Explanation

The statutory health insurance of students from other EU member states is also valid in Germany. However, you must get your health insurance policy recognized by a statutory health insurer in Germany.

You can go to any public health insurance provider in Germany and show them your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The German public health insurer will issue you a certificate stating that your home country’s health insurance is valid in Germany. You need this certificate to enroll in a university in Germany.

You can get an EHIC card from your home country’s health insurance provider.

Even the private health insurers from other EU member states are recognized in Germany. But you cannot switch to a statutory health insurance provider in this case. 

If the German public health insurer doesn’t recognize private insurance from your home country, you must get valid health insurance from Germany.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students

Explanation

You have the EHIC card

• Go to any public health insurance provider in Germany and show them your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
• The German public health insurer will issue you a certificate stating that your home country’s health insurance is valid in Germany.

You need this certificate to enroll in a university in Germany.

You don’t have the EHIC card

Register for a global health insurance card at NHS.

If that doesn’t work, you must get public or private health insurance from Germany, depending on your eligibility criteria.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students

Explanation

Your parents have public health insurance

Children are insured for free with family insurance in the following cases:

• They are up to 18 years old
• They are up to 23 years old and unemployed.
• The age limit is extended to 25 if the child is in school or vocational training or is doing voluntary service.

Your parents have private health insurance

Privately insured parents cannot insure their children for free in family insurance. They must get a separate private health insurance policy for their kids.

So, you or your parents must continue paying your private health insurance premium.

You can switch from private to public before the start of your studies or within 3 months of your course start. You cannot change your health insurance during your studies.

Guides

• Family insurance

Explanation

Students who are under 30 before starting their studies must get a public health insurance policy. You can apply for an exemption from compulsory statutory health insurance if you want private health insurance.

However, you must apply for the exemption within three months of starting the course. The health insurance company considers the enrollment date to calculate the three months.

The legal basis for this is (Section 8, Paragraph 1, No. 5, in conjunction with Paragraph 2, Sentence 1 of the Social Code Book V).

NOTE: Once you enroll in health insurance, private or public, you cannot change it during your studies.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students
• Family insurance
• Private vs public health insurance

Explanation

You are single

You can insure your children under your public health insurance for free. However, if you get private health insurance, you must get a separate private health insurance policy for your kids.

You are married

• Both parents have public health insurance: The child is automatically insured under free family insurance.
• Both parents have private health insurance: The child must have separate private health insurance. The child cannot be insured with statutory health insurance.
• One parent has private and other public health insurance: You can take private or public health insurance for your child. However, you won’t get FREE family insurance if you meet all of the three conditions:
  • The parents are married or life partners under the Civil Partnership Act.
  • The privately insured parent earns more than the publicly insured parent.
  • The total monthly income of the privately insured parent exceeds the annual salary limit (5,775 euros per month gross as of  2024).

A private health insurance policy for children costs between 100 € and 250 € per month. So, if you have kids, the savings from private health insurance diminishes quickly.

NOTE: You should never get private health insurance just to save money. The goal should be better coverage than the statutory health insurance. If you save some money in the process, that’s a bonus.

You can clarify your doubts by consulting a fee-based insurance advisor or broker. You can ask your questions to an expert for free here.

Guides

• Private health insurance for children
• Family insurance

Explanation

Table of contents

• Public health insurance
• Private health insurance
• Expat health insurance

Public health insurance

You can insure your children under your public health insurance for free. However, if you get private health insurance, you must get a separate private health insurance policy for your kids.

Thus, public insurance is usually cheaper for individuals with families in Germany.

Private health insurance

Private health insurance is cheaper if

• you are a high earner or
• your spouse also earns.

Here is how much one (single with no children) saves in different situations.

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings
Students	Under 23: 120 € 23 to 29: 125 € 30 and above: 222 €	Under 23: 120 23 to 29: 120 30 and above: 220	No savings
Employed	Total: 950 € You pay: 475 € Employer pays: 475 €	Total: 700 € You pay: 350 € Employer pays: 350 €	125 €
Self-employed	950 €	700 €	250 €
Civil Servants	950 € (only a few federal states cover half the health insurance cost)	400 € (State covers 50% to 70% of medical bills)	550 €

NOTE: Getting private health insurance is a lifetime decision, as returning to the public health system later is tough. You should consult a fee based insurance advisor or an insurance broker before deciding.

You can compare and apply for private student health insurance on the comparison portal Check24*. If you don’t feel comfortable in German, you can check student private health insurance from Feather* or Dr. Walter*.

Expat private health insurance

Expat private health insurance is the better choice if you are in Germany temporarily (up to 5 years). It’s the cheapest health insurance in Germany.

Private health insurance companies are required by law to save part of the premium as retirement provisions. These provisions keep the insurance cost stable as you age.

However, expat health insurance policies don’t save retirement provisions. As you don’t pay for the retirement provisions, the expat insurance cost is very low.

You can get expat health insurance from Feather* or Dr. Walter*.

Guides

• Start here
• Is private health insurance worth it?
• Private health insurance for children
• Family insurance
• Public or private health insurance

Explanation

Students coming to Germany to attend preparatory or language courses cannot insure themselves with a statutory health insurance company. The same applies to internships.

But German law still requires proof of health insurance. Thus, the only choice for students in internship, language, or preparatory courses is to get private health insurance.

You can compare and apply for private student health insurance on the comparison portal Check24*. If you don’t feel comfortable in German, you can check student private health insurance from Feather* or Dr. Walter*.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students

Explanation

Students who are under 30 before starting their studies must get a public health insurance policy. However, you can apply for an exemption from compulsory public health insurance.

You must apply for the exemption within three months of starting the course. The public health insurance company considers the enrollment date to calculate the three months.

The legal basis for this is (Section 8, Paragraph 1, No. 5, in conjunction with Paragraph 2, Sentence 1 of the Social Code Book V).

NOTE: Once you enroll in health insurance, private or public, you cannot change it during your studies.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students

Explanation

Students who are 30 or above when starting their studies cannot be insured with statutory health insurance. They must get private health insurance.

However, you can apply for an exemption from private health insurance. You must apply for the exemption within three months of starting the course. The health insurance company considers the enrollment date to calculate the three months.

The legal basis for this is (Section 8, Paragraph 1, No. 5, in conjunction with Paragraph 2, Sentence 1 of the Social Code Book V).

NOTE: Once you enroll in health insurance, private or public, you cannot change it during your studies.

You can compare and apply for private student health insurance on the comparison portal Check24*. If you don’t feel comfortable in German, you can check student private health insurance from Feather* or Dr. Walter*.

Expat private health insurance

Expat private health insurance is the better choice if you are in Germany temporarily (up to 5 years). It’s the cheapest health insurance in Germany.

Private health insurance companies are legally required to save part of the premium as retirement provisions. These provisions keep the insurance cost stable as you age.

However, expat health insurance policies don’t save retirement provisions. As you don’t pay for the retirement provisions, the expat insurance cost is very low.

You can get expat health insurance from Feather* or Dr. Walter*.

Guides

• Health insurance for international students

Explanation

To join private health insurance, you must meet the following criteria.

• You must earn above the income threshold. This is 69,300€ gross per annum as of 2024.
• Private health insurance only accepts healthy individuals.

Guides

• Start here
• Is private health insurance worth it?

Explanation

• The state covers 50% to 70% of civil servants’ medical costs. Thus, they need supplementary private health insurance to cover the rest. Hence drastically reducing their insurance premium.
• The state also covers up to 70% of the medical bills of a civil servant’s spouse and children. This is why it doesn’t matter if you are married and have children.

In our comparison and test, we found Haellesche’s and Signal Iduna’s private health insurance plans among the best.

Private health insurance is a complicated product. So, we recommend consulting a fee-based advisor or an insurance broker for personalized advice.

Guides

• Start here
• Is private health insurance worth it?
• Essential services private health insurance must cover

Explanation

You can insure your spouse or registered partner for free in your public health insurance if they meet the following requirements.

• The family member to be insured must live in Germany.
• They do not work full-time as self-employed.
• The family member must not be exempt from public insurance. For example, they are a high-earning employee or civil servant.
• People from certain professional groups, such as civil servants, judges, soldiers, or clergy, cannot be included in family insurance.
• Their monthly income doesn’t exceed the minimum income limit. The income limit is 505 € per month (gross) as of 2024.
• The income shouldn’t exceed the mini-job income limit for family members working part-time. It’s 538 € per month (gross) as of 2024.

TIP: You can exceed the income limits up to twice a year.

For example, suppose you earned 550 € each in August and September, and your income was below the income limit for other months.

In this case, you remain insured for free in family health insurance. But if you exceed the income limit by more than twice a year, you must pay for health insurance.

NOTE: Only people part of the public health insurance system can insure their families for free in family insurance. People with private health insurance must get a private insurance policy for their relatives.

NOTE: The purpose of getting health insurance is to have good coverage when you or your loved ones are sick. Thus, you should not base your decision solely on which health insurance is cheaper.

If you are confused and don’t know which health insurance is best for you or your family, consult a fee-based advisor or a broker for personalized advice.

You can ask your questions to an expert for free here.

Guides

• Family insurance in Germany

Explanation

Table of contents

• Explanation
• How much do you save with private health insurance?

As your spouse also earns, they pay their own health insurance premium. It doesn’t matter which health insurance your spouse has.

So, you can save on insurance costs by getting private health insurance. Moroever, you get better services than public health insurance.

You can also insure your kids in private health insurance for better coverage. Your employer also contributes to your children’s private health insurance.

The maximum employer’s contribution to your and your family’s private health insurance is up to the amount the employer would have paid if you were in public insurance.

The maximum employer subsidy is 421.76 € per month as of 2024. So if you have a private health insurance contribution of 600 €, the employer will contribute 300 € (50% of 600 €). This leaves you with 121.76 € in subsidy that can be used for your children’s private insurance.

If your child has a private insurance contribution of 200 €, your employer will contribute 100 € (50% of 200 €). You’ll still have 21.76 € in subsidy that can be used for your second child.

The following applies to children’s health insurance.

• Both parents have private health insurance. You must get a separate private health insurance policy for the child. Your child cannot be insured in statutory health insurance.
• Both parents have public health insurance. Your child is automatically insured in your public health insurance or family insurance for free. You can still get full or supplementary private health insurance for your child.
• One parent has private, and the other has public health insurance. You can take private or public health insurance for your child. However, you won’t get free family insurance if you meet all of the three conditions:
  • The parents are married or life partners under the Civil Partnership Act.
  • The privately insured parent earns more than the publicly insured parent.
  • The total monthly income of the privately insured parent exceeds the annual salary limit (5,775 euros per month gross as of  2024).

Example

Consider a married couple. One parent has private insurance and earns 6,500 euros gross monthly. Other parent has state health insurance and earns 5,000 euros gross per month. 

In this scenario, the privately insured parent satisfies all the three conditions. 

• They are married.
• The privately insured parent is the main earner or earns more than their partner.
• The privately insured parent’s income surpasses the annual salary limit.

Hence, the child must get a separate health insurance policy.

You can decide whether to get public or private health insurance for your child. But you must pay a monthly premium for your child regardless of whether your child has public or private insurance.

NOTE: The purpose of getting health insurance is to have good coverage when you or your loved ones are sick. Thus, you should not base your decision solely on which health insurance is cheaper.

If you are confused and don’t know which health insurance is best for you or your family, consult a fee-based advisor or a broker for personalized advice.

You can ask your questions to an expert for free here.

How much do you save with private health insurance?

We made the following assumptions.

• Your partner is working.
• Your spouse pays for their health insurance themselves.
• You earn more than the income threshold of 69,300 € gross per month (as of 2024) to be eligible for private health insurance.

Total health insurance costs in the public and private system

Employed

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings in private insurance
Maximum employer’s contribution	421.76 € as of 2024
1 child	Your premium: 475 € (after deducting employer’s contribution) Your child’s premium: Free	Your premium: 350 € (after deducting employer’s contribution) Your child’s premium: 60 € (120 – 60 (employer’s contribution))	🟢 65 € (475 – (350+60))
2 children	Your premium: 475 € Your children’s premium: Free	Your premium: 350 € Child 1: 60 € Child 2: 110 € (120 – 10 (remaining employer’s subsidy))	🔴 -45 € (475 – (350 + 170))

Self-employed

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings in private insurance
1 child	Your premium: 950 € Your child’s premium: Free	Your premium: 700 € Your child’s premium in the private system: 120 €	🟢 130 € (950 – (700 + 120))
2 children	Your premium: 950 € Your children’s premium: Free	Your premium: 700 € Child 1: 120 € Child 2: 120 €	🟢 10 € (950 – (700 + 240)

As you can see, you can save with private health insurance even if you have children. However, you should not base your decision solely on which health insurance is cheaper.

You should consult a fee-based insurance advisor or broker for personalized advice. You can ask your questions to an expert for free here.

Guides

• Start here
• Health insurance for children
• Family insurance in Germany
• Public or private health insurance
• Is private health insurance unaffordable in old age?

Explanation

A good private health insurance plan offers better services than public health insurance. Moreover, high-earners can save a few hundred euros every month in private health insurance.

Even if you have two children, the cost of private health insurance for your family is the same or slightly less than public health insurance.

However, private health insurance becomes costly for families with three or more children. Thus, public health insurance is a better choice from a financial perspective. This is because children are insured for free in public health insurance.

Savings in private health insurance

We made the following assumptions.

• You are single
• You earn more than the income threshold of 69,300 € gross per month (as of 2024) to be eligible for private health insurance.

Total health insurance costs in the public and private system

Employed

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings in private insurance
Maximum employer’s contribution	421.76 € as of 2024
1 child	Your premium: 475 € (after deducting employer’s contribution) Your child’s premium: Free	Your premium: 350 € (after deducting employer’s contribution) Your child’s premium: 60 € (120 – 60 (employer’s contribution))	🟢 65 € (475 – (350+60))
2 children	Your premium: 475 € Your children’s premium: Free	Your premium: 350 € Child 1: 60 € Child 2: 110 € (120 – 10 (remaining employer’s subsidy))	🔴 -45 € (475 – (350 + 170))

Self-employed

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings in private insurance
1 child	Your premium: 950 € Your child’s premium: Free	Your premium: 700 € Your child’s premium in the private system: 120 €	🟢 130 € (950 – (700 + 120))
2 children	Your premium: 950 € Your children’s premium: Free	Your premium: 700 € Child 1: 120 € Child 2: 120 €	🟢 10 € (950 – (700 + 240)

As you can see, you can save with private health insurance even if you have children. However, you should not base your decision solely on which health insurance is cheaper.

You should consult a fee-based insurance advisor or broker for personalized advice. You can ask your questions to an expert for free here.

Guides

• Start here
• Health insurance for children
• Family insurance in Germany
• Public or private health insurance

Explanation

Individuals with high incomes and no children can save a lot of money with private health insurance. However, you must consider the long term before deciding.

Getting private health insurance is a lifelong decision. You cannot return to the public health system later.

You should educate yourself about the German health system before deciding.

You might be single or have no children today, but your life situation may change over time. So, always consider the future when deciding which health insurance to take.

NOTE: The purpose of getting health insurance is to have good coverage when you or your loved ones are sick. Thus, you should not base your decision solely on which health insurance is cheaper.

Savings in private health insurance

Let’s see how much you can save if you get private health insurance. We have made the following assumptions.

• you are a high-earner
• you are 30 years old
• you took a top-tier private health insurance plan

We also include contributions to long-term nursing care insurance while calculating the premiums. 

	Monthly public insurance premiums	Monthly private insurance premiums	Monthly Savings
Employed	Total: 950 € You pay: 475 € Employer pays: 475 €	Total: 700 € You pay: 350 € Employer pays: 350 €	125 €
Self-employed	950 €	700 €	250 €
Civil Servants	950 € (only a few federal states cover half the health insurance cost)	400 € (State covers 50% to 70% of medical bills)	550 €

As you can see, civil servants benefit the most from private health insurance. That’s also why around 93% of civil servants and 39% of self-employed in Germany have private health insurance.

In our comparison and test, we found Haellesche’s and Signal Iduna’s private health insurance plans among the best.

Private health insurance is a complicated product. So, we recommend consulting a fee-based advisor or an insurance broker for personalized advice.

Guides

• Start here
• Is private health insurance worth it?
• Health insurance for children
• Family insurance in Germany
• Public or private health insurance