Insurance in Germany

In order to enroll at TH Köln, a statutory health insurance company in Germany must digitally report to TH Köln, which insurance status you have in Germany. A distinction is made as to whether you have statutory or private insurance.

Please inform a statutory health insurance company that you would like to study at TH Köln. As soon as you are insured, your health insurance company will send a corresponding notification to TH Köln. To speed up the process, please tell the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.

If you are privately insured or insured in your home country, you must also notify a statutory health insurance company in Germany so that a notification of your health insurance status can be made to the university.

The insurance card (EHIC) or a written membership certificate of a health insurance company are not sufficient for enrollment. You cannot be enrolled without the electronic notification of a statutory health insurance company to TH Köln

⚠️Please note: Travel health insurance is not sufficient for this purpose, it only provides coverage for entry and the first few days in the country.

Please contact your chosen statutory health insurance company by e-mail and submit a membership application. You can start this process already from abroad.

Please inform the health insurance company that you would like to study at TH Köln. As soon as you are insured, your health insurance company will send a corresponding notification to TH Köln. To speed up the process, please tell the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.

If you have health insurance in your home country, then you can have a German statutory health insurance company certify that you are not subject to compulsory insurance in Germany. The health insurance company will report this to TH Köln.

⚠️Note: If you take up a job during your studies (e.g. mini-job, working student, marginal employment, internship, etc.) or receive German financial aid (Bafög, scholarships), you must take out health insurance in Germany. (Exceptions: If you are insured in Denmark, Luxembourg or Austria, you can remain insured in your home country even if you take up employment in Germany.)

This is how you proceed:
Please send an email to your chosen health insurance company with the following documents:

• A copy of your EHIC
• A copy of your identity card / passport
• Your German address (alternatively your home address)
• Indication of the university you wish to attend: TH Köln. To speed up the process, please give the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.

Your health insurance company will now send a notification to the TH Köln that you fulfill the insurance obligation.

Germany has signed bilateral social security agreements with some countries. If you have statutory health insurance in your home country, you can have this insurance coverage recognized by a statutory health insurance company in Germany and you can be exempted from compulsory insurance with a German statutory health insurance company.

To do this, ask your health insurance company in your home country to issue you a certificate of insurance before you leave. Sufficient proof of entitlement is provided by certificates BH 6 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), D/RM 111 (North Macedonia), DE/MNE 111 (Montenegro), DE 111 SRB (Serbia), A/TN 11 (Tunisia), and A/T 11 (Turkey). Find out which medical services are covered in Germany.

Once you arrive in Germany, please contact a statutory health insurance company and apply for a “national insurance card.” If you fall ill, you can present this insurance card during your visit to the doctor. This will ensure that the costs are automatically settled between the German statutory health insurance company and your health insurance provider in your home country.

⚠️Note: If you take up employment during your studies (e.g. working student, internship, etc.) or receive German financial aid (Bafög, scholarships), you must take out health insurance in Germany. Only if you are taking on a minijob, marginal employment or an obligatory internship may you stay insured in your home country. 

This is how you proceed:
Please send an email to your chosen health insurance provider with the following documents:

• A copy of your insurance certificate
• A copy of your identity card / passport
• Your German address (alternatively your home address)
• Indication of the university you wish to attend: TH Köln. To speed up the process, please give the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.

The health insurance company you have chosen will now send a notification of your insurance status to TH Köln.

If you are ordinarily resident in the UK and are not insured by an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you are likely to be considered insured by the UK and will be entitled to a GHIC. Please check with the NHS for more information.

Your GHIC will allow you to get medically necessary healthcare until the end of your study period.

⚠️Note: If you take up a job during your studies (e.g. mini-job, working student, marginal employment, internship, etc.) or receive German financial aid (Bafög, scholarships), you must take out health insurance in Germany.

This is how you proceed:
Please send an email to your chosen health insurance company with the following documents:

• A copy of your GHIC
• A copy of your identity card / passport
• Your German address (alternatively your home address)
• Indication of the university you wish to attend: TH Köln. To speed up the process, please give the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.

Your health insurance company will now send a notification to the TH Köln that you fulfill the insurance obligation.

If you would like to take out private health insurance or already have private health insurance, you must officially exempt yourself from compulsory insurance. You can obtain the application from a statutory health insurance company.

⚠️Please keep in mind: Once you have opted for private health insurance, your decision is binding for the duration of your studies. It is not possible to switch back to statutory health insurance during this period.

Every student who has the opportunity to be accepted into statutory health insurance should use this option in order to be covered in the event of illness, a doctor or hospital visit or, if applicable, an existing pre-existing illness.

In principle, an application for exemption from compulsory health insurance can be submitted a maximum of 3 months after the start of the semester (March 01/September 01).

This is how you proceed:
Please submit the following documents to your chosen statutory health insurance company via email.

• A copy of your private insurance
• A copy of your identity card / passport
• Your German address (alternatively your home address)
• Indication of the university you wish to attend: TH Köln. To speed up the process, please give the health insurance company the "sender ID number" (Absendernummer) of TH Köln: H0000253.
• Application for exemption. (This only applies to persons who have not yet reached the age of 30. Please have the application sent to you by your chosen statutory health insurance company.)

Your chosen statutory health insurance will check whether your private insurance is recognized as health insurance. Please note that the quality of your private health insurance is not checked. It is therefore possible that the insurance is recognized, and yet benefits are not covered and you have to pay for them yourself. If the private insurance is not recognized, the statutory health insurance company will inform you of your options.

Your chosen statutory health insurance company will now send a notification of your insurance status to TH Köln.

Please note that the student statutory health insurance only applies until your 30th birthday. After that, you have to take out voluntary statutory or private insurance for your studies.

If you are already 30 years old when you begin your studies in Germany, you must take out private insurance and maintain your insurance coverage during your studies at TH Köln.

When looking for private health insurance, make sure that the same medical services are covered as with statutory health insurance. If you decide to take out private health insurance, we strongly advise against opting for the cheapest tariff.

Please continue reading under "I would like to take out private insurance in Germany, or I already have private insurance. What do I have to do?".

If you have private health insurance from another country, please clarify with your insurance company which services are covered in Germany before you start your stay. Consult a German statutory health insurance company before enrolling. They will check whether your insurance coverage is sufficient.

Every student who has the opportunity to be accepted into statutory health insurance should use this option in order to be covered in the event of illness, a doctor or hospital visit or, if applicable, an existing pre-existing illness.

Please continue reading under "I would like to take out private insurance in Germany, or I already have private insurance. What do I have to do?".

If you are a PhD student or a participant in a German language course, you must take out private insurance and maintain your insurance coverage during your studies at TH Köln.

We recommend that graduates of the preparatory German courses change from private to statutory health insurance when enrolling in a degree program.

When looking for private health insurance, make sure that the same medical services are covered as with statutory health insurance. If you decide to take out private health insurance, we strongly advise against opting for the cheapest tariff.

Please continue reading under "I would like to take out private insurance in Germany, or I already have private insurance. What do I have to do?".

In Germany there are two types of health insurance: statutory health insurance and private health insurance.

Statutory health insurance

International scholars are obligated to take out statutory health insurance if they are employed with a German employment contract in Germany.

An employment contract is also an important requirement to be able to be insured by statutory health insurance as an international scholar.

If you have statutory health insurance in Germany, you have the option of also ensuring family members. Statutory health insurers in Germany can give you information.

Private health insurance

Guest scholars who finance the stay themselves or enter Germany with a grant normally only have the option of insuring themselves and their family members by a private health insurance policy for the duration of their stay.

Contributions for private health insurance are normally based on your age, profession, health condition and the benefits that you would like to have insured.

If you go to a doctor’s office in Germany, you will receive a private invoice that you first have to pay and then submit to your private health insurance company for reimbursement. If you are unsure of which benefits your health insurance will cover, please contact your health insurance company before a treatment or a hospital stay.

Persons with pre-existing conditions have to prepare themselves for the fact that their pre-existing conditions are normally excluded from private health insurance in Germany. You yourself have to cover all costs resulting from treatment of a pre-existing condition. The same applies to pregnancy checks and deliveries. Private health insurance policies normally do not cover any costs if the pregnancy began before you entered Germany.

It is recommended that persons with pre-existing conditions supply themselves with sufficient medications before they come to Germany as well as a doctor’s letter proving that it is necessary to import the medications into Germany. This helps you save money and avoid problems when you enter Germany.

If you are mandatorily insured in an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you can use your European health insurance card (EHIC) to take advantage of all medically necessary benefits from all participating physicians in statutory insurance policies (also known as “panel physicians”). To do so, you select an assisting German statutory health insurance policy at your first medical appointment for the duration of your stay.

You will receive a private medical invoice if you take advantage of health services that are not regarded as medically necessary benefits under German law. Normally, these kinds of invoices will also not be reimbursed by your insurance company in your home country. A return hospital transport to your home country will not be covered by your insurance policy in your home country either. It is recommended to take out additional travel health insurance to secure these benefits.

If you specifically entered Germany for the purpose of medical treatment, these services cannot be used on the basis of your EHIC. If you have impending medical treatments before your departure, especially hospital services, we recommend that you discuss this in advance with your health insurance company in your home country.

Since there is a Social Security agreement between your home country and Germany and you are only staying in Germany temporarily (temporarily relocated for up to 24 months), you also need an A1 certificate from your health insurance company at home or Social Security authority.

In this case, please contact your health insurance company in your home country, and verify whether your health insurance covers services in Germany and which services your health insurance covers in Germany as well as which forms you need to be able to use these kinds of services.

If you have a private health insurance policy from your home country, please verify with your insurance company before your stay starts which services are covered in Germany and have it confirmed in writing. As soon as you have arrived, take your documents to a German statutory health insurance company. If the insurance coverage is insufficient, you must take out additional insurance. 

Example 1: Accident While Cycling

A student is riding her bicycle through a pedestrian zone. Due to a distraction, she collides with another cyclist. The other cyclist falls, sustains minor injuries, and requires medical treatment. Additionally, the bicycle is damaged.

• Without insurance: The claims for damages (e.g., for medical expenses, bicycle repairs, compensation for pain and suffering) must be covered entirely out of pocket.
• With insurance: If the claim for damages is justified, the insurance covers the costs—the insured person pays only a small monthly premium (usually 4 to 7 euros).

Example 2: Water Damage in a Shared Apartment

A visiting scholar goes to a conference and forgets to turn off the faucet. Water runs out of the sink onto the floor and drips into the apartment below. Water damage occurs, damaging the apartment below. Furniture, carpets, and walls are affected.

• Without insurance: The compensation claims you’d have to pay yourself could quickly amount to several thousand euros.
• With insurance: If the claim for compensation is justified, the insurance company covers the costs—the insured person remains financially protected.

⚠️ Important: Not all insurance policies cover damage caused while helping others (e.g., when moving for friends). This must be explicitly included in the contract—this is particularly relevant for students who often help others. In addition, every claim is subject to a case-by-case review by the insurance company.

The Department of International Affairs cannot provide advice regarding insurance terms. As a general rule, the following is recommended:

• Make sure you have sufficient coverage. In Germany, it is recommended to agree on a minimum coverage amount of a flat rate of 10 million euros, as the insurer is only liable up to the agreed coverage amount and you must pay the rest yourself if the damage exceeds that amount. The decision regarding adequate coverage is your responsibility; however, we recommend adhering to the minimum coverage amount.

✅ Coverage for:

• Personal injury (e.g., injuries, compensation for pain and suffering)
• Property damage (including rental/building damage, e.g., damaged appliances, vehicles, furniture)
• Financial losses (e.g., loss of rent, repair costs)
• Damage caused while helping others (e.g., during a move, assisting with renovations)

1. In your home country

If you already have private liability insurance in your home country, check with the provider:

→ Does the insurance also apply in Germany?
→ Is it valid for study or research stays?

2. In Germany (after arrival)

Many insurance providers offer special plans for international students and visiting scholars.

💡 Tip: Compare several providers—many offer plans with 10 million euros in coverage for less than 7 euros a month.