The process to enrol in University and health insurance can be both daunting and overwhelming. Below we break down the process if you opt for expat health insurance rather than student public health insurance.
Why do I need to get health insurance to enrol in University?
Health insurance is required by law at all times in Germany, therefore, for students coming to Germany from overseas, it is vital that you have your health insurance set up for your studies.
I have chosen expat as my health insurance, what's next?
1) You will need to sign up for expat health insurance if you haven't done so already.
2) You will then need to apply for an exemption to public health insurance. If you sign up for expat health insurance, your University will not accept a confirmation of insurance document provided by you. They can only accept insurance confirmations directly from public providers.
Please reach out to a public provider, who will then contact your University and confirm that you are exempt from public insurance and that your private insurance is adequate. Only after that can you continue with your enrolment.
Please note: Your university might require an exemption regardless of whether you are under or over 30 years of age
3) Fill out the exemption application:
As previously mentioned, the exemption can only be granted by a public insurance provider, and we recommend applying for the exemption via Techniker Krankenkasse (TK).
For students under 30 years of age:
Please complete the exemption document, here you have both an English and a German version.
Please also note: when filling out the questionnaire, please leave the insurance number blank - you can attach your policy documents at the end of the forms.
For students over 30 years of age:
Please provide the following information and submit it via email to [email protected]
Your full name
Date of birth
Address in Germany
Date you wish to be exempted from public health (please enter the start date of your studies here)
Start date of your degree
Full name and address of your University
Attached copy of your expat confirmation of coverage document (you can download a copy of your policy document from your Feather account).
4) TK will then send your proof of your insurance to your university via the above mentioned electronic system. This notification is called M10.
Your University should receive this form within about one week of you submitting the exemption request.
5) That's it!
Commonly asked questions
What if I am under 30 and want to switch to public health insurance later?
If you are under 30 years of age then you can opt for student public health insurance or expat health insurance.
If you opt for expat health and apply for an exemption, then this decision is final and cannot be reversed for the duration of your studies. We, therefore, recommend that students under 30 think carefully about their decision on whether to go for student public health or expat health.
What if I am over 30 and want to have public health insurance?
Public health insurance for students over 30 is generally only possible under the following conditions:
As a continuation of your home public health insurance if you are from the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the UK. In this case, we are talking about voluntary insurance, not student public health insurance, which means that the contribution would be significantly higher, starting at €220 per month.
Through a German employer: have in mind that this happens very rarely, since mini jobs and so-called working student contracts are free of social contributions. These types of contracts do not allow for a way onto public health insurance, since the employer is not mandated to insure students under these circumstances. Students would have to get a regular work contract in order to be insured through the employer.
What about full private health insurance?
Full private health insurance is only available to persons earning at least 30,000 euros if they are freelancing/self-employed, or persons earning 69,300 per year if they are employed by a German company (2024). Most students do not meet these thresholds and therefore are not eligible for full private health insurance.
If you have any further questions, please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist you further 😊