Life is a risk ❗ ⚠️
According to this motto, there are a variety of insurance options for all situations in life. With some insurances you have no choice, they are prescribed by law in Germany.
Every person with a permanent place of residence in Germany is obliged to have health insurance. There are two different types of health insurance:
Public (statutory) health insurance: Contributions for public health insurance depend on the monthly income. In 2022, a uniform contribution of 14.6 % of the total gross income needs to be paid. This is divided equally between the insured party and the employer. Each health insurance company also levies a different amount of additional contribution, which is paid in half by the employee and the employer. Statutory health insurance allows children and spouses to also be insured free of charge with a family insurance policy.
Private health insurance: Membership in a private health insurance scheme is not possible for everyone. As an employee, you may sign up for private health insurance, if your monthly gross income exceeds the income threshold for compulsory insurance (in 2022: € 5.362,50 per month). Monthly fees are then independent of the salary but calculated based on the applicant's state of health.
The service of private and public insurances does not differ much in Germany, but if you earn more than €70,000 annually, the private insurance can even be cheaper.
Relocating with family
Also keep in mind, that if you are relocating with your family, the private insurance does not cover your family, so they will have to apply for insurance themselves. In the public health insurance you can include your family at no extra costs as long as they don't take up employment themselves.
We have partnerships with several public and private health insurance providers, which you may choose freely in the corresponding step of your process. The only thing you need to do is to sign up on our platform and after a few days the confirmation will be uploaded to your profile (in case you choose a public insurance). From there you can download it for your embassy appointment. You will have to fill a seperate application form for your family members to be included in the public insurance.
Please do keep in mind that the insurance will only be valid from your first day of work on and that embassies sometimes request you to have additional travel insurance so you are covered for the time until your start date.
Please find below the health insurance guide from our partner Ottonova, which describes everything you need to know about health insurance in Germany.
Public Insurance
Barmer and TK ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
We partner with TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) and Barmer because they are known for their good English support service, which is a good option for Expats coming to Germany.
Between the two providers, there are no big differences. The public healthcare system is regulated in Germany, so the services are quite similar and there are only slight differences regarding the costs.
If you have already signed up with TK or have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to join.us@tk.de directly.
In case of Barmer you can write to service@barmer-gek.com or use their online contact options
Private Insurance
Ottonova ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ottonova is Germany’s first fully digital health insurance and covers the needs of today's digital generation. Whether it's fair rates, lightning-fast reimbursements, or innovative features like our doctor video call, their focus is on the customer. Learn more about their special Expat tariff, that has you covered when looking for an English-speaking doctor or traveling the world for up to 6 months.
Feather ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Feather uncomplicates German insurance by making it accessible in English, easy to understand, and completely digital. They provide advice for all types of insurance including Expat health, liability, dental, house-hold contents insurance & more.
🔥 Localyze clients can book a free 30-minute insurance call with Feather experts. If you are not sure which insurance would be necessary or good for you, you can make use of our partnership with Feather and find out.