language. Every rule links to the official page, and that page always has the final word.

This guide explains the rules as the Government of Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Alberta Health Services and the Government of Canada state them. It is not medical or immigration advice. Last checked October 16, 2026.

What to do first

1. Apply for your Alberta health cardApply within 3 months of settling in Alberta. Take the completed form and your original documents to a registry agent. There is no charge. (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP)
2. Know when your coverage startsFrom another province, coverage starts on the first day of the third month, so keep your old card until then. From outside Canada, you may be covered from the day you settled if you apply within 3 months. (Source: alberta.ca, Apply for health care coverage if you move to Alberta)
3. Save 811 in your phoneHealth Link 811 is free and open 24 hours a day. Registered nurses answer and can help you decide where to go. (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811)
4. Start looking for a family doctorSearch Alberta Find a Provider for clinics, family doctors and nurse practitioners taking patients, or ask for help finding one. (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Alberta Find a Provider)
5. Learn where to go before you need itA pharmacist, a walk-in clinic, an urgent care centre and an emergency department each handle different problems. See the table below.
6. Check what is not coveredRoutine dental care, routine eye exams for adults 19 to 64 and prescription drugs outside hospital are not covered by the provincial plan. Programs exist for some of them. (Source: alberta.ca, Health care services covered in Alberta)

Getting your Alberta health card

Alberta’s public plan is the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP). It gives eligible residents full coverage for medically necessary physician services, and covers standard hospital stays (Source: alberta.ca, Health care services covered in Alberta). You need an Alberta personal health card to receive insured hospital and health services, and you show it with photo identification when you get care (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP).

Who registers

• Moving from another province or territory: register if you plan to live in Alberta for 12 months or more. Students and temporary workers from another province should keep their home province’s coverage (Source: alberta.ca, Apply for health care coverage if you move to Alberta).
• Moving from outside Canada: you may be eligible from the date you established residency (Source: alberta.ca, Apply for health care coverage if you move to Alberta).
• Temporary workers and students from another country: you need to intend to live in Alberta for at least 12 consecutive months, and your work permit or study permit has its own conditions (for example, a work permit for an Alberta employer, or a study permit with a letter confirming full-time attendance at an Alberta school). Your card expires when your entry document does (Source: alberta.ca, Health care coverage for temporary residents).

How to apply

1. Complete the Application form for AHCIP Coverage (AHC0102) (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP).
2. Gather original documents that prove three things: that you live in Alberta (for example a rental agreement or a utility bill), who you are (for example a passport or permanent resident card) and that you are legally entitled to be in Canada (for example a work or study permit). Without them, the application cannot be processed (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP).
3. Bring the form and documents to a registry agent. There is no charge (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP).
4. Processing can take up to 5 days. Paper cards are mailed to your home, so give a current mailing address (Source: alberta.ca, How to apply for AHCIP).

When coverage starts, and what to do before then

If your spouse or children join you later, Alberta says you can keep their coverage through your previous province for up to 12 months (Source: alberta.ca, Apply for health care coverage if you move to Alberta).

Visitors and people without coverage. Alberta advises visitors to buy travel or visitor-to-Canada insurance from a private insurer before they come. You will not be denied emergency medical care in Alberta even without insurance, but the care may be billed to you (Source: alberta.ca, Health care coverage for temporary residents).

Refugees and asylum claimants. The federal Interim Federal Health Program gives limited and temporary coverage until you are eligible for provincial insurance or leave Canada (Source: Government of Canada, Interim Federal Health Program). Groups that can qualify include resettled refugees, protected persons and some asylum claimants. Check the eligibility page for your situation (Source: Government of Canada, Interim Federal Health Program: who is eligible).

Finding a family doctor or nurse practitioner

A family doctor provides ongoing, complete care for people of all ages and supports specialist or hospital care when you need it. A nurse practitioner can assess, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications and provide ongoing care (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Navigating care options).

• Search yourself: Alberta Find a Provider shows clinics, family doctors and nurse practitioners taking patients in your area (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Alberta Find a Provider).
• Ask for help: the same site has a “With help” option. Share your information and they will contact you (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Alberta Find a Provider). Health Link’s Navigation Services can also help you find a new doctor (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811).
• Browse clinics: our list of family practice clinics in Alberta shows hours, phone numbers and directions. Call a clinic to ask whether it is taking new patients.

Walk-in clinics while you wait

Walk-in clinics handle illnesses and injuries that are not life-threatening but need prompt attention (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Navigating care options). They are useful while you look for a family doctor. Bring your health card and photo identification.

Find one near you: walk-in clinics in Alberta, by city (for example Calgary and Edmonton), or the walk-in clinics near me map. Hours change, so call before you go.

Health Link also offers Virtual MD, which connects patients with doctors online or by phone for non-emergency care, daily from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811).

Pharmacies and what pharmacists can do

Pharmacists provide medications, health advice and services such as immunizations, prescription refills and medication reviews (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Navigating care options). If you have valid AHCIP coverage, you may be eligible for some pharmacy services at no charge, including (Source: alberta.ca, Pharmacy services and fees):

• renewing a prescription, or adapting or modifying one
• a prescription in an emergency
• an injection, and publicly funded vaccines
• help managing diabetes or quitting smoking
• a medication management assessment or annual care plan

The medicine itself is a separate cost: prescription drugs outside hospital are not covered by AHCIP (see what is not covered). Find a pharmacy: pharmacies in Alberta.

Health Link 811

Health Link is a free phone line, open 24 hours a day. Registered nurses answer, and you can also reach dietitians and mental health and rehabilitation clinicians (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811). If you are unsure where to go for care, Alberta suggests calling 811 for advice on your symptoms and options (Source: alberta.ca, Know your options).

The Health Link page has a section on help in other languages, including translation in 23 Indigenous languages and American Sign Language interpretation (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811).

Urgent care or emergency?

Alberta Health Services posts estimated emergency department wait times for several cities (Source: Alberta Health Services, Emergency department wait times). Our urgent care and hospital listings for Alberta show addresses and phone numbers.

What is not covered, and the programs that help

AHCIP does not pay for everything. Here is what Alberta says about dental care, eye exams, prescriptions, ambulances and other providers (Source: alberta.ca, Health care services covered in Alberta):

The programs, in brief

• Canadian Dental Care Plan (federal): you must meet all four requirements, including no access to private dental insurance, an adjusted family net income under $90,000, being a Canadian resident for tax purposes and having filed a tax return in Canada (Source: Government of Canada, Do you qualify: Canadian Dental Care Plan).
• Non-Group Coverage (Alberta Blue Cross): open to Alberta residents under 65 and their dependants registered with AHCIP. It covers prescription drugs on the Alberta Drug Benefit List, ambulance services and more, for a monthly premium of $63.50 (single) or $118.00 (family), lower for low incomes. Your start date depends on when you apply, and newcomers who apply soon after moving can start sooner (Source: alberta.ca, Non-Group Coverage).
• Coverage for Seniors: premium-free prescription drug coverage for people 65 and older with active AHCIP coverage, added automatically once your age is validated (Source: alberta.ca, Coverage for Seniors Program).
• Alberta Child Health Benefit: dental care, prescription drugs, eyeglasses and emergency ambulance trips for children in low-income families. Family members must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents (Source: alberta.ca, Alberta Child Health Benefit).
• Alberta Adult Health Benefit: dental, medications, vision care and more for adults in low-income households who are pregnant or have high ongoing prescription drug needs, among others. Citizens and permanent residents only (Source: alberta.ca, Alberta Adult Health Benefit).

Care in your language

Health Link can help in other languages (Source: Primary Care Alberta, Health Link 811). For clinics, we list the ones whose own websites say staff speak a language, wherever at least three in a city do. When you call, ask whether someone who speaks your language will be in for your visit.

Questions

Sources

We read each of these pages on October 16, 2026. Most do not show an update date, so check the page itself before you rely on a detail. If something here disagrees with the official page, the official page is right, and we would like to hear about it at our contact page.

• alberta.ca: How to apply for AHCIP
• alberta.ca: Apply for health care coverage if you move to Alberta
• alberta.ca: Health care coverage for temporary residents
• alberta.ca: Health care services covered in Alberta
• alberta.ca: Know your options
• alberta.ca: Pharmacy services and fees
• alberta.ca: Non-Group Coverage
• alberta.ca: Coverage for Seniors Program
• alberta.ca: Alberta Child Health Benefit
• alberta.ca: Alberta Adult Health Benefit
• Primary Care Alberta: Navigating care options
• Primary Care Alberta: Health Link 811
• Primary Care Alberta: Alberta Find a Provider
• Alberta Health Services: Emergency department wait times
• Government of Canada: Do you qualify: Canadian Dental Care Plan
• Government of Canada: Interim Federal Health Program
• Government of Canada: Interim Federal Health Program: who is eligible