Understand the process of terminating the private health insurance contract in Germany. Explore key insights into canceling your health insurance contract, notice period, how to terminate the contract, etc. Know in which situations the health insurance provider can cancel your contract.

Key takeaways

• You can cancel the private health insurance policy by giving a three-month notice before the end of the insurance year.
• In special situations like an increase in insurance premium, you can cancel the contract within two months after receiving the letter.
• Switching private health insurance providers to reduce the monthly premium is not the best option. You can learn more about reducing private health insurance costs in our guide.
• Private health insurance companies can terminate your contract if you breach the contract terms or provide misleading information when applying.
• You can cancel the private health insurance contract immediately upon leaving Germany permanently. You must submit the de-registration certificate as proof.

This is how you do it

• Send a written cancellation request to your health insurer via registered post.
• Explicitly mention in the letter that you want to terminate the contract.
• Write the “termination of health insurance contract” letter in German. You can download a free sample letter here.
• You must submit proof of the new health insurance to your current insurer. Without valid proof, your termination of the health insurance contract is invalid.
• Consult a fee-based advisor or consumer advice center for personalized advice.

Table of contents

How do I cancel the private health insurance policy in Germany?

You can cancel the private health insurance policy by sending a written cancellation request to your insurance provider. You must ensure the insurer receives the cancellation request within the notice period.

The notice period for most health insurers is three months before the end of the “insurance year.”

We recommend sending the notice of termination via registered post. Also, it’s better to write the letter in German.

You don’t speak German. No worries, we’ve got you covered. We have written a sample private health insurance cancellation letter. You can download it here for free.

NOTE: German law requires everyone in Germany to have a health insurance policy. Thus, to cancel your health insurance policy, you must prove the following to your current insurer. You have a new German health insurance policy. You’ll remain insured without interruption.  You cannot cancel the old policy without proof of a valid new policy.

What should you mention in the insurance policy cancellation letter?

Mention the following information explicitly in the letter.

• Your insurance number
• Explicitly mention the term “termination (Kündigung in German)”
• When do you want to cancel the contract? Usually, it’s as soon as possible.
• Your signature
• Proof of the new insurance policy

When can I cancel my private health insurance plan?

Normal cancellation of health insurance contract

You cancel the private health insurance contract by giving a three-month written notice to the end of the insurance year ( §205 VVG). 

The “insurance year” is usually the “calendar year” for most health insurance companies. But for some insurers, the “insurance year” differs from the “calendar year.” Thus, check your insurance policy to confirm.

Suppose your insurance company follows the normal calendar year. Then, the deadline by which the insurer must receive the written cancellation request is 30th September. 

NOTE: If you have a minimum insurance period in your health insurance contract, you can cancel the contract once this period is over. 

Cancelling insurance policy in special situations

The deadline to cancel the private health insurance contract differs in special situations. For example, you receive a letter from your insurer about the increase in insurance premiums. In this situation, you can cancel the health insurance contract within 2 months of receiving the letter.

We talk about the special situations and their deadlines later in this guide.

NOTE: Your health insurance cancellation will only be effective if you submit proof of subsequent insurance to your provider. You must submit this proof before the last day of insurance.

Special right to cancel private health insurance in Germany

In the following situations, you can cancel the private health insurance policy without giving three months’ notice. 

1. You are required to be insured with statutory health insurance. For example, your salary went below the minimum income threshold of 69,300 € (as of 2024).
2. You can be insured in the public healthcare system for free via your spouse.
3. You have a permanent right to medical care from your employer. For example, as a soldier, police officer, or correctional officer.
4. Your private health insurer increased the insurance premium.

Deadline for canceling the private health insurance tariff in special situations

Under normal circumstances, you cancel the private health insurance contract by giving a three-month written notice to the end of the insurance year ( §205 VVG). 

However, the deadline is different in certain situations.

Cancellation deadline if you must be insured with statutory insurance, or entitled to family insurance, or right to medical care

In this case, you can cancel the private health insurance on the day your statutory health insurance starts. Moreover, you can cancel the private insurance plan retroactively for three months.

It means you can get back 3 months of private health insurance premiums if you were insured with public insurance during the same time.

Suppose you contacted your private health insurance provider more than three months after switching to a public health insurance provider. You can cancel the private insurance contract at the end of the month.

It’s recommended that you inform your insurance company well in advance in writing.

Cancellation deadline if your insurer increased the premium

You cancel the private health insurance tariff within two months after receiving the premium increase letter. Your health insurance contract ends at the point at which the higher premium would be due. 

NOTE: You must provide proof of your new health insurance coverage to the current health insurance provider. Without proof of valid German health insurance, you cannot cancel your current insurance policy.

What should you keep in mind while canceling the private health insurance policy?

• Ensure you have signed the policy with the new insurer before canceling with your old insurer. Suppose you cancel the insurance policy and the new insurer suddenly asks for a higher risk premium or reduces the health insurance coverage; then you’ll be in a tricky situation.
• Switching health insurance providers is not the best move to reduce your insurance premiums. Instead, you can switch to a different tariff your current insurer offers.
• Your contract cancellation is invalid if you don’t submit proof of being insured by a new insurer without interruption.

Is changing my private health insurance provider worth it?

Switching to a different private health insurance provider is not worth it for the following reasons.

• You lose a large part of your saved retirement provisions. In other words, you can transfer only a small part to the new health insurance provider.
• The new health insurer calculates the insurance contribution amount based on your current age and health. Thus, the new policy leads to higher premiums. This is because your health deteriorates as you age.

Changing your tariff with the same insurance provider is better for reducing the premiums. You don’t need a new health check, and you retain your retirement provisions.

You can learn more about premium reduction in our guide on how to reduce private health insurance costs.

When can the German private health insurance company cancel my insurance policy?

Since 2009, everyone in Germany is legally obliged to have a health insurance policy. Thus, private health insurance companies aren’t allowed to terminate the contract of the policyholder.

The insurer cannot terminate their contract even when the insured can no longer afford the monthly insurance premiums. Instead, the insured person goes into the emergency tariff. 

However, there are two situations where the private health insurance provider has the right to terminate.

1. Falsifying the information on the health insurance application form

Intentionally

The health insurance company can terminate the contract if you intentionally provide false information while applying. In the worst-case scenario, your contract may be canceled retroactively. It means you may have to pay back the health insurance benefits you have received so far.

NOTE: The insurance company can contest the contract’s validity in the first ten years after the contract is concluded.

Negligently

Even if you negligently provided misleading information, the insurer can cancel your contract. However, the insurer can only cancel the contract if they would not have previously concluded the contract had they known the correct information.

In this case, the health insurer can contest the contract’s validity within the first five years after it is concluded.

2. Breaching the health insurance contract’s terms and conditions

The health insurance provider can terminate your insurance policy if you breach the terms of the contract. Here are some examples of breaching general insurance conditions.

• You are falsifying the medical bills.
• You obtain health insurance benefits by fraud — for example, a false sick day certificate.

In the breach of contract terms, the health insurance company can cancel your policy immediately without notice. The worst is no other private health insurance company will accept you as a customer.

So, your only option in this case will be to get a basic tariff. It’s because private health insurers cannot reject customers in the basic tariff ( Section 193 Para. 5 VVG ).

Are you leaving Germany permanently? This is how you cancel the health insurance plan.

If you leave Germany permanently, you can immediately cancel the health insurance policy. German law requires everyone living in Germany to have health insurance. As soon as you leave Germany, the law doesn’t apply anymore. 

Attach the de-registration certificate when you submit the cancellation request. The de-registration certificate is the proof that you are leaving Germany.

Submit the cancellation request in writing. We recommend canceling the contract well in advance to ensure a smooth termination process.

FAQs

How can I get the saved retirement provisions back?

Retirement provisions are the amount you pay on top of your private insurance premiums. The private insurance companies save this amount so your insurance premium is not too high in old age.

Unfortunately, you lose the retirement provisions you saved when you cancel your private health insurance policy. But there are two ways to maximize your saved retirement provisions.

• Take out a supplementary private health insurance policy. In this case, the private insurer will assign the saved provisions to the supplementary insurance.
• Return to your old private health insurance tariff. Suppose you want to return to your old tariff later. You can take out “Expectancy/Entitlement insurance (An­wart­schafts­ver­si­che­rung).” In expectancy insurance, you pay a reduced monthly premium and keep your option to return to your old tariff open. The benefit of expectancy insurance is that you don’t need a complete health checkup when you return. Moreover, you can return to private insurance at the old cost and services. 

NOTE: You must consider taking expectancy insurance only if you are sure to return to the private health insurance system. It’s because expectancy insurance doesn’t offer any health insurance benefits. It only locks your old tariff and retains the retirement provisions.

Can a private health insurance company refuse the contract cancellation request?

The private health insurance company can reject your cancellation request in the following situations.

• You missed the contract cancellation deadline. The insurer didn’t receive the written cancellation request with all the details within the deadline. In this case, the insurer can reject your request.
• Your contract has a minimum contract period. You cannot cancel the health insurance policy during the minimum contract period.
• You don’t have or didn’t provide proof of a new health insurance policy to your insurer. Private health insurers are required by law to ensure that the insured person has valid health insurance. Thus, they can reject the cancellation request if you don’t provide proof of the new policy.

Where can I get advice on canceling private health insurance in Germany?

We recommend getting advice from a fee-based advisor or an insurance broker before canceling your private health insurance policy. You can also get advice for free from consumer advice centers in Germany.

Suppose you cancel the insurance policy as you can’t afford the high premiums. There are better alternatives to reduce the health insurance cost. For example, you can switch to a cheaper tariff offered by the same insurer. 

References

• https://www.finanztip.de/pkv/pkv-kuendigung/
• https://www.americanexpress.com/de-de/kampagnen/guide/versicherungen/private-krankenversicherung/private-krankenversicherung-kuendigen-2139
• https://www.ottonova.de/v/private-krankenversicherung/kuendigen
• https://www.verivox.de/private-krankenversicherung/kuendigen/
• https://gesund.bund.de/en/switching-health-insurance-provider
• https://www.bafin.de/EN/Verbraucher/Versicherung/Produkte/Kranken/krankenversicherung_node_en.html