Arrival date

We recommend you plan to arrive a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks before classes start. These days before the start of your academic semester will give you time to complete the administrative steps required to begin your studies.

You must also make sure that you have health and hospitalization insurance that will cover you as soon as you arrive in Québec. The health and hospitalization insurance plan for international students comes into effect halfway through the month before the start of classes, i.e. August 15 for the fall session, December 15 for the winter session and April 15 for the summer session.

For those who have a reciprocal agreement with the Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec, your coverage will take effect as soon as you arrive in Québec, at the earliest one month before the beginning of the session, according to the date indicated on your registration certificate available in monPortail (French only).

Are you planning to arrive in Quebec before your insurance plan comes into effect?

Don’t forget that, in this case, you’ll need to take out a private insurance before the health and hospitalization insurance plan for international students of Université Laval comes into effect, since you’ll need to be insured at all times.

Key dates: see the university calendar (French only).