MSI Eligibility

To be eligible for Nova Scotia Medical Service Insurance (MSI) benefits you must be:

  • a Canadian Citizen or “Permanent Resident” (Landed Immigrant)
  • a resident who makes his/her permanent home in Nova Scotia and is present in the province 183 days every calendar year.
  • You must be registered with MSI to be eligible for benefits.

The following individuals are not eligible for coverage:

  • regular members of the R.C.M.P. and the Canadian Armed Forces, (however members of their families are eligible);
  • tourists and visitors to the province;
  • students from another province
  • inmates of federal penitentiaries.

Please refer to the section “Moving to Nova Scotia from Outside Canada” if you are a Non-Canadian.

If you are a full-time student from another Canadian province, you are not eligible for MSI coverage. Your home province will continue to provide coverage as long as you are a student. Contact your home province to ensure your coverage is maintained.

Proof of citizenship or immigration status is required for the application process. To complete an application please contact the MSI Registration Department at:

(902) 496-7008 or toll free within Nova Scotia1-800-563-8880

Mailing address: PO Box 500, Halifax NS B3J 2S1
Location address: 7 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth NS