Health insurance in Germany: the intro you should really read first
Health insurance in Germany is a crucial topic when moving here. As a newcomer, it’s normal to feel a bit lost at first. Germany has one of the most complex healthcare systems in the world!
This confusion ends today. Based on industry experts and years of experience, this guide gives you the best introduction on the topic, written for newcomers in Germany.
At the end of this lengthy guide (prepare a big cup of tea), you will be able to understand your options and decide which German health insurance policy is best for you.
Health insurance in Germany: short overview
Here are the main points to take away from this guide:
- All German residents must have adequate coverage. That’s the law.
- The German health insurance system is split into 2 types of providers: public & private.
- Public providers costs are set by law (14% to 17% of gross income.) If you are an employee, this is paid in part by your employer. Any relative without income of their own can be insured for free under your policy. 90% of the German population is with public providers.
- Private providers costs are set by an assessment of your health risks. If you are an employee, this is paid in part by your employer. Any relative without income of their own needs to be insured via an extra-paid policy.
- Students are eligible to special cheaper rates and conditions.
- Freelancers have to bear all costs on their own. Artists can apply for special support to cover half the contributions though.
- Visa applicants can use special cheaper “expat” policies for their initial applications, but should make sure to pick wisely. Not all providers fulfill requirements for the immigration office.
- If you don’t know if private is right for you:
Read on for more details about the system & typical situations newcomers face in Germany. There is an FAQ too. If something is still unclear, feel free to ask questions in the comments’ section.
Bastien
Public health insurance in Germany
Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (also called Pflichtversicherung and GKV) is the most widespread German health insurance regime. This statutory insurance guarantees a standardized coverage set by the German Social Act (SGB – Fünftes Buch). This system operates on the solidarity principle, where the active healthy working population contributes to care for the sick & the old.
Who should counsider this option?
- Employees earning less than 66 600€ a year (gross). The German statutory insurance is compulsory in this case.
- Students under 30 currently enrolled in a German university. It only costs around 120€ a month. Under 25, it’s even for free if one of your parents is also with a statutory insurance.
- In most cases, anybody that has relatives with no income of their own at home, as they can be insured with a single insurance policy for free.
- Older folks who have more health issues, more often.
- People with serious conditions, handicaps bound to occur more costs over time.
Costs of public health insurance in Germany
Good news: your contributions are directly related to what you earn. The basic contribution rate for public health insurance in Germany is set a 14,6%. The individual Krankenkasse then adds another fee on top (between 0,2% to 2,7%) to their discretion. A national average is 15,7%.
As a quick reference:
- Minimum contribution: ≈ 120€ per month.
- Maximum contribution : ≈ 470€ per month (920€ for freelancers)
Employees pay their contributions directly via their payslips automatically. Freelancers and students have to manually transfer those to their provider.
Benefits
- Going to the doctor is simple. You show up at an appointment, give your card, and everything is directly handled between your Krankenkasse and the doctor with hardly any paperwork.
- Relatives with no income (spouse, kids) can be covered for free, with the same policy and the exact same benefits.
- Contributions are always based on your income. If your income goes down, you are guaranteed the same level of service at a lower price.
- If you lose your job, unemployment benefits cover will pay for your contributions.
- Preexisting conditions have no impact on your contributions. Providers cannot refuse to take you on.
Drawbacks
- Practitioners tend to prioritize private patients over public ones. This is because they get paid better/faster. I never found to be an issue other than longer waiting times, especially with specialists.
- If you go the hospital, it’s also not guaranteed that your case will be followed by the most experienced doctor or that you get a private room. This is the case with private coverage usually.
- Also, expect some treatments to be only partly covered. Premium tooth fillings are for example not 100% covered.
How to chose and sign-up with a public provider?
Public options are more or less created equal and you won’t feel a difference as a patient. Difference in price is also negligible. Instead keep an eye on quality of customer service, coverage rates for specific treatments you might be interested in (eg; ergotherapy, homeopathy, etc).
Techniker Krankenkasse is a favorite among foreigners thanks to top ratings & English support. I have been with TK for 10 years now, and I strongly recommend it: Techniker Krankenkasse – A long term review
You can sign-up online to receive a certificate fast, which is useful to start working or to apply for a long-term residence permit ASAP:
- Digital signup with Techniker Krankenkasse
- Digital signup with AOK
- Digital signup with DAK
- Digital signup with Barmer
Once you sign-up with a public provider, you automatically get a social security number.
My experience with public German health insurance
If you want to know what it’s like to be on public health insurance in Germany, you can read my Techniker Krankenkasse review. It also contains a report of my life as a patient over 10 years, one surgery & 2 births.
In short: only additional waiting times with GPs and specialist is annoying. I never got the impression to receive second-class healthcare/treatment because I was with a public Krankenkasse. I’ve always been happy with the customer service too.
Private health insurance in Germany
Privatversicherung or PKV means that you are insured at a private Krankenkasse, provided you earn more than 66 600€ a year (gross) as an employee. It’s also an option for freelancers or for people who don’t qualify for the public system for any number of reasons. Standard coverage provided by private Krankenkasse also regulated by law. Contributions however are determined by a health risk assessment.
Who should consider this option?
You can read here a dedicated post to decide if private is right for you: Switching to private health insurance in Germany: consider this first
- Healthy single young professionals who earn well, and who are confident it will stay that way for the duration of their stay in Germany. Also, they should be fairly sure that they will only stay a few years in the country (at least, not retire in Germany).
- Best suited for people with no kids.
- Best suited for people with a strong retirement plan.
- Best suited for people that don’t have any other choice. This typically includes:
- Students over 30 no public Krankenkasse will take on.
- Freelancers that arrive from a non-EU country.
Costs of private health insurance in Germany
Costs are not easily assessed because it all comes down your health profile, age and personal situation. However, here are some approximate figures to get an idea:
With no deductible, no limit on dental coverage (monthly fee):
- 25 years old: 370€ to 570€.
- 35 years old: 445€ to 700€.
- 45 years old: 540€ to 795€.
With 10% deductible, dental coverage limited to 1500€/year (monthly fee)
- 25 years old: 185€ to 265€.
- 35 years old: 230€ to 325€.
- 45 years old: 265€ to 370€.
Benefits
- Lower costs short term & mid term (when young and healthy).
- An overall better access to higher-quality treatments, material & medical supplies.
- Easier and faster access to specialists, senior staff at hospital.
Drawbacks
- Higher costs long term with age & conditions. even with old-age provisions (Alterungsrückstellung), which are included in your contributions by law.
- Each relative with no income will need an additional paid policy.
- It’s a lot harder to understand offers and terms in a crowded market.
- More paperwork: pay medical bill first, seek a refund with your provider later.
- Coming back to the public system is extremely difficult if not impossible for freelancers.
How to signup for private health insurance in Germany
The market is more complex and more diverse. Since contracts are based on your individual preferences, it’s a lot more difficult to compare and pick the right policy. You can read a full guide about this: Picking the right private health insurance in Germany
Talk to independent knowledgeable brokers like Feather Insurance. They are used to talk to foreigners with all manners of cases. Ottonova is also popular with foreigners.
Please note that if you sign-up with a private provider, you need to manually request a social security number from the pension office.
Still undecided? You can read all the differences between private and public healthcare in Germany here.
Health insurance for employees
Costs are shared between you and your employer and you have a lot of options at your disposal:
- It doesn’t matter if you go with private or public, you are free to pick your health insurance provider. It is not bound to your employer.
- Your employer will ask for a membership certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung) before you start a job.
- If you are with public, you don’t need to pay anything to your Krankenkasse. It’s already been done for you by your employer.
- If you are with private, you pay directly to your Krankenkasse. However, you can also receive tax free allowance from your employer (Arbeitsgeberzuschuss), up to 385€/month. You should inform your employer if you are eligible.
Health insurance in Germany for freelancers
Health insurance for freelancers in Germany can become a major burden. Low-earning self-employed people pay a relatively high amount. Here are the options presented to you:
- If you have been in a public scheme within the EU recently, you can choose a public Krankenkasse (Freiwillige gesetzliche Krankenversicherung). This procedure is normalized via the form E104, which you should request from your domestic system, before you leave the country. Request this from your old provider and send it in for your new Krankenkasse. You can also go for a private provider too.
- If you are an artist, a writer, performer, creative: you can join KSK. The Künstlersozialkasse (KSK) will pay half of your monthly contributions. There is sometimes not a clear distinction between what’s a art job and what’s not. It might be hard to get into it. Some people hire specialists to fill in the paperwork to make sure they tick the right boxes. Full post on KSK this way.
- In the public system, if you make less than 1,131.67€ per month, you pay the minimum price (Mindestbeitrag) around 210€/month.
- In other cases, it is advised to stay with the private system to avoid high costs. In this case, Feather Insurance can help you find the right and fairest policy for your needs too.
German health insurance for visa applicants
Whatever your residence permit is, adequate health insurance is always a requirement.
Getting coverage from a local Krankenkasse is often impossible when you are outside Germany. For this, you will need an intermediate solution to grant you entry into German and get a visa, before switching to a local provider.
Those supercharged travel insurance (also called incoming insurance or expat insurance) have the following characteristics:
- The insurance policy complies with the minimum requirements expected by the immigration office. Otherwise, your visa might get rejected.
- It’s only valid for first-time visa application. They are not accepted when renewing a visa.
- It’s only valid for a maximum of 5 years.
- It gets expensive if you are older.
- Coverage is not as a good as with local providers.
- It’s a stop-gap solution until you have something better in Germany.
Providers like Feather Insurance or Ottonova specialize into those temporary German health insurance solutions that guarantee acceptance from the immigration office.
Health insurance for students
The system is fairly simple in this case:
- If you are under 30 and enrolling in a university program in Germany, you should probably stick with public health insurance too. This has a lot of benefits and costs around 120€ a month. It doesn’t happen automatically when you register at the university though. You have let the university know which Krankenkasse you picked. This is unfortunately only possible when you have registered an address in the country.
- If you are over 30 and enrolling in a German university, it’s probably best to pick a private provider. Students over 30 don’t have access to the special student rate.
- If you are not able to join the public system for any other reason, it is also possible to join a private insurance. If you need guidance on how what policy to get in this case, without it costing a leg, you might consider talking to knowledgeable independent brokers like Feather Insurance, who are capable of scanning the market and find the right policy for your edge case. And it’s 100% serviced in English.
- If you are an exchange student from the EU, your EHIC card will be enough. Not need to have a local provider.
- If you were with private insurance as a student, it is possible to switch to public again when you start to work in a job.
German health insurance when unemployed
Unemployment benefits in Germany covers the costs of health insurance.
As an employee, your pay into those benefits via your payslip. This safety net includes 60-67% of your net salary, as well as your health insurance costs for the entire duration of your unemployment benefits.
- If you are with a public Krankenkasse, you just need to notify them that you are unemployed and the rest will be taken care of itself.
- If you are with a private Krankenkasse, you have the right to cancel your private plan & switch to a public one to lower your costs. You can also decide to stay with a private health insurance provider, the Arbeitsagentur would then contribute to part of the costs
Dental healthcare in Germany
The German healthcare system takes good care of your teeth with trained professionals and up to-date equipment. Basic care is provided as standard by all healthcare providers in Germany:
- Regular checkups
- Teeth descaling
- Fillings with standard material
- Teeth removal
Other more extensive treatments (such as parodontologie treatments, fillings with premium composites, crowns, dentures implants, etc) are treated differently. Public healthcare companies will cover only 60% to 70% of the costs. Private providers will cover costs based on the agreed contracts.
If you want more detailed information and whether you really need a complementary dental insurance in Germany, feel free to read this detailed post.
Mental healthcare in Germany
Costs associated to psychotherapy for mental illnesses are covered by public Krankenkassen, also if those disorders come from another condition, even physical ones (depression in case of cancer for example). They however only recognize those 3 methodologies:
- Behavioral therapy
- Analytical psychotherapy
- Depth psychology therapy
Up to 300 sessions can be covered by public german health insurance, depending on the methodology.
Private Krankenkassen may chose to cover other methodologies/therapies than the ones listed above. Look closely at the extent of coverage you have in the package/plan you book.
Health insurance options for expats Germany – FAQ
Private health insurance makes sense in only a few cases. One of them is because you are earning so much that your are financially safe forever and your money is best invested elsewhere. The other one is because it’s the only available option you can afford right now in order to make progress during your time in Germany. If you are not in one of those cases, switching to private is simply not worth it.
It’s an option but not an obligation. You can also stay with public. It depends on your situation. If you stay with public, you will then switch to “voluntary contribution” (Freiwillig versichert). Self-employed people can also choose to stay in the public system, to make use of its advantages, despite the higher costs compare to private coverage.
Freiwillig (versichert) offers the same coverage and conditions as a normal public policy. However, your employer will no longer bare half of your contributions, but instead will pay a so-called “maximum contribution share”, set at 403,99€. This has for the effect to indirectly increase your net salary, since your employer will be paying less contribution.
No. You are free to switch and pick providers of your preference, regardless of the company you are working for.
The unfortunate answer is: it depends. If generally speaking, it can be deemed affordable compared to some other systems in the word, the actual contribution amount is tied to professional situation & income. If you stay with the public system, contributions are set by law at 14,6% of your gross income. If you are with a private provider, contributions are set by an assessment of your health risks. You can read more details in this post.
I hope this introduction helped to understand health insurance in Germany and make a better choice for your own policy. Good luck and feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.
Bastien
Hey Bastien, thanks for this great article! As a newcomer to Berlin, I found this article very helpful. Just one thing, you mentioned that Feather is an independent health insurance broker which is a little misleading. My partner spoke to them regarding getting insurance and they are actually kind of a provider (it looks like they only sell private insurance from Hallesche… which means they are essentially an insurance provider which might only wants to sell their plans rather than a broker who gives more neutral and unbiased advice). There are plenty of independent brokers in Germany but Feather isn’t one of them. Just wanted to let you know as it makes a big difference when deciding!
Hey Alexi. Thanks for the input. Feedback from real life cases is really insightful. I do not wish to misrepresent things here. I can definitely confirm they are a broker & not a provider, as they also mention in their imprint. They are not owned by a larger group or large insurance company. They select policies from a large selection of providers too. However, you are correct in the sense that they do preselect options from some providers, based on their judgement of coverage vs value. But that still picking options out of dozen/hundreds for each provider, like any broker would do. I guess it comes down to how much you trust their process & criteria?
Thanks for sharing great information now am share it my own social media account
Hi Bastien, thank you so much for this useful article!
I’m a German national (naturalized) living and working in Germany, privately insured, and I have a related question: If I get married to a non-EU national, and she moves to Germany permanently to look for a job, does she have any option at all to be entitled to public health insurance while unemployed? If not, I assume this changes once she becomes employed/freelancer?
Thanks in advance for your further assistance!
Best regards and have a nice day! 🙂
Hey Alfredo. Glad you found it useful. You frame your question as if being married to her would provide her (public) coverage. It would not work that way. If she is entitled to unemployment benefits (ALG1) or other benefits (ALG2), she may get a a public Krankenkasse. However, depending on her country of origin & bilateral agreements with Germany, a public Krankenkasse might not want to take her on. Her age could play a role too. She’d mosty likely need to signup for private until she becomes an employer, at which stage she can switch to public if she wants. If still in doubt, talk of your situation with Feather. Good luck with it all.
Hey Bastien. First of all thanks for the effort of pulling this together: really useful for a newcomer.
One question: you say that “Relatives that don’t have their own income can be covered for free, with the same policy and the exact same benefits”. My wife will be having a non-German working contract – still in EU – but will work remotely on German soil. Can I still add her to my own health insurance (I`m employed by a German employer). Thank you
Hey Mihai. She would not qualify for coverage then, since she does have an income of her own. She would need to declare that income in Germany, as a now German resident.
Hello, First of all, Thank you so much for sharing this amazing information and it’s very impressive and so much helpful for me. Keep it up and once again Thanks.:)
Hi,
Thanks for the great info. If you are moving from another EU state (Ireland) and are already covered with private health insurance (VHI), are you exempt from having health insurance here too?
Hey Emmet. No. When you become a German resident, you need to signup for local health insurance. Your current health insurance will cover you during the transition only.
Hi Bastien . Thanks for all the information. Your expertise definitely helps out.
My case is somewhat different. I am a German/Venezuelan , 61 year old national who has never lived in Germany until 5 weeks ago. I come from Venezuela where I have always lived but having my 2 sons living in Berlin, and being the situation as bad as it is in Venezuela, I decided to move here. I still do not have a job, but I´m looking. For the time being I´m Living with my oldest son. I´m completely unsure as to how to get into the public health system.
I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and fell free to contact me.
Hey Becky. If one of your sons is with a public krankenkasse, I would ask if one of them can provide you coverage, through their policy. I could not find any precise information about children covering parents, but in theory, family members can be insured under the one policy, provided they don’t have income of their own. If that doesn’t work, I’d probably look into a temporary “expat insurance” that covers you for a few month, before you find a job and can join a public krankenkasse. If that fails, probably best ask a broker, like Feather Insurance.
Hi Bastien,
You seem to have done some proper research and I could do with an advice what to do: My partner is English and registered here in Germany in November. However, he is still traveling back and forth between the two countries. He was told in the UK that despite Brexit his EHIC would still be working in Germany in case he needed emergency care. However, as he needed some physiotherapy recently he signed up with TK on a voluntary basis. We just received his membership approval. Unfortunately, the TK is now asking for contributions from November on as this is when he registered first in the country. The TK service center told us that this is due to the fact that everyone that lives here by law has to have an insurance. Is there a way to argue that he still had his English insurance? Or what would you recommend us to do? Do we have to bite the bullet and just pay it?
Many thanks,
Anne-Cathrin
Hey Anne-Cathrin. Unfortunately this is correct. The EHIC card can indeed be useful for emergencies in the transition period of days/weeks between the arrival in Germany & the moment you start to be covered in the German system. It is not meant to be a long-term solution. As a German resident, your partner ought to have signed up for a local Krankenkasse when he arrived. No way around it I’m afraid. If this puts you in a difficult financial situation, you can ask probably ask to pay for this in installments. Good luck.
I am trying to understand who pays for medicines that’s your doctor prescribes and can you claim it from insurance.
Hey Nidhi. If you are on public, you don’t pay for anything at the pharmacy at all. Payment is taken care of you in the vast majority of cases. On private, you have to first pay yourself, and then claim the money back.
Hi Bastien,
First of all, many thanks for creating such a beautiful repository and for covering so many topics.
I have a couple of questions and hope you can help on the same. To give you a context, My wife and I shifted to Munich from India last month. She has got a job in Munich and I am currently working remotely for an Indian company. According to my understanding, since I am earning (remotely), I am not eligible for a free dependent Public Insurance on my wife’s insurance. As mentioned by you in the blog, I do have a 5 year expat travel insurance. We have applied for the resident permit and are awaiting our appointment. I have two questions:
1) Will the expat insurance of 5 years be sufficient for the application
2) Should I opt for a Private Insurance to mitigate the risk and how difficult is the process of moving from Private to Public later
Thanks.
Hey Rachit. 1) For first time applications, and if the insurance policy satisfy all requirements, it’s enough yes. 2) Talk to an expert (I recommend Feather Insurance because their reasonable and honest counselling) for more detailed info. You can go back to public insurance if you get a full time job here.
Thanks Bastien for the quick response.
For first time applications, and if the insurance policy satisfy all requirements, it’s enough yes.-Is there published list of requirements which are needed. I can crosscheck and go back to my Expat insurer accordingly.
Thanks in advance.
Rachit
Hey Rachit. You can give Feather Insurance a go, they also have a policy for this.
Hey Bastian, Thanks for the website! Lovely. I’ve just tried to read about 5 pages already to find out a similar question, but I got lost and maybe I should ask anyway:
I’m a 30 y/o male. Still a student abroad (from non-EU state). I registered about four months ago, just to keep me bonded with Germany during Corona Era. I’m EU citizen (no EPIC card). I need to choose any helath insurance. Can I use the Mawista one, but still get applied to AOK or TK? I may not work in Germany, and if so, maybe it will take me 8 months to find a first job in Germany. I don’t want to pay 200euros every month since I don’t work anyway, but I don’t want to miss the chance to be accepted to public insurance in case that I choose to stay in germany for decades. Will public insurance ask me to pay late fees for the 4-12 months that I was covered in Mawista (as expat) instead? My parents bought a house in Germany, they travel there for short visits. They are registered there but they will be moving to Germany only when they will be Pensioners. Can I cover them with my public insurance for free? Will they have to pay for their private health insurance? Trying to plan my best future
Hey Ayrohn. There is a lot to unpack here. I don’t get all of it. If you have a policy that satisfy all requirements as a German resident for your health insurance and then switch to public, you will only pay from that moment on. If you are a student enrolled at a German university, you have a much smaller fee, even with a public health insurance. In the future, when you have a job, you can switch to public, and then later cover members of your family that don’t have their own resources. As pensioners, that would not be the case for your parents, since they get their pension.
I’ve heard from other expats that they some of them couldn’t switch from their private health insurance to the public one. Neither TK or AOK accepted them, and I tried to understand why – and avoid such situation myself. If I have some expat insurance (Mawista, 30euros per month) now, when I’m already 30 y/0, will I have problems to switch to any public one? Can they refuse me to join them? Why?
I’m not a student in Europe now, and I never lived in EU before. I hope it made it a little more clear
Hey Ayrohn. In some rare cases, it’s indeed very difficult, if not impossible. But in most cases, it is possible when finding a job/employer, at which point you can switch to public. It’s hard to make a definite call about your case on so little details. I’d get in touch with the guys at Feather Insurance. They provide fair & honest advice. They won’t push you into the private system, unless you absolutely have to.
Hey Bastien,
Great site, thanks for all the useful info. I was wondering, I have just moved to Berlin and signed up for freelance expat insurance with Advigon. I’ve signed up through Feather Insurance. I also have my liability insurance. Do I need to do anything else. And does this mean I am now covered for any hospital trips AND doctors appointments?
Hey Jack. I’m not sure how to respond to this… What are you asking exactly? What criteria do you need to satisfy? If your policy states you are covered for those things, then I guess yes?
Hi Bastien, thanks for the info! I moved to DE 4 month before and work freelancer. I got my anmeldung 4 month before. I never got around to insurance. now i have break my leg, can I get backdated insurance?
Hey Luam. Sorry to hear about your leg. I don’t think any hospital will refuse to treat your leg in the short-term. I don’t know what a Krankenkasse might offer you. Probably they will ask you for pay for those 4 months, since it’s illegal to not have one. Then you would probably be covered for that time too.
Hi Basien,
Great information!
I am Maltese and have come to live in Germany this year as a freelancer. I have a property in Malta which I rent out. Do you know if I have to declare the rent as income here in Germany too?
Hey Maxine. Yes.
Hello,
I had a public insurance (AOK) but now I have became a freelancer in Germany.
What do you suggest for me ?
Hey Sultan. That’s a tricky question because the unfortunate answer is: “it depends”. Depends on things like your family situation, projected income, personal wishes in your health care. Freelancer have to support health insurance costs themselves.
Hi Bastien! Thank you for all the information. I have a question regarding my situation:
I recently moved into Berlin for the first time and have been looking for work. I just got a contract offer from a fast food chain, but in order to proceed, I need to present to them my health insurance data before they give me any further information on the contract.
Can I sign-up for the mandatory state insurance (like TK) before I have a specific contract in hand? Do you know of any similar situation?
Thank you so much! 🙂
Hey Victoria. Yes, that is possible.
Hello, I am an artist and putting together my application for KSK – I am an artist – in the meantime, I would like to have TK (I would like to have insurance while I wait for the results of my application) is it possible to apply to TK now and then when I get the results of my application change my insurance policy? if not what is the best route to see a doctor while waiting for the results of my KSK application? I am currently with Popsure which does not cover any of the costs of seeing doctors. Thank you!
Hey Laura. KSK is not a Krankenkasse per say. It helps you pay the fees of your Krankenkasse if you qualify. So in your case, you would stay with TK and not change any provider.
Hi Sebastien. I am unemployed and currently insured by my wife health insurance (AOK) and now I am going to run an Online Shop. My question is will I still be insured by my wife AOK or I will have to pay for it myself? In the first year of my business I think I will earn not so much, I think less than €10,000. Thank you very much.
Hey Nguyen. Yes, as soon as you open your Gewerbe, you will need to pay your health insurance yourself. That is correct.
Hi Bastien,
Thank you so much for your helpful information.
I am currently insured through my partner (TK insurance) and am considering becoming self-employed (einzelunternehmen kleingewerbe); at the moment I am unemployed. Is there any chance that in the beginning I continue staying insured through the partner or not?
Thanks in advance.
Hey Aleksandra. No, that would not be possible unfortunately.
i am a resident in germany in berlin and have amneldung, no job yet after a few months, still applying, money getting low. what are my options if i want to have health insurance/ what are the costs?
Hey Sarah. You can apply for ALG2/Hartz 4, which would cover your health insurance costs, if you don’t have any resources.
Hello Bastien,
Thank you for your post. I have consult you about my case: I am a student. I paid my premium to a priate insurance company [late], but since I received a confirmation email, I was under the impression that it went through and I was good. However, the fact is I made up paying too late and they returned the premium I paied to my account which I was only aware of the rejected transaction much later.
My question is: 1. I am going to sign new insurance contract. 2 I am going to apply for extend my current study visa (the current one was granted to a date before when my programme will end), and apply to job-searching visa later. 3. Since I guess I won’t be able to buy insurance for the months that have passed and I did not pay successfully. Will that in any sense effect my future visa application? If so, is there anyway that I can solve the problem?
Thank you very much for your tips on the sites again.
Hey Liv. I honestly don’t know. This is a very specific situation. The Beamter usually only looks at the coverage time period in the future, and not to the past, to make sure that you have health insurance during your entire stay.
How is it decided if you’re an artist? If I’m employed full time by a company as a performer, can I claim that benefit?
Does any of the public insurance company cover cost of assisted reproduction such as IVF?
Hey there. They all cover at least 50% of the costs, and some decide to do more. See a list here.
Hi Bastien, I just moved to Germany and I have a 6 month internship. My question is; do I have to register myself at a Krankenkasse or does the agency I work with do that for me? I’ve been told I need to have a head doctor and I don’t know if by registering myself at a Krankenkasse sorts that out for me.
Thank you!
Hey Nadia. You need to ask your HR department if they will do that for you. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.
Hey – I’m from the UK and have been registered at my place in Berlin now since the 1st of June. I had my EHIC card for the first few months, but unfortunately it ran out in August. I previously had a job in the summer but I later found out it did not offer health insurance. Now I have started a new job this month which offers health insurance, however my boss tells me that if I now register, I will have a lot of back payments, is this true and is there a way to pay it off in small parts each month? I’m getting quite worried about the bill I will have. Any help would be great thank you 🙂
Hey Gio. Yes this is true. Your Krankenkasse will send you a bill for the months you didn’t pay, although you should have. I dont know if small installments can be negotiated, you need to see this with them directly.
Hello Bastien, thanks for your help!
A question: Do i have to pay something if i have healt insurance, or i have the anmeldung registration done, but no work yet?
It’s better do the anmeldung, and, when you find a job, do healt insurance?
Somebody told me that, you can do anmeldung and healt insurance without a job and pay nothing, but, at the very first moment you get a job, you have to pay all off the previuos month that you didnt pay, right? i’m a little confused here
Anyway, thanks for your help!
Hey Raffele. I’m not sure what to reply, if you become a German resident, you ought to take on a local Krankenkasse eventually. I guess what you friend meant is that if you don’t do this right away, the Krankenkasse you pick will send you a bill for all the weeks/months you haven’t paid since you registration. So it’s paying now or later, but they might add a late fee on top too.
Following the same situation, if I want to join the TK, but for the first 4-8 months since registration I decide to have expats insurance, would TK need me to pay for those 4-8 months I hadn’t paid them (but to the expats insurance)? Thanks
Hey Jane. If you have your own insurance that satisfy all requirements as a German resident and then switch to TK, you will only pay TK from that moment on.
Hello Bastien,
Greetings of the day & thank you for the comprehensive post!
I have the following situation:
Since Oct’18 I have been a MBA student in Germany & during the start of our MBA program, I opted for the TK public health insurance (EUR 94/month)
Now, since our MBA is done & I will be opting for a job-seeking VISA hereafter, the TK representatives mentioned that I will have to take up a “voluntary” TK insurance which costs around EUR 186 per month which is very expensive for me.
What are the cons of moving to a more cheaper private insurance at this point?
Hey Akshay. That’s a decision to take for yourself but 186€ is actually fairly cheap and you won’t find something soooo much cheaper in the private. Presumably, you will only be looking for a job for a few months as well, as which point it will be paid through your salary. But by all means, shop around. 🙂
Hi Bastien,
I am planning on moving to Germany next year. While I will still be looking for a job across the startup sector in Berlin, do I need to register for insurance right away or can I file for insurance as soon as I find employment?
Please note that I am a German citizen moving back to Germany for the very first time
Hey Rich. Your nationality does not bear any influence on this. You need to have insurance at all times when you are in Germany yes.
Hello Bastien,
thanks a lot for your advice, very helpful.
I have recently moved to Germany for a paid internship and I am confused about whether I should apply for a health insurance provider before my internship starts, or if my employer will do for me (choose the provider). So far the HR didn’t ask me any information.
Thanks
Hey Carl. It depends this internship is part of your curriculum at the University. If so, then you are covered by your student plan, if you also study at a German university at the moment.If you don’t have a provider at all, you can either sign up for something first or let your employer do it for you.
Hi ,
I have a complex case.
i was under TK from June 2015- Jan 2016. Then i left Germany and came back as a student. In 2o17 i was not insured by TK because i was a student and more than 30 years of age so i went with Private Mawista. Now in 2019 i graduated and got a full time job, but still TK denies to Insure me stating i did not opt them earlier (which they denied). And now my employer wants me to be in a statutory health insurance. What are my options? Where do i go finally.
Hey Anamika. I honestly think that you are qualifying for TK, since you had statutory insurance in Germany before. Is this due to miscommunication or something? I’d recommend to get in touch with the guys at Popsure. They are handling cases like this the whole time.
My husband works full time and pays insurance monthly covered half by his company and half by him. Am I covered on his insurance as his wife? I am unemployed at the moment and don’t earn anything but I would like to start freelancing in Germany – would I still be covered if I applied for and started using my Steuernummer as a freelancer in Germany or would I then need to pay my own insurance? Worried about potentially doing something illegal unknowingly but need to make sure before I start paying a lot of money I don’t have toward insurance.
Hey Paige. If he belongs to the public system, then his policy would cover you as well, as a member of his family with no income. If you start freelancing, you would need to get your own coverage.
I am 31 and going to start MA in this winter. what could be the best plan for me? do i have access to public plans?
Hey there. Since you are over 31, you would not be able to qualify for the cheap public plan (81€ per month). You can still sign-up for public, but the fee will be higher.
I was hospitilized for half day but in a period when I didnt have an insurance, because I was changing my insurance and I aftee 5 days that O was in the hospital and choose one. What is the worst case in this situation. I am so worried.
Hey John. Even though you were changing Krankenkasse, you were probably still covered by one or the other. Did i misunderstand something?
Hi there. I’ve recently moved to Berlin from UK and it’s fair to say I’m confused by the health insurance thing as I’ve been looked after by the NHS all my life. I’m self employed currently still doing my job I had in uk but with a Berlin postcode. I don’t earn much ( well under 56k) so I’m looking for the €170 per month cover. I’m anmelded and have a tax code. Who would be the best to contact and how do I go about it? AOK or TK?
Great read by the way. Thanks
Hey Stephen. Both are good options but TK is known to have more English-speaking operators, if your German is a bit rusty.
hey, thanks for the article – so i have a question, ive recently been offered a job i’d really like to do, however it would be working freelance (with autistic children) and not much money. i would definetly by my calculations earn less than the minimum limit/’Mindestbemessungsgrundlage’ of 1,038 – does this mean that I dont earn enough to pay health insurance on that income, or that i’d get some subsidized/pay less? (ive been until now insured by SBK)
any help would be super helpful as im struggling to figure this out
cheers 🙂
Hey Patrick. Yes unfortunately, this means you would just pay the sum equivalent of the “Mindestbemessungsgrundlage”, even though you earn less.
Hi Bastien, i am trying to understand the German private health insurance system. A German friend came to Australia for his gap year, while he was in Australia and after he returned to Germany he was covered under his father’s private health insurance. He had a bad car accident in Australia and has suffered a disability that will be with him for life. After uni, when he establishes his own health insurance policy will he have to pay an increased premium with the same insurer if the cover is the same as what he is currently covered for? If he decided on a different insurer would he then have to pay a higher premium because of his disability?
Hey Brent. As mentioned in the post; public system is based on income, private system is based on risks. The private system is wild and each company have their own pricing policy. The only way to answer to your question is to ask for a quote from each of them.
Thanks Bastien
Hello Bastien, this was a very informative and easy-to-find article on Google. Thank you for that.
One ☝️ question please: I am self-employed, non-EU, with Mawista health insurance. I am now employing my wife and as an employee she will have public insurance.Does that mean our child and me will be covered by her health insurance now? I don’t see why not, but I also feel it isn’t that easy.
Hey Andrew. Only your child would be covered by your wife’s policy.
I accidentally registered with both DAK and TK. I don’t speak German so I thought they were the same. Am I in trouble? What do I do?
Hey Pico. If you are still within the 14 days of signing the contract, you are probably able to cancel any of them without providing any justification.
Hi
I am settling in Berlin with my wife who is a resident and has EU nationality. I am Argentinean so I have to do first the anmeldung and then get the residency. Which insurance would you recommend? I was advised to go along with Mawista, that works with Allianz. Thanks in Advance. Regards
Hey Damian. Option 1 If you need to apply for a visa and don’t have a job lined up yet, Mawista can be a temporary insurance to cover you for the first few weeks, but you should switch to a public Krankenkasse as soon as possible. It’s all explained in details on this post why. Option 2 – Check if your wife is with a public krankenkasse. If she is, and since you have no income yet in Germany, you might already have sufficient coverage from her policy, since it also covers family members with no income.
Hi Bastien! So what would it be your advice for low-earning self-employed people? I´ve just made de Anmeldung and im super lost of how to proceed…Thanks
Hello, I need some advice and would be very thankfull if you could answer some questions. I moved to Germany in January 2019 to make a unlaid Praktikum for 7 months as an Erasmus student, but i want to make the recognition of my profession and possibly apply for a Phd after the internship. So i registered in Germany and now that i am angemeldet I need to take the insurance. I went to one Krankenkasse to know if I could use my EHIC untill i find a job or get an imatriculation and can get a student Krankenversicherung. The whole conversation was um german and although i think i understood correctly I am still afraid I AM doing something wrong that could cause me problems in the future. They told me, because I have no salary that I can have a Freiwillige Krankenversicherung, but in that case, asside from beiing very expensive (190€ per month) I have to pay it retroactively , since January, although I did not used or did anything related to medical care in that time, or I can still rely on my EHIC for emergencies untill I get a job or get the PhD position, then I would be insured by my employer or as a student and would only have to pay from that point on. Did i understand correctly? Can you confirm this is truth? Thank you very much for your site and help.
Hey there. In all cases, you will need to pay retroactively from the moment your became a German resident. 190€ is actually the lowest possible rate you can get. You would be taken in anyway for emergencies, EHIC or no EHIC.
Thank you for your reply. So what the lady said in the Krankenkasse is wrong, is that it? Do you know any place I could get some advice in english?
And I registered with the date of the begining of my internship, and that was also a mistake I think because I can always stay for 3 months without registering, do you know if I at least can clame that in order not to pay the first 3 months? Thank you
Hey Ines. The lady was right.
Hello Bastien! I have a question.. I read on internet that the European health insurance card work in Germany during the first 3 months after arrive, so in that case is not necessary to have a insurance plan. Is this true? And if the answer is yes, is necessary to inform to any government office about this to don’t receive a fine?
Hey Jackelyn. In theory yes, but if you become a German resident, you need to switch after you have registered here.
Hi Bastien, thank you for this very helpful page. A year ago I registered and got the Meldebescheinigung in order to become a nebenwohner in my girlfriends apartment in Berlin. As I am working in Denmark I spend about half my time there, and the other half in Berlin. I have an apartment in Denmark, where I also have my healthinsurance. I am now considering to look for a job in Berlin, but I am wondering if it will have any consequence that I have been registered here for a year without German insurance? Will it have any backlash, even though I have just been here from time to time as a nebenwohner?
Hey Mikael. Not entirely sure what you mean with Nebenwohner. In your case though, i would probably assume that you were considered a Danish resident since you have a place there + you work there. If so, then you should probably be good.
Thank you for the reply! I meant to write that I am an untermieter at my girlfriends apartment, not nebenwohner.
Hello Bastien, thank you so much for this website, it has been my go to for a couple of curve balls life has been throwing at me recently! I’m currently trying to apply for a health insurance, since for the next 6 months I’ll be self employed before starting my masters, but everyone keeps asking me about the E104 Form? Do you perhaps have any information on that? I’ve been studying in Germany for a few years now, and always used my European Health Insurance Card to get a “Befreiung der Krankenversicherungspflicht”, so I almost wonder if maybe I couldn’t keep on doing that?
Hey Camila. You can’t do that anymore since you will be a German resident. Having the E104 will help you get in the public system.
Bonjour Bastien,
You mention that children can benefit from freiwillig insurance. Can the spouse too? I’ll be working but not my wife when we move to Germany.
Thanks a lot for the great blog!
Hey Cedric. When they don’t have any income, yes. (Source)
Bastien, merci ! You are correct, I found the answer meanwhile. Your topic has been very useful again! I will opt for TK as they have English service and their prices are fair. The only surprising thing for me is that many insurances do not cover Zahnreinigung/teeth cleaning/détartrage and I have been wondering how much it usually costs to pay for such a basic dental act in Germany, that we do at least once a year in France.
Hi There! Thank you very much for this page, it is very useful! I wanted to ask you this: I am living in Berlin for one month now, I have EU passport from Spain and I am currently unemployed and can not pay 200/300 euros per month for health insurance. How should i proceed?
Hey Julen. In this case, it’s quite likely that you’d need to apply for unemployment benefits, ALG1 or ALG2 depending on your eligibility. It would then take over the costs.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply to me. I’ll check on this further. Gracias!
Hi Bastien, thanks alot for your helpful information. I’d like to have your advice for. T case (if it’s possible). Iam a master student but I turned 30 years old already. I’ve got a student job, working 20hours a week. Now I am insured by a private travel health insurance for international students. Meanwhile when I starts my student job, I am supposed to have social contribution obligation since the salary is above 450€ per month so I have to switch to either public or private insurance. But I am quite lost now, do you have any information about this matter? Is it extremely difficult to switch from private to public insurance when I am full time employed? Thank you in advance!
Hey Annie. I don’t have info about this sorry. However, you are not the first one to ask so i will be posting about it soon.