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What if i'm not eligible for public or private health insurance?
What if i'm not eligible for public or private health insurance?
Dajana avatar
Written by Dajana
Updated this week

In Germany, whilst it is generally recommended to sign up to public or full private health insurance, not everyone is necessarily eligible for these.

This then poses the question, which insurance can I then opt for?

This is where our short term expat and long term expat health insurances come in!

When should I opt for short term expat health?

Short term expat health is a great option for those first entering Germany and getting settled.

This includes those who:

  • Are applying for their first visa

  • Have been in Germany under 5 years

  • Are unemployed, self employed or are students

When should I opt for long term expat health?

Long term expat health is a great option for those who may no longer be eligible for short term expat health, but may also not be eligible for public or private health.

We recommend long term expat for:

  • Those who have been in Germany over 5 years and are not eligible for public or private health

  • Persons applying for a visa/residence permit renewal who aren’t eligible for public or private health

  • Freelancers who earn under the private threshold (30k per year) and aren’t eligible for KSK

  • Freelancers who earn above the private threshold but have pre-existing conditions and wouldn’t be eligible for private, and aren’t eligible for KSK

  • Those who want more coverage than what expat health can offer, but don’t want to or can’t get onto public/private health

  • Dependents of a person who is on full private health who are not eligible to join private because of pre-existing conditions

What if I do become eligible for public or private health?

If you are eligible for public or private health insurance, we can assist you to switch over and we will ensure there are no gaps nor overlap between the switch to your new policy.

You can use our recommendation tool to help you figure if you are eligible, and if you are, feel free to reach out to us so we can assist you with the switch!

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