Insurances

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* The Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern does not assume any liability for third-party content, such as direct or indirect links to other providers.
 

There are two types of insurance that are especially important: health insurance and liability insurance.
Please note: the Studierendenwerk has to stay neutral, and is therefore not allowed to advise you in choosing an insurance!

Health insurance in Germany

In Germany, everyone is required to have health insurance. In order to enrol at a German university, you need to prove that you are insured. Requirements, prices and coverage, however, can vary considerably.

You therefore have to choose a health insurance for yourself. We therefore recommend that you start getting information on the topic in good time!

There are several facts to pay attention to when finding health insurance; here is a short overview:

In Germany, there are two types of health insurance: public and private insurance. Below the age of 30, public insurance is obligatory. When you enrol at university, you will have to provide proof that you are health insured.
More information on German health insurance and a (German) list of all public health insurances can be found here:
www.gkv-spitzenverband.de/service/krankenkassenliste/krankenkassen.jsp.

Taking out private health insurance is only possible in exceptional cases! And please be aware of the fact that once you have private health insurance, you can no longer switch to public insurance while studying in Germany!
Here, you can find a brochure providing an overview of the German Health (Insurance) system – in German and English!

European Health Insurance Card and other countries with social security agreements

Do you already have public health insurance in your own country? And does your country have a social security agreement with Germany (e.g. European Health Insurance Card "EHIC")?

If so, you can have your insurance verified with a public health insurance in Germany. Before you come to Germany, please find out what documents you require to do so.
Furthermore, it could be that your insurance does not cover all expenses, due to the fact that prices of treatment and services vary depending on country. Make sure to find out exactly which services are fully covered. An additional insurance may be necessary.

PLEASE NOTE! Since the end of 2017, there have been some new regulations:
there are now special circumstances, in which EU or EEA students must be insured with a German Health Insurance:

  • beginning a student (part-time) job (with less or more than 20 hours a week),
  • beginning a paid or mandatory internship,
  • transfer of permanent residence to Germany.

So please be sure to get detailed information with the health insurance company in your country, especially on which health services are covered and which are NOT.

In some cases, also private health insurances may even be recognized as a replacement insurance in Germany.

Health insurance under special circumstances (for international students)

Under certain circumstances, students cannot take out public health insurance.
For instance, this is the case, if an enrolled student is over 30 years of age.
In that case, you can take out voluntary insurance with a public health insurance company. Contributions are then usually higher as would be the case if compulsorily insured.
Another option is to take out private health insurance.
In any case, inform yourself in detail about the different options available for health insurance.

As a service for people who find themselves in one of the below-mentioned situations, the Deutsche Studierendenwerk has developed special products in cooperation with the “UNION Versicherungsdienst GmbH”.
At www.vela.insure/en following groups of people can take out their health insurance online:

  • enrolled international students over the age of 30
  • PhD students
  • participants in language courses preparing for their studies
  • guest scholars
  • accompanying unemployed family members
  • job applicants after graduation

Should you have any questions regarding the different options, feel free to send an email to the “UNION Versicherungsdienst GmbH”: info@vela.insure.

Our national umbrella organisation Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW) also provides some information on the topic: www.internationale-studierende.de/en/during_your_studies/health_insurance/what_if_im_over_30/.

Health insurance: dictionary and links

Here you can find a little German-English dictionary about many aspects of health insurance, sickness and doctor's visits.

www.studentenwerke.de/sites/default/files/illustriertes_gesundheitswoerterbuch_webdatei.pdf 

 
Links with further information:

www.internationale-studierende.de/en/on-arrival/health-insurance

The following websites are partly provided by commercial insurance companies or private providers. However, there is no charge for receiving information. The Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern does not benefit from providing these links; it cannot, however, assume any liability.*

www.germanyhis.com (in German and English)

www.hiffs.de/ (in German and English)

www.transparent-beraten.de/versicherungen-in-deutschland/insurances-in-germany/ (in German, English, Spanish and Italian).

www.studying-in-germany.org/health-insurance-germany-guide/#foreign-students

www.studying-in-germany.org/proof-of-student-health-insurance/


Portals for comparing different health insurances can help you with which insurance to choose (links in German): *

www.krankenkassen.de/krankenkassen-vergleich/

www.1averbraucherportal.de/versicherung/gesetzliche-krankenversicherung

www.studying-in-germany.org/health-insurance-germany-guide/ (in English)

Liability insurance

Taking out liability insurance (German: “Haftpflichtversicherung”) is OPTIONAL. You are not required to have it, but it is recommended. A liability insurance covers the cost of damage, which you cause accidentally. As it is available at only approx. 45 euros a year, this insurance could save you a lot of money.

For instance: you accidentally trip and knock down somebody else’s vase, so that it breaks. If you have liability insurance, the insurance would cover the cost of having the vase repaired or replaced. If you don’t have liability insurance, you will have to pay for it yourself.

This may be bearable if it’s just a vase, but if you accidentally break a fellow student’s 2000-euro bike beyond repair, you would probably be glad to have liability insurance.

Other pages with useful facts about this insurance can be found here:

TUM website (scroll down to liability insurance): www.international.tum.de/en/global/accommodation/#c5702

Website of the University of Mannheim: www.uni-mannheim.de/en/research/services/welcome-center/relocation/upon-arrival/#c52640

www.studentenwerke.de/en/content/private-liability-insurance

www.finanztip.de/haftpflichtversicherung/privathaftpflicht/ *

* The Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern does not assume any liability for third-party content, such as direct or indirect links to other providers.