Switching from Public health insurance to Private health insurance in Germany takes 3 steps: apply for Private health insurance (PKV) with a start date at least 2 full calendar months ahead, send a cancellation notice to your public health provider, and forward your confirmation of coverage once your private policy is confirmed. Your public health provider only cancels your coverage after receiving proof of your new Private health insurance, so there is no gap if your application is withdrawn or declined. A few exceptional situations allow an earlier start date. When you apply with us, we offer to handle the cancellation of your Public health insurance for you.
How do I switch from Public health insurance to Private health insurance in Germany?
Switching takes 3 steps, and your Public health insurance stays active until your new Private health insurance is confirmed.
Apply for Private health insurance (PKV) and choose a start date at least 2 full calendar months ahead. Applying for Private health insurance does not automatically cancel your Public health insurance.
Send a cancellation notice to your public health provider, even while your private application is still pending. This starts the notice period your public health provider requires before you can switch.
Forward your confirmation of coverage to your public health provider once your Private health insurance policy is confirmed. This letter becomes available automatically in your Feather account once we confirm your private coverage, and it finalizes the cancellation so your public coverage ends as your private coverage begins.
What start date should I choose when switching to Private health insurance?
Choose a start date that falls after the current month plus 2 full calendar months, because that is the notice period your public health provider typically enforces. For example, if today is March 10, the next 2 full calendar months are April and May, so your Private health insurance can start on June 1.
This calculation only applies if your situation is not one of the exceptional cases outlined below that set a different start date.
When should I send my cancellation notice to my public health provider?
Send the cancellation notice to your public health provider right after you submit your Private health insurance application, rather than waiting for the application to be approved. Sending it early has 2 effects:
It starts the 2-month notice period your public health provider enforces before allowing the switch, so you can move to Private health insurance as soon as possible.
It carries no risk, because your public health provider only cancels your coverage once they receive confirmation of your new Private health insurance.
Can Feather cancel my Public health insurance for me?
Yes. When you apply for Private health insurance with us, we offer to handle the cancellation of your Public health insurance for you.
Once you submit your application, a task appears in your Feather account asking whether you’d like us to take this over. Open the task and confirm there, and we send the cancellation notice to your public health provider on your behalf. You’ll also get an email when the task is created.
Once your Private health insurance is confirmed, we send your public health provider the proof of your new coverage, which is what finalizes the cancellation.
Your public health provider doesn’t confirm back to us; they contact you directly, and it usually takes them a few weeks to process a cancellation. So if you haven’t heard anything yet, that’s normally why.
What exceptional cases allow a different Private health insurance start date?
Your public health provider normally requires the current month plus 2 full calendar months to cancel, but the following situations allow a different start date:
If you receive a pay raise in the same position at the same company, you must wait until January 1 of the following year to switch to Private health insurance.
If you switched to self-employed status, your Private health insurance coverage can be backdated to your self-employment start date within the first 3 months.
If you were publicly insured as a dependent and then started employment, your Private health insurance coverage can start on your employment start date.
If you were publicly insured as a student and started your first employment, your Private health insurance coverage can also start on your employment start date.
If you changed employers and crossed the income threshold for the first time, your Private health insurance coverage can begin when your new job starts, provided you cancel your Public health insurance within 14 days of your new employment start date.
Contact our support team when you submit your application if any of these situations apply to you, so we know that the usual cancellation notice period does not apply to your case.
Does the 2-month notice period still apply if an exceptional situation allows a different start date?
No. When one of the exceptional situations applies, that situation sets your start date, and the current month plus 2 full calendar months is not added on top of it. The 2-month notice period applies only to standard switches where no exceptional situation applies.
Can Feather cancel my Public health insurance for me?
When you apply for Private health insurance with us, we offer to handle the cancellation of your Public health insurance for you. You receive instructions on this once you submit your application. If your public health provider claims that you cannot cancel, we can take that over as well. We cannot override the cancellation terms your public health provider enforces. You can contact our support team for more assistance or additional resources.
What should I do if I'm insured privately and publicly at the same time?
Request an adjustment to the start date of your Private health insurance through the 'Manage this policy' button on your policy page. This removes the overlap at the source rather than ending your private policy early, so you keep your original contract terms and don't have to repay any reimbursements you've already received.
To make the adjustment, we need proof of when your Public health insurance coverage ended, so request a confirmation of this from your public health provider and send it to us. Your new Private health insurance start date will match the day after your public coverage ended.
This situation comes up most often when an employer registers an employee for Public health insurance without knowing they're already privately insured.
What if my public insurer says I can’t switch to private health insurance?
Being told you cannot switch does not necessarily mean your private health insurance (PKV) application is over. The reason matters, and whether you hear it by letter or by phone, it is not always spelled out. If your public insurer has not told you why, ask them for the exact reason before doing anything else.
It is usually one of these:
Something is missing. Your public insurer needs a document or confirmation before they can process your cancellation. This is usually straightforward, and your planned start date is often unaffected. If they have told you what they need, you can send it to them directly.
The timing needs to change. Your public health insurance (GKV) could not be canceled on the date originally planned, so your private health insurance (PKV) start date needs to be moved to match.
Your public insurer considers you mandatorily insured. This is the one that can stop a switch, and it sometimes comes down to information they hold about your income rather than your actual situation, so it is worth checking rather than accepting.
If you're not sure which of these applies to you, or the reason you were given doesn't match your situation, contact our support team. Send us what you received, and we'll look into it.