Contents (8 sections)
- Private health insurance companies in Germany: the market in brief
- Private health insurance Germany list: major insurers with facts
- Is there a best private health insurance in Germany? Criteria instead of a ranking
- How to compare private health insurers in Germany: step by step
- Which private health insurer in Germany suits whom?
- International expat plans vs German private health insurance
- Insurer, agent or broker: who can offer you which company
- Before you choose a company: is private right for you at all?
- At the end of 2025, 8.79 million people in Germany had full private health insurance (PKV association); Debeka alone states more than 2.5 million fully insured people.
- BaFin publishes complaints per insurer; for insurers with more than 200,000 fully insured people the 2025 ratios ranged from 2.91 to 9.87 per 100,000 insured persons (own calculation) – BaFin makes no statement on whether complaints are justified.
- English service is documented for some providers – for example ottonova as an insurer – but contracts and health questions are often binding only in German.
- There is no single best private health insurance: Stiftung Warentest found that only 384 of 1,245 tariff combinations met its minimum standard for full cover (Finanztest 3/2025) – the tariff matters more than the brand.
- International expat plans are not the same as German private health insurance: they may not meet the legal obligation to be insured or qualify for the employer contribution.
Private health insurance companies in Germany range from Debeka, with more than 2.5 million fully insured people, to small digital insurers such as ottonova; in total 8.79 million people had full private cover at the end of 2025 (PKV association). There is no single best insurer: the tariff you choose, its benefits, deductible and premium history matter more than the brand. Below you find the major insurers with published facts – insured numbers, BaFin complaint data and documented English service – and the criteria to compare them (as of October 2026).
Private health insurance companies in Germany: the market in brief
Full private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV) replaces public insurance completely. It is sold by private health insurers – some are public limited companies (AG), others are mutual associations owned by their members (Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit, “a.G.”). The legal form does not change your rights: the Insurance Contract Act (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz, VVG) and the insurer's terms apply to all of them.
Most private insurers also sell supplementary policies to people in public insurance, and some focus on civil servants. For newcomers this means: a well-known name tells you little about the tariff you are offered. The same insurer usually has entry tariffs with gaps and top tariffs with generous cover – at very different prices.
Private health insurance Germany list: major insurers with facts
The table lists insurers with more than 200,000 fully insured people according to their last published figure, plus ARAG and ottonova, which are named in English-language offers for expats. It is sorted alphabetically – the order is not a ranking, and the figures are not a quality grade.
| Insurer | Fully insured people | BaFin complaints 2025 · per 100,000 | English service (documented) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Private Krankenversicherungs-AG | 554,710 (2025) | 90 · 2.91 | Information page for foreigners in German; named as a partner by Getsafe |
| ARAG Krankenversicherungs-AG | not published (2024: +19,987) | 57 · 7.43 | Named as a partner by Getsafe |
| AXA Krankenversicherung AG (incl. DBV) | about 816,000 (2025) | 171 · 9.87 | – |
| Barmenia Krankenversicherung AG | 317,574 (2024) | 98 · 4.12 | – |
| Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G. | 380,863 (2022) | 52 · 3.94 | – |
| Debeka Krankenversicherungsverein a. G. | more than 2.5 million (2025) | 172 · 4.05 | – (not sold through brokers) |
| DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG | 682,475 (2023) | 150 · 3.46 | – |
| Hallesche Krankenversicherung a.G. | 226,341 (2025) | 41 · 4.39 | Named as a partner by Getsafe |
| HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung AG | about 334,000 (2025, trade press) | 96 · 5.91 | – |
| HUK-COBURG-Krankenversicherung AG | 428,562 (2025) | 63 · 5.14 | – |
| ottonova Krankenversicherung AG | not published | 9 · 17.07 | Real-time English-speaking support stated; contract language German only |
| SIGNAL IDUNA Krankenversicherung a.G. | 624,947 (2025) | 80 · 3.23 | – |
German-language profiles of these and further insurers, with the sources for each figure, are on our sister site: private health insurers profiled (in German).
How to read the complaint figures
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, BaFin) counts the complaints it closed about each insurer in a year and compares them with the number of insured persons at the end of the previous year. Three things limit what the ratio can tell you:
- The base includes supplementary policies. Insurers with a large supplementary or group business have a large base and therefore a low ratio; an insurer that mainly sells full cover has a small base.
- Small portfolios react strongly. ottonova's ratio of 17.07 rests on 9 complaints and 52,712 insured persons – a handful of cases moves it a lot.
- Justified or not is unknown. BaFin calls the ratio not yet fully reliable and makes no statement on whether complaints are justified.
Use complaint data as one signal among several – for example to ask an insurer how it handles disputed claims – not as a ranking.
Is there a best private health insurance in Germany? Criteria instead of a ranking
Searches for the “best private health insurance in Germany” are understandable, but no honest source can answer them for you. Rating agencies measure different things: some rate the financial strength of an insurer, some the premium development of tariffs, some the benefits of tariff wordings. Stiftung Warentest compares tariffs for model customers, and only 384 of 1,245 combinations met its minimum standard for full cover (Finanztest 3/2025). None of this tells you which tariff fits your health, your family and your plans. These criteria do:
Tariff conditions
What is covered for outpatient care, hospital, dental treatment, psychotherapy and medical aids? Are waiting periods waived? By law they may be up to three months, and up to eight months for some benefits (§ 197 VVG).
Premium stability
Ask for the premium history of the exact tariff over the last ten years. On 1 January 2026 premiums rose for about 60% of privately insured people, by about 13% on average (PKV association). Morgen & Morgen rates the premium development of tariffs over five years.
English service
Can you reach an English-speaking person for claims and complaints? Which language version of the terms, the application and the health questions is binding?
Ageing reserves
Part of your premium builds reserves for old age; a statutory 10% surcharge is paid until the year you turn 60 (§ 149 VAG). If you change insurer later, only part of the reserves moves with you (§ 204 VVG).
Deductible
A deductible (Selbstbehalt) lowers the premium but you pay it yourself – the employer contributes nothing to it. To meet the legal obligation it may not exceed €5,000 a year (§ 193 (3) VVG).
Exit terms
What happens if you move abroad? A German policy continues in the EU/EEA; elsewhere it usually ends. Check the terms for a dormant policy (Anwartschaft) and its cost.
Two further points are easy to miss. First, since 21 December 2012 new customers can only take out unisex tariffs; older tariffs are closed to newcomers, and a closed tariff can no longer attract younger members. Second, inside the same insurer you have a legal right to switch to another tariff and keep your ageing reserves (§ 204 VVG) – so the range of an insurer's tariffs matters for your later options.
How to compare private health insurers in Germany: step by step
1. Check that private is open to you
Employees need a regular salary above the income threshold – €77,400 in 2026 and €84,150 in 2027 (draft: Federal Cabinet decision of 7 October 2026, Bundesrat approval pending). Freelancers can choose regardless of income.
2. Write down your must-haves
Single room or not, dental and psychotherapy cover, sick pay insurance (Krankentagegeld), children planned, deductible you can afford.
3. Compare tariffs, not brands
Put the tariff wordings side by side: benefits, waiting periods, deductible, premium history. German tariff profiles: tariff profiles (in German).
4. Price the full package
Health, long-term care, sick pay and any deductible – minus the employer contribution if you are employed. Published price anchors are on what private health insurance costs.
5. Clarify health questions first
With health issues, an anonymous pre-check through a broker avoids a rejection on record – see pre-existing conditions. We never ask health questions online.
6. Read the binding documents
Ask which language version is binding and use your 14-day withdrawal right after receiving the policy (§ 8 VVG) to read it.
Same insurer, very different tariffs.An insurer's entry tariff and its top tariff can differ more than two insurers' comparable tariffs. That is why a list of companies can only be the starting point – the decision is made at tariff level.
Which private health insurer in Germany suits whom?
Instead of a name, start with your situation. These questions usually narrow the field:
| Your situation | What to look at first |
|---|---|
| Employee above the threshold | Insurer meets the requirements for the employer contribution (certificate under § 257 (2a) SGB V); full cover without large gaps |
| Freelancer or self-employed | Sick pay insurance from the right day, deductible that matches your savings, no employer share – see health insurance for freelancers |
| Family or children planned | Children's tariffs and newborn cover; in public insurance a spouse without income and children may be free – see private health insurance with a family |
| Planning to leave Germany | Continuation in the EU/EEA, dormant policy terms and cost – see leaving Germany |
| English service is important | Documented English support and the binding language – see private health insurance in English |
International expat plans vs German private health insurance
Many newcomers arrive with an international expat plan, an incoming policy or a travel policy. These products can be useful for the first weeks, but they are not automatically the same as German private health insurance:
| Question | German private health insurance (full cover) | International expat, incoming or travel plan |
|---|---|---|
| Meets the legal obligation to be insured? | Yes, if it is full cover with a deductible of at most €5,000 a year | Only if the insurer is authorised to do business in Germany and the cover meets the minimum – check |
| Employer contribution? | Yes, if the insurer meets § 257 (2a) SGB V – German insurers usually do | Only if the same requirements are met – ask for the insurer's certificate |
| Built for long stays? | Yes, lifelong contract with ageing reserves | Often for temporary stays; German missions point out that some exclude long stays |
| Counts as “last privately insured” if you return later? | Yes | Travel, expat and incoming plans are disregarded |
| Opens voluntary public insurance later? | No – only public insurance periods count | No |
More on the employer side in the employer contribution to private health insurance; on short stays and the visa phase in health insurance for a short stay and health insurance for the Opportunity Card; and on coming back in returning to Germany. Whether a policy is sufficient for a visa or residence permit is decided by the German mission abroad or the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde), not by us.
Insurer, agent or broker: who can offer you which company
You can buy private health insurance directly from an insurer, through an agent who works for one or more insurers, or through a broker who works for you and must base advice on a sufficient number of offers (§§ 59, 60 VVG). Not every insurer works with brokers: according to the PKV association, Debeka does not sell through insurance brokers. If you already have a Debeka offer, a broker can still help you read it – but cannot arrange the contract.
German-PKV.de is not an insurance broker and does not arrange contracts itself. If you like, a specialised expert from our partner network (insurance brokers licensed under § 34d GewO) compares tariffs of several insurers with you in English. The service is free of charge for you.
Before you choose a company: is private right for you at all?
Comparing insurers only makes sense once you know that private insurance fits your plans. Public insurance remains a valid choice above the threshold – especially with a spouse without income, children or a stay of only a few years. Read public vs private health insurance in Germany and check the honest downsides in disadvantages of private health insurance.
- Compare your own numbers, including family and ten years of increases, with the public vs private cost calculator.
- Get an honest first answer without health questions from the free 60-second decider.
- Only then compare tariffs from several insurers – with the criteria above, not with a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best private health insurance in Germany?
There is no single best one, and we don't publish a ranking. Ratings measure different things – financial strength, premium stability or tariff benefits – and each insurer sells cheap entry tariffs and generous top tariffs. Compare tariffs against clear criteria: benefits, deductible, premium history, ageing reserves, English service and what happens if you leave Germany.
How many private health insurance companies are there in Germany?
The BaFin complaint statistics for 2025 list more than 30 health insurers, but not all of them sell full private health insurance to new customers. In total, 8.79 million people had full private cover at the end of 2025 (PKV association); the largest insurer, Debeka, states more than 2.5 million fully insured people.
Which German private health insurers offer service in English?
Documented examples (retrieved 10 October 2026): ottonova, an insurer, states real-time English-speaking support; the digital intermediaries Feather and Getsafe address customers in English, and Getsafe names Hallesche, ARAG and Allianz as partners. Other insurers may also serve you in English – ask before you apply, and ask which language version of the contract is binding.
What does the BaFin complaint ratio tell me?
It shows how many complaints BaFin closed about an insurer in a year, compared with the number of people insured there – including supplementary policies. BaFin itself calls the ratio not yet fully reliable and makes no statement on whether complaints are justified. Use it as one signal among several, not as a quality grade.
Is an international expat health plan the same as German private health insurance?
No. German law requires full health insurance with an insurer authorised to do business in Germany (§ 193 (3) VVG), and the employer contribution is only paid if the insurer meets German requirements (§ 257 (2a) SGB V). Travel, incoming and many expat plans are built for temporary stays. Check both points before you rely on such a plan for life in Germany.
Can a broker offer me every private health insurer?
Not every one. Debeka, the largest private health insurer, does not sell through insurance brokers according to the PKV association. A broker can still explain a Debeka offer you have received. For most other insurers a broker can compare tariffs on your behalf.
Sources
- PKV association: industry figures 2025 (8.79 million fully insured) – 4 February 2026
- Debeka: press release on the 2025 financial year – 9 April 2026
- Allianz Private Krankenversicherungs-AG: annual report 2025
- AXA Krankenversicherung AG: annual report 2025
- SIGNAL IDUNA Krankenversicherung a.G.: annual report 2025
- HUK-COBURG-Krankenversicherung AG: financial statements 2025
- Hallesche Krankenversicherung a.G.: annual report 2025
- experten.de: full private health insurance 2024 – portfolio comparison (map-report 940) – 21 January 2026, secondary source
- BaFin: complaint statistics 2025 – insurance companies (table, sheet “Kranken”) – complaints 2025, portfolio 31 December 2024
- BaFin: complaint statistics 2025 – notes on methodology – retrieved 10 October 2026
- Stiftung Warentest: private health insurance compared (Finanztest 3/2025) – 19 February 2025
- Morgen & Morgen: rating of premium stability in private health insurance – 7 July 2026
- ottonova: private health insurance for expats (English, contract language note) – retrieved 10 October 2026
- Getsafe: private health insurance (English) – retrieved 10 October 2026
- Allianz: Private Krankenversicherung für Ausländer – retrieved 10 October 2026
- § 193 VVG – obligation to have health insurance
- § 204 VVG – tariff change and transfer of ageing reserves
- § 197 VVG – waiting periods
- § 149 VAG – statutory surcharge
- § 257 SGB V – employer contribution and insurer requirements
- PKV association: easier admission for civil servants (footnote on distribution via brokers) – January 2026
This article provides general information on health insurance in Germany (as of 13 October 2026). It does not replace individual advice. Which solution suits you depends on your personal situation, e.g. age, health, income, family and length of stay. Despite careful review we cannot guarantee completeness and accuracy; laws and tariffs change. It is not immigration advice: whether your insurance is sufficient for a visa or residence permit is decided by the German mission abroad or your immigration office. Publisher: German-PKV.de. German-PKV.de is not an insurance broker and does not provide insurance, legal or tax advice; individual advice is provided exclusively by specialised cooperation partners licensed under § 34d GewO.