🇩🇪 Germany · Healthcare
How the Germany healthcare system works — public vs private care, eligibility, and costs for residents and visitors.
Health insurance is mandatory for everyone living in Germany. There are two pillars: statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV), which covers around 88% of residents with income-based contributions, and private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV), generally for higher earners, the self-employed and civil servants. You must have valid cover to get a residence permit.
- Health insurance is compulsory for all residents; you need valid cover to obtain a residence permit.
- Statutory health insurance (GKV) covers ~88% of residents, with income-based contributions split with the employer.
- Private health insurance (PKV) is generally for higher earners above the threshold, the self-employed and civil servants.
- Students and lower-income employees are usually in the GKV; check eligibility before choosing.
Official authorities
- Make it in Germany — Health insurance
Official government guide for foreign residents.
- Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)
National health authority.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Federal Government of Germany — Germany's Federal Cabinet official website — policy, legislation, news, and government programs
- Federal Office for Migration (BAMF) — German visas, EU Blue Card, asylum, integration courses, and permanent residency
- Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) — Tax ID (IdNr) registration, tax identification lookup, withholding tax refunds — the key authority for foreign taxpayers in Germany