If you have a relative that lives and works in Germany, you might be thinking of joining them. One of the main requirements when applying for any type of visa is health insurance, so let's go over the options you might have at your disposal.
You are in the process of applying for a family reunion visa
Citizens of the EU, EEA/EFTA, Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America can arrive in Germany without a visa. If, however, your country is not on the list, you will have to apply for a family reunion visa, which is a type of National D long-term visa. There are quite a few requirements, and the German embassy in your country will have all the details, but we can already point you in the right direction regarding health insurance.
If you are coming to join your spouse, who is on public or comprehensive private health insurance in Germany, you might have heard of the option to be added as a dependent to their policy. This is not going to be possible still, since you are not registered at a German address yet.
Generally, at this point, you will only need a simple travel or incoming insurance because your family reunion visa will last for only a few months before you convert it to a residence permit. If this situation corresponds to you, our expat health insurance is the one to look into. It is designed for people who are applying for the National D visa and provides coverage for up to 5 years in Germany. Before signing up for the insurance, we always advise you to check the requirements issued by the German embassy in your country.
You are already in Germany and are applying for a residence permit
If you are already registered at a German address and are applying for an extension of your visa, you might have more options available to you.
If your spouse is a member of public or comprehensive private insurance, they can add you to their policy as long as your overall monthly earnings are under €520. In the case of public insurance, dependents are insured free of charge, and with more comprehensive private insurance, it comes at a cost of the contributions for an additional policy.
If your income comes from abroad and you are generating over €30,000 per month, you might be eligible for comprehensive private insurance yourself.
If none of these situations correspond to you, our expat health insurance should be valid for the residence permit application. Just keep in mind to confirm the coverage requirements with the immigration authorities.