Health & care
The RAMQ card, finding a doctor, the pharmacy, the dentist and mental health.
Register with RAMQ: Get Your Carte Soleil
Register with RAMQ online or by phone and get your carte soleil, step by step. The waiting period (up to 3 months) starts when you register, if you are in Quebec with all your documents.
Seeing a Doctor in Quebec: Family, Walk-in or Online
How to see a doctor in Quebec: family doctor, walk-in clinics, ERs, and telehealth.
Recommended Vaccines for Adult Newcomers in Quebec
Which vaccines to check on arrival, where to get them at the CLSC, and why to bring your vaccination record.
Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs in Quebec
Quebec's public drug insurance (RAMQ), pharmacies, fees and deductibles: how to fill and pay for your prescriptions as a newcomer.
Health Care for Asylum Seekers in Quebec
How to get care without a RAMQ card: the Interim Federal Health Program for asylum seekers, and clinics for people with no coverage at all.
Seeing a Doctor in Quebec: Family, Walk-in or Online
How to see a doctor in Quebec: family doctor, walk-in clinics, ERs, and telehealth.
Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs in Quebec
Quebec's public drug insurance (RAMQ), pharmacies, fees and deductibles: how to fill and pay for your prescriptions as a newcomer.
Finding Healthcare in Montréal
How to navigate Montreal's health network: walk-in clinics, ERs, 811 and pharmacies.
Register with RAMQ: Get Your Carte Soleil
Register with RAMQ online or by phone and get your carte soleil, step by step. The waiting period (up to 3 months) starts when you register, if you are in Quebec with all your documents.
Going to the Dentist in Quebec
Dental care in Quebec: what the public plan covers (very little), private insurance, real prices for a check-up or filling, and low-cost options.
Optometrist and Glasses in Quebec: Costs and Options
Understanding the costs of eye care in Quebec, what RAMQ covers, options for glasses and contacts, and where to find affordable care.
Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs in Quebec
Quebec's public drug insurance (RAMQ), pharmacies, fees and deductibles: how to fill and pay for your prescriptions as a newcomer.
Recommended Vaccines for Adult Newcomers in Quebec
Which vaccines to check on arrival, where to get them at the CLSC, and why to bring your vaccination record.
Mental Health in Quebec: Where to Find Help
Understanding access to mental health care in Quebec, free resources available, how to navigate the system and where to go in a crisis.
Crisis Lines in Quebec: Suicide, Distress, Violence
Every life-saving number, sorted by situation — free, confidential, 24/7, often multilingual.
Emergency Help in Quebec: Money, Housing, Food
What to do and who to call when everything collapses — the three numbers that unlock help, no status or paperwork needed.
Domestic Violence in Quebec: Finding Help
Recognizing abuse, free shelters, and the truth about your immigration status if you leave.
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Browse by chapter
L'assurance maladie (RAMQ)
S'inscrire à la RAMQ, obtenir la carte et savoir ce qu'elle couvre.
Voir un professionnel de la santé
Médecin de famille ou sans rendez-vous, pharmacie, dentiste, optométriste et vaccins.
- 01Seeing a Doctor in Quebec: Family, Walk-in or OnlineHow to see a doctor in Quebec: family doctor, walk-in clinics, ERs, and telehealth.
- 02Pharmacy and Prescription Drugs in QuebecQuebec's public drug insurance (RAMQ), pharmacies, fees and deductibles: how to fill and pay for your prescriptions as a newcomer.
- 03Going to the Dentist in QuebecDental care in Quebec: what the public plan covers (very little), private insurance, real prices for a check-up or filling, and low-cost options.
- 04Optometrist and Glasses in Quebec: Costs and OptionsUnderstanding the costs of eye care in Quebec, what RAMQ covers, options for glasses and contacts, and where to find affordable care.
- 05Recommended Vaccines for Adult Newcomers in QuebecWhich vaccines to check on arrival, where to get them at the CLSC, and why to bring your vaccination record.
Santé mentale et situations particulières
Où trouver de l'aide en santé mentale, et les soins pour les demandeurs d'asile ou les personnes sans couverture.
- 01Mental Health in Quebec: Where to Find HelpUnderstanding access to mental health care in Quebec, free resources available, how to navigate the system and where to go in a crisis.
- 02Health Care for Asylum Seekers in QuebecHow to get care without a RAMQ card: the Interim Federal Health Program for asylum seekers, and clinics for people with no coverage at all.
À Montréal
Trouver des soins à Montréal, et se protéger pendant les vagues de chaleur.
- 01Finding Healthcare in MontréalHow to navigate Montreal's health network: walk-in clinics, ERs, 811 and pharmacies.
- 02Summer Heat and Heat Waves in Montréal: How to PrepareSurviving summer heat waves in Montréal — free cooling sites, financial aid, signs of heat stroke and practical advice for new residents.
Recent changes that matter to newcomers.
Mistakes that cost months.
Waiting until you are sick to register with RAMQ
The waiting period (up to 3 months) starts on the date you register, if you are in Quebec with all the required documents: register as soon as you're eligible. Current rules: RAMQ's eligibility conditions.
Not signing up for the GAMF
Without a GAMF registration, you're on no list for a family doctor. Declare all your health problems: priority depends on your medical profile.
Going to the ER for everything
Without a family doctor, 811 (option 3) directs you to the GAP, and the pharmacist can handle many minor problems. Keep the ER for real emergencies.
Step-by-step journey · 01/08
Just arrived
Your first actions, in order. From day 1 to the end of your first month.
- 1SIN
- 2Open a bank account
- 3Permanent housing
- 4RAMQ
- 5Phone and internet
- 6Public transit
~2–3 weeks · 6 steps
The topic in brief
Understanding Quebec's health system
In Quebec, the public health system rests on the RAMQ health insurance card. Register as soon as you're eligible. According to RAMQ's eligibility conditions, coverage usually begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months, which starts on the date you register if you are in Quebec and have all the required documents in hand; it does not apply to children under 18. These rules can change: check them on the RAMQ website.
Finding a doctor
Many people have no family doctor when they arrive. There is a waiting list, the GAMF, that you sign up for to get one. Meanwhile, the GAP lets you get care when you don't have one: you reach it through 811, option 3. GMFs are clinics where several doctors, nurses and other professionals work together.
The pharmacy
It's often the first stop. The pharmacist fills your prescriptions and can advise you on minor problems. Prescription drugs are covered by a drug insurance plan, public or private depending on your situation.
Care that isn't covered the same way
The dentist and the optometrist work differently from the doctor: what's covered depends on your age and situation. Each guide says where to check.
Mental health and special situations
There are free resources and crisis lines. Asylum seekers who don't have a RAMQ card have access to a federal health program, and some clinics see people with no coverage at all.
Your questions about Health & care
Answers to the questions readers ask most about this topic.