Medical Insurance

Insurance abroad

Benefits of German health insurance abroad

In the EU:

If you are privately insured, you benefit from the full insurance coverage detailed in your policy.
This full private insurance is valid worldwide for a period of at least one month, with many insurers even providing coverage for three or more months.
This period may be extended if you are unable to travel home for health reasons.
Some insurers also offer an individual agreement to extend your worldwide insurance coverage before you go abroad.
In some European countries, you are required by law to take out insurance in the respective local system if you have an employment contract or participate in a longer stay. If you can document you have purchased valid health insurance coverage in Germany, you can request an exemption. Since spring 2017, the corresponding form "Certificate of entitlement" from the private health insurance association PKV has been available for those with private health insurance, and the formhas been approved by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS).
Not every private health insurance contract covers return transportation for medical treatment or burial.
It is therefore advantageous to purchase such travel health insurance coverage. Many of these policies cover the costs of return transportation, even in cases where it is medically advisable but may not be absolutely necessary.

Outside the EU:

If you have private health insurance and want to travel abroad, you should check your insurance coverage beforehand, since treatment or return transportation can otherwise be very costly.
In countries outside the EU, you are insured for 1 month. This period can be extended if you are unable to travel home for health reasons.
In the case of long-term stays, an "Anwartschaftsversicherung" (entitlement insurance) can make sense in order to maintain your insurance coverage in Germany.
The cost of return transportation is not included in most insurance policies, but taking out an additional policy with your existing health insurance provider is an option.

Benefits of statutory German health insurance in the EU

Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, you continue to have statutory health insurance via your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). All you need to do is present it whenever you visit a doctor in these countries.
This EHIC is on the back of your German health insurance card, and it gives you access to medical care.

The EHIC is valid in:

Member countries of the European Union
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Norway
Switzerland
Macedonia
Serbia
United Kingdom

The EHIC is not valid outside these countries!

Care available with the EHIC

In the event of an accident or an acute illness, you can use your EHIC to receive medical care in the European countries where it is valid.
You are entitled to all care that is medically necessary during your stay in the respective country.
Your German statutory health insurance will cover the cost of this medical care.
People with German statutory health insurance (EHIC) therefore receive outpatient or inpatient care in medical emergencies in all EU countries as well as in Iceland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland and Serbia.
With the EHIC, you are insured according to the applicable regulations for health insurance coverage in the country in which you are staying. That means: The health insurance companies only pay for the services that are prescribed in the respective country.
This often only covers the costs that would be incurred in Germany for the same treatment.
If a medical service provided abroad exceeds these costs, the patient must pay the difference. This amount varies by country. Be aware that you may have to pay for a treatment abroad in cash directly afterwards. Be sure to keep the receipts so you can submit them later to your health insurance company and request a reimbursement.
Costs for return transportation for medical treatment or burial are not covered.
In most countries, the cost of treatment is billed directly to the health insurance company. In some countries, however, such as France or Luxembourg, medical expenses are paid by the patient directly to the doctor. In such cases, you will need to ask for a reimbursement after paying the cost yourself.
If you have to pay for medical care yourself, you should always request a detailed invoice that shows all the measures and treatments. Afterwards, you submit the invoice to your German statutory health insurance company for reimbursement in accordance with the laws of the country in which you received medical care.

Outside the EU

Outside the EU, German statutory health insurance companies generally do not cover any medical expenses.
An exception applies only in cases where insured persons documents that they were denied the chance to purchase private travel health insurance. In such cases, German statutory health insurance companies cover the costs of immediately required medical care for private trips abroad, including to countries outside the EU and the EEA, for a maximum of six weeks per calendar year.
The prerequisite is that such persons were denied the chance to take out private travel health insurance due to a previous illness or their age.

Before the start of the trip, such persons must provide their German statutory health insurance company with documentation of the corresponding denial of travel health insurance,and the German insurance company must give prior consent that it will provide insurance coverage during the trip.

Once these conditions are met, the German statutory health insurance company then covers the cost of medical care up to the amount that would have been incurred in Germany.

International Health Insurance

International health insurance

We highly recommend that you take out international health insurance as well as insurance for return transportation
Ask your current health insurance company whether they offer health insurance for stays abroad and what the conditions are
Make sure that business trips are also covered
Important: International health insurance only covers the costs of medical treatment for acute illnesses or accidents that occur after you have taken out insurance

Return transportation

When taking out insurance, please make sure that the selected tariff also covers return transportation to your home country. Otherwise, you would have to pay these additional costs yourself. Some insurance policies cover medically necessary transport, others also medically reasonable transport.

Medically necessary coverage will pay for return transportation only if you cannot get the required treatment abroad.

Medically reasonable coverage will pay for return transportation even if it is not absolutely medically necessary. This provides more leeway and you might get transport home even though the treatment could have been carried out abroad under certain circumstances.

Different coverage periods

You can take out international health insurance for an entire year or only for the specific duration of single trips. The costs range between 5 and 20 euros per year.

What is usually excluded:

Any treatment of the policyholders' pre-existing conditions that is not urgently necessary
Preventative health check-ups

Coverage with your current provider

Many private and public health insurance companies offer their customers special rates for additional health insurance for stays abroad. We recommend you contact your current insurance provider first.

Other providers

Travel health insurance for trips up to 56 days per trip:

UKV