You can switch from a short-term expat health insurance plan to a long-term expat plan if your short-term coverage is ending or no longer meets your needs and you are not yet eligible for statutory health insurance. The long-term expat plan is available to people up to age 70, and those who enroll before that age can continue the policy indefinitely. We coordinate the cancellation of your short-term plan and the start of your new plan so there is no gap or overlap in coverage.
How do I switch from a short-term expat plan to a long-term expat plan?
You can switch from a short-term expat health insurance plan to a long-term expat plan if your short-term coverage is ending or no longer meets your needs, and you are not yet eligible for statutory health insurance. To complete the switch:
Purchase your new plan on our dedicated long-term expat page with your preferred start date. Note that it is not possible to sign up more than 60 days before your intended start date.
Complete the application for the new plan.
Contact our support team so we can coordinate the cancellation of your short-term plan and the activation of your new long-term plan.
We arrange the transition so there is no gap in coverage and no overlap between the two plans.
Who is eligible to switch to a long-term expat plan?
The switch to long-term expat plan is available to short-term expat plan holders who are not yet eligible for statutory health insurance and are under 70 years old at the time of sign-up. If you enroll before age 70, you can continue the long-term expat plan indefinitely with no upper age limit on keeping the policy active.
When should I switch from a short-term expat plan to a long-term expat plan?
You should consider switching to a long-term expat plan if any of the following apply:
You have been in Germany for 5 or more years and your short-term expat coverage is reaching its maximum coverage period.
You have a visa or residence permit renewal coming up and the authorities have requested more comprehensive coverage than your current short-term expat plan provides, but you are not eligible for public health insurance or full private health insurance.
If any of these situations apply to you, a long-term expat health insurance plan is your alternative to remaining uninsured or underinsured.
Does the 31-day waiting period apply when switching to a long-term expat plan?
The initial 31-day waiting period does not apply when switching from a short-term expat plan to a long-term expat plan. However, waiting periods for some additional benefits under the new plan do still apply. You can review which benefits are subject to waiting periods in our long-term expat health insurance coverage article.
What happens to medical conditions that developed during my short-term expat coverage?
Any medical condition that developed after the start of your short-term expat coverage is treated as a pre-existing condition under the new long-term plan and will not be covered. Only conditions that existed before your original short-term expat coverage began remain subject to the original pre-existing condition terms.