How to enrol in BC's Medical Services Plan and get a BC Services Card: the wait period, the online application, and the ICBC office visit for adults.
Applies in: British Columbia
British Columbia's Medical Services Plan (MSP) is the provincial public health insurance plan, and the BC Services Card is the card that proves you are enrolled and lets you use it. The two steps are linked but distinct: enrolment in MSP is the coverage application, and the BC Services Card is the card you obtain to complete that enrolment. This guide covers registration mechanics only: how to apply, the wait period, and how the card is issued. It gives no health advice. All steps below come from the Government of British Columbia page on how to apply for MSP.
If you are new to Canada, apply for MSP as soon as you arrive. Your coverage may start three months after your arrival date in British Columbia. You should get private health care insurance while you wait. If you are moving from another province, arrange for coverage with your former medical plan during the wait period. If your family is not here yet, they need to keep their existing provincial health care; once they arrive, you can apply to add them to your plan, and the wait period for each family member will begin on their individual arrival date.
You can apply for MSP coverage, Supplementary Benefits, and Fair PharmaCare using the BC Application for Health and Drug Coverage. You can apply online or by submitting a paper form. Once your enrolment in MSP is complete, your applications for Supplementary Benefits and Fair PharmaCare will be processed.
New residents or persons re-establishing residence in BC may be eligible for coverage after completing a wait period that consists of the balance of the month in which residence is established, plus two months. The province states the wait period this way rather than as a flat number of days, so the exact start date depends on the day you establish residence. Apply as early as possible on arrival, because you may not be eligible for MSP benefits while your application is in process, even if your waiting period is complete.
To complete MSP enrolment and obtain a BC Services Card, adult family members follow the steps below. Most adults 18 years and six months of age and older need to visit a BC driver licensing office. You can book an appointment to visit an ICBC driver licensing office at a location and time that suits you, and walk-in services are available at all ICBC driver licensing locations. Check the ICBC website for office hours at your desired location.
At the ICBC driver licensing office, you will need to provide primary and secondary identification documents, declare that you are a BC resident, and have your photo taken. The BC Services Card provides eligible BC residents with access to provincial health care benefits, and your Personal Health Number (PHN) will be printed on your card.
Individuals under 18 years and six months of age and temporary document holders will automatically receive a non-photo BC Services Card in the mail from Health Insurance BC. If you already have MSP coverage and received a letter notifying you to renew your BC Services Card, you do not have to submit a new Application for MSP Enrolment; you only need to renew your BC Services Card, following the instructions on the letter.
If your MSP coverage will be under a group plan through your employer, union, or pension plan, contact your group administrator for more information on applying. The online application route described above is for people applying as individuals, not through a group plan.
The opened Government of British Columbia page states the wait-period formula, the application route, and the card steps set out above. It does not state a minimum residency length for MSP eligibility, a processing time for the MSP application, or any fee for MSP enrolment or the BC Services Card, so this guide states none of those figures. Confirm the residency rule, the expected processing time, and any fee with Health Insurance BC before you rely on a start date.
They are two linked but distinct steps. MSP enrolment is the application for Medical Services Plan coverage, made through the BC Application for Health and Drug Coverage. The BC Services Card is the separate card that completes your enrolment and gives you access to provincial health care benefits, with your Personal Health Number printed on it. Most adults must visit an ICBC driver licensing office to get the card after their MSP application is processed.
As soon as you arrive in British Columbia. The province states that if you are new to Canada, you should apply as soon as you arrive, and your coverage may start three months after your arrival date. You should get private health care insurance while you wait.
New residents or persons re-establishing residence in BC may be eligible for coverage after a wait period that consists of the balance of the month in which residence is established, plus two months. If you are moving from another province, arrange coverage with your former medical plan during the wait period, and each family member's wait period begins on their individual arrival date.
Most adults 18 years and six months of age and older need to visit a BC driver licensing office. You can book an appointment, and walk-in services are available at all ICBC driver licensing locations. At the office you provide primary and secondary identification documents, declare that you are a BC resident, and have your photo taken.
Individuals under 18 years and six months of age and temporary document holders will automatically receive a non-photo BC Services Card in the mail from Health Insurance BC. They do not need to visit an ICBC office for the card.
No. If you already have MSP coverage and received a letter notifying you to renew your BC Services Card, you do not have to submit a new Application for MSP Enrolment. You only need to renew your BC Services Card, following the instructions on the letter.