Health insurance

The statutory health insurance funds in Germany insure students up to the age of 30 at a favorable student rate. A uniform contribution rate applies to all statutory health insurance companies. Students under the age of 30 are currently charged a contribution of around EUR 100 per month.

A major advantage of statutory health insurance is the fact that you do not have to pay in advance for visits to the doctor. This means that you will not receive an invoice after your visit to the doctor. Instead, the invoice is sent directly to the health insurance company. You don't have to do anything else yourself.

If you take out statutory health insurance, you will also be issued with an insurance certificate which you can use to enrol and extend your visa.

There are several statutory health insurance companies (AOK, TKK, Barmer etc.) that you can choose from. Some of them are located near Fachhochschule Dortmund, for example:

You can find an overview of all health insurance companies in Germany on the GKV website(Opens in a new tab) .

The premium rates for private health insurance vary depending on the provider and the scope of cover. Contributions increase with age.

If you opt for private health insurance, you will receive an invoice after your visit to the doctor. This is usually sent by the doctor treating you within two to four weeks of the treatment. Once you have received the invoice, you must pay it within 30 days. The costs will be reimbursed by the insurance company within approximately two weeks. If you want to buy medication at the pharmacy, you cannot pay for it by invoice, but can pay directly on the spot in cash or by EC card. The private health insurance company will then reimburse the costs retrospectively.

If you take out private health insurance, you must be exempted from statutory insurance. You can do this with any statutory insurance company. You can then use the certificate of exemption issued for enrollment and visa extension.

You can find an overview of private health insurance companies in Germany on this page(Opens in a new tab) .

As a rule, travel insurance is sufficient to apply for a visa. Please be sure to contact the relevant German embassy in your home country to find out exactly which type of health insurance is the right one for your visa application. The German embassy will also provide you with information on how much this health insurance must cover.

To find the nearest embassy in your home town, please visit the website of the Federal Foreign Office(Opens in a new tab) .

Germany has concluded social security agreements with a number of countries, including the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). This means that statutory health insurance from these countries can be recognized in Germany using the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can apply for the "EHIC" card from your health insurance company. To enrol, you simply need to bring the EHIC card with you and present it at the International Office.

Private health insurance policies can also be recognized in Germany. If you have private health insurance in your home country, find out beforehand whether this is sufficient for studying in Germany. You can obtain this information from the statutory health insurance provider in Germany. Please contact them at least 2-3 months before your arrival in Dortmund, as the re-registration and further process can take a long time. You can find the contact details above under "Statutory health insurance". Your local health insurance provider can also give you some information about this.

If your private health insurance is sufficient for studying in Germany, you will need an"exemption from compulsory health insurance" - you can obtain this from the statutory health insurance providers in Germany. You will need this certificate to enrol at Fachhochschule Dortmund.

Please note, however, that if you take up studies in Germany as a privately insured student, you can no longer switch to a statutory health insurance fund for the entire duration of your studies. After completing your studies, your student health insurance will no longer be valid - you can then switch to statutory health insurance or remain with private health insurance - but then on different terms.

If you cannot fall back on your home health insurance, you must take out health insurance in Germany!

Students who do not come from an EU country or the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway; Switzerland) must in most cases take out health insurance in Germany .
Travel insurance is usually sufficient for entry into Germany (please contact your local German embassy for more information). After your arrival in Germany, you should apply for German insurance cover as soon as possible.

You can choose between

• Statutory health insurance and
• Private health insurance

For more detailed information, please refer to the tabs above.