🇩🇪 Germany · Insurance
Insurance in Germany — health, travel, and digital-nomad cover, what is mandatory, and how to choose a plan.
Germany's social-insurance system (Sozialversicherung) is mandatory and has five pillars: health, long-term care, pension, unemployment and accident insurance — contributions are shared between employee and employer. Beyond these, common private cover includes personal liability (Haftpflicht) and, for drivers, compulsory motor third-party insurance. Insurers are regulated by BaFin.
- Social insurance has five mandatory pillars: health, long-term care, pension, unemployment and accident insurance.
- Contributions are split between employee and employer and deducted from pay.
- Personal liability insurance (Haftpflicht) is common; motor third-party insurance is compulsory for drivers.
- Private insurers are supervised by BaFin — check authorisation before buying.
Official authorities
- Make it in Germany — Social insurance
Official overview of Germany's insurance system.
- BaFin (financial/insurance regulator)
Federal financial supervisory 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