Guides: health insurance in Germany for expats
Everything newcomers to Germany should know before choosing between public and private health insurance – thresholds, costs, family rules and what happens when you leave. With official sources and honest downsides. As of October 2026.
Basics
What private health insurance really costs
Published price benchmarks, your share after the employer contribution and the 2027 comparison with public insurance.
Read more GuidePublic vs private: the honest comparison
Who may choose, what each system costs in 2027, and why families and short stays usually stay public.
Read more GuideDisadvantages of private health insurance
Old age, family, the way back and leaving Germany – the downsides of private health insurance, honestly explained.
Read more GuideEmployer contribution 2026/2027
How much your employer pays towards private health and care insurance – maximums, family members and worked examples.
Read more GuideLeaving Germany: your health insurance
EU move or rest of the world, dormant policy or cancellation – and what happens if you come back.
Read moreBy origin
Americans in Germany: which health insurance?
Why your US plan usually doesn't count, what the US–German agreement covers – and how to plan a move back.
Read more GuideIndian professionals: which health insurance?
Blue Card, spouse and children, parents visiting – and what happens to your cover if you move back to India.
Read more GuideUK citizens: health insurance after Brexit
What the EU–UK agreement still coordinates, when GHIC and S1 apply – and why a German private policy treats the UK as “elsewhere”.
Read moreComparisons
Private health insurance in English
Who offers English service, which documents stay German – and how to protect yourself when the application is in German.
Read more GuideGerman private health insurers on facts
The major private insurers with insured numbers, complaint data and English service – and the criteria that matter more than any ranking.
Read more GuideTK vs private: a fair comparison
Costs, family, English service and leaving Germany – the public fund TK and private insurance side by side, with sources.
Read moreProfessions
PhD candidates and students over 30
Student insurance ends at 30 – and doctoral candidates never had it. Your options with a contract, a scholarship or as an international student.
Read more GuideResearchers and postdocs: which health insurance?
Employment contract, scholarship or short guest stay – three situations, three answers. Including the public route for § 18d researchers.
Read more GuideIT professionals: public or private?
Senior salary, RSUs, a startup offer? What counts towards the threshold – and when public insurance is the smarter choice.
Read more GuideDoctors moving to Germany: public or private?
Resident doctors often stay below the threshold until year five – specialists are usually above it. The numbers by pay grade.
Read moreVisa & status
Blue Card: which health insurance?
The Blue Card salary is far below the health insurance threshold – so most holders are publicly insured. Here is when private is an option.
Read more GuideOpportunity Card: which health insurance?
From incoming cover for the visa to public insurance with your first job – the three phases of the Chancenkarte.
Read moreYour situation
Health insurance for freelancers
Public, private or no choice at all? Access rules, 2027 contributions, sick pay and the special case of artists.
Read more GuideStaying only a few years?
Why private health insurance rarely pays off if you leave Germany within a few years – and when it still can.
Read more GuidePrivate health insurance for employees
Who may switch, from which date, and what your employer pays – with the 2026 and 2027 thresholds.
Read more GuidePrivate health insurance with a family
Spouse, children, newborns and mixed couples: why families on one income usually stay public – with 2027 numbers.
Read more GuideReturning to Germany: your health insurance
Last public or last private? Which countries count, which deadlines apply – and how to avoid the premium surcharge.
Read more GuideUnemployed: what happens to your health insurance
Unemployment benefit, the five-year exemption, what the Federal Employment Agency pays towards private cover and the deadlines you must not miss.
Read more GuidePre-existing conditions: how underwriting works
Health questions, surcharges, exclusions and the anonymous pre-check – the process explained, without asking you anything.
Read more GuideSwitching back to public
The legal routes back from private to public insurance – under 55, from 55 and through family insurance.
Read more GuideSwitching from public to private
When you may switch, the deadlines that matter and the order of steps that keeps you covered.
Read moreHow expat health insurance works in Germany
“Expat health insurance” is a marketing term. If you live and work in Germany, you need German health insurance: either public insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV) or a full private policy (private Krankenversicherung, PKV) that meets the legal minimum. Travel or incoming policies are only a bridge – German missions point out that they can exclude long stays.
Which system you may choose depends on your status. Employees can only go private above the income threshold – €77,400 in 2026 and €84,150 in 2027 (draft). Freelancers and the self-employed can choose freely, but newcomers from outside the EU often have no route into public insurance at all. Start with the public vs private guide or let the 60-second decider sort your situation first.
Thinking about leaving one day? Read what happens to your health insurance when you leave Germany before you sign anything – that is where many expats lose money.
Frequently asked questions
Is expat health insurance enough to live in Germany?
Usually only for a short time. Once you work in Germany, you are covered by public insurance through your job, or – above the €77,400 threshold (2026) – you can choose a full private policy. Many travel or incoming policies exclude long-term stays. Whether a policy is sufficient for your visa is decided by the German mission or the immigration office, not by us.
Do I have to choose private health insurance as an expat?
No. Most employees in Germany are in public insurance by law, and even above the threshold public insurance remains a valid choice. Private insurance is mainly an option for higher earners, freelancers and civil servants.
Are these guides written in plain English?
Yes. German legal terms are explained the first time they appear, for example the income threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze). Each guide lists its official sources and the date of the last review.
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