Health insurance plan for your stay in Germany
If you want to study in Germany, it is mandatory to have a health insurance plan. Depending on where you are from, it may be that your public health insurance plan of your origin country is also valid in Germany.
Public and private health insurance
In Germany, there are different types of health insurance: governmental and private health insurance. While the contributions of the governmental health insurance are normally based on income, the contributions of the private health insurance depend on state of health, age, and the scope of the service/benefits you choose. However, German governmental health insurance providers are offering affordable security plans for (international) students up to an age of 30 or until the end of their 14th academic semester.
Does my health insurance also apply in Germany?
If you are from one of the member states of the EU or one of the following countries, your country's health insurance is also valid in Germany:
– Bosnia and Herzegovina
—Iceland
—Israel
—Liechtenstein
—Morocco
—Macedonia
—Montenegro
—Norway
—Switzerland
—Serbia
—Tunisia
—Turkey
Health insurance plans
Depending on if you are planning to attend a preparatory course (Studienkolleg) or directly start your studies at a university, there are different options for health insurance plans:
If you apply to Studienkolleg or a language course
If you are not from one of the countries mentioned above and want to apply to Studienkolleg or language course, you are not eligible for governmental health insurance, since you are not enrolled in a university.
This is why you need to get a private health insurance for the duration of your studies. Note that you cannot switch to a governmental health insurance once you got covered by a private health insurance.
If you apply directly to a university
If you are not from one of the countries mentioned above, you can get covered either by a governmental or private health insurance company in Germany.
In case you apply for a private insurance, it is important that you get an exemption from the mandatory governmental health insurance in order to be able to enroll at a university. You can get the exemption from any governmental health insurance company in Germany, once you got covered by a private one. Be aware that you cannot switch back to a governmental health insurance during your studies once you got covered by a private health insurance.
Need any help?
If you need more information or help, consult our partner Fintiba who can help you with getting a health insurance plan in Germany.
