If you are approaching the end of your studies or have already graduated and plan to remain in Germany to work, there are a few important considerations regarding insurance and residence permits.
Student employment and insurance
During your studies, if you worked as a student, your working student contract was exempt from social contributions. Therefore, you were either:
Benefiting from the discounted student contribution on public health insurance, or
Insured under an affordable short-term private policy.
In either case, you were solely responsible for your insurance contributions. However, this will change post-graduation, and your insurance path will depend on your specific situation. Here are the details:
Employment after graduation
Securing regular employment in Germany after your studies means you will be fully insured through your employer. As a student, you were only required to pay into health insurance. Now, your employer will cover half of your social insurance contributions, which include:
Health Insurance: Depending on your salary, you have two options:
Public health insurance is mandatory for individuals with a gross annual salary between €6,500 and €69,300 (2024)
Comprehensive private health insurance: individuals with a gross annual salary above €69,300 can choose between public and comprehensive private health
Long-Term Care or Nursing Insurance: Provides care for elderly individuals.
Unemployment Insurance: After being employed for at least one year and paying into unemployment insurance, you are eligible for certain benefits if you lose your job. You can receive up to 60-67% of your last year's average salary for up to one year, until you find new employment.
Pension Insurance
Short-term private insurances, such as expat health insurance, are not sufficient for regular employment.
Residence permit for employment
EU/EEA citizens
If you maintained your home EU/EEA state insurance during your studies, you can remain covered until you secure employment in Germany. Simply register at a Job Centre as a "job seeker" to ensure you are in their system.
Extending residence permit after studies
I already have a job offer
If you have a job offer before completing your studies, you can bypass the "job-seeker" residence permit process and directly apply for a work residence permit. Depending on your annual salary, you can choose either public or comprehensive private insurance. If you are already on public health insurance, simply inform your provider about the change in your status from student to employee. You will receive insurance confirmation within a few days, which you can present when applying for your residence permit. Insurance must be confirmed first, then the residence permit can be issued, and finally, you can finalise the work contract.
I need to search for employment
If you are still seeking employment, you will need to apply for a "job-seeker" residence permit after completing your studies. If you have short-term private health insurance, such as expat health insurance, it will suffice for the permit. If you have public health insurance, you were paying the discounted student contribution of around €125 monthly (2024). After graduation, you can stay as a voluntary member, with contributions increasing to around €220 per month. We recommend remaining on public health insurance due to its broad coverage and sufficiency for any residence permit. Once you secure a job offer, follow the aforementioned process.
Self-employment after studies
If you plan to be self-employed after your studies, you have three insurance options:
Public Health Insurance: Self-employed individuals are voluntary members of the public health system. You can only access it if you are currently insured by the state in Germany or the EU/EEA, the UK, or Switzerland. If you had public health insurance as a student, simply continue with it after your studies. If you maintained EU/EEA insurance during your studies, you can now switch to German public health insurance. Your contribution will be about 20% of your gross earnings, and your insurance provider will inform you of the details.
Comprehensive Private Health Insurance: Most providers require at least €30,000 of gross yearly earnings to accept self-employed members. You can get a quote for comprehensive private health insurance.
Short-term expat health insurance: If you had short-term private insurance during your studies, you should be able to change your residence permit and be covered for up to five years after your initial arrival in Germany. You will need to transition to either public or comprehensive private insurance for a long-term stay in Germany either by securing employment with a German company or earning enough for private health insurance.
Long-term expat health insurance: if the immigration office does not find short-term insurances sufficient, or you would like to enjoy broader coverage, it might be worth looking into this option.
Non-EU nationals planning to be self-employed or a freelance after their studies must apply for a freelance residence permit.
Social insurance number (SVNR)
The SVNR (Sozialsversicherungsnummer/Rentenversicherungsnummer) is a 12-digit social insurance number assigned to each person born in Germany. For expats, it is issued when they take up employment subject to social insurance contributions (excluding mini-jobs and student contracts).
Your employer will handle your social contributions along with taxes when paying your salary. They need this number to identify you with the pension insurance and remit your monthly contributions. Self-employed individuals do not need the SVNR unless they enrol in public health insurance.
Additional beneficial insurance options
Beyond mandatory requirements like health insurance and a residence permit, securing full-time employment may increase your budget and allow for additional non-mandatory but beneficial insurance options:
Personal Liability Insurance: Protects you from accidental damage you might cause to a third party or their property. It is highly recommended and costs a few euros per month.
Dental Add-On: Public health insurance covers basic dental care but not high-quality materials for fillings, crowns, or implants. A dental add-on policy will cover these procedures and also fully cover detailed teeth cleaning, which typically costs around €120 per procedure, and is generally only partially covered by public health insurance (€40).
Bike Insurance: Bicycle is the preferred mean of transport for more and more residents in Germany. 600,000 bikes are stolen each year in Germany, and only 1 bike out of 10 is found. Bike insurance will pay for the replacement for your bike, as well as any accessories you added to your policy. Starting at €2.90 per month, it might be worth checking.