If you're moving to Germany to look for work, your health insurance options depend on whether you already have public health insurance in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the UK. Those with qualifying prior coverage can often stay on their home insurance temporarily or join German public health insurance as a voluntary member. Anyone else can apply for expat health insurance, which meets the legal requirements for a first visa application. Expat health insurance is more affordable, but it offers limited, temporary coverage.

Your available options depend on whether you currently have public health insurance in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the UK. If you do, you may be able to stay on your home coverage temporarily, join German public health insurance as a voluntary member, or take out expat health insurance. If you don't have that prior coverage, expat health insurance is the main option, and it meets the legal requirements for a first job-seeker visa application.

If you're currently publicly insured in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the UK, you can usually stay on that coverage until you find work in Germany or move your permanent residence here, using your EHIC or GHIC card to access healthcare. Confirm first with your home provider that they will cover you during this period. This path lets you avoid paying around €260 per month for German public health insurance, and once you find work you can join German public health insurance without back-paying for the gap.

You can join German public health insurance as a voluntary member if you have a qualifying public insurance history and either you're moving your permanent residence to Germany or your home insurance ends for any other reason. To qualify, both of the following must be true:

Contributions are about 21% of your income, with a minimum of around €260 per month if you earn under €1,318.33 monthly, and dependents can be covered for free.

During your application, you provide your social insurance number from your previous country of insurance. Your German public health insurance provider uses that number to request confirmation of your earlier insurance periods from your former health insurance provider through EESSI (the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information). How long this check takes depends on the country the request goes to, but it normally takes about 2 weeks. Once your former provider confirms your previous insurance periods, your membership can be approved.

Expat health insurance is the main option, especially if you're applying for a job-seeker visa. It provides basic coverage and meets the legal requirements for a first visa application. Expat health insurance is more affordable than public or private health insurance, but it's a temporary solution with limited coverage.