Which German health insurance companies are approved by BaFin?

When you apply for the German freelance visa or for a German residence permit, you need to have health insurance coverage in Germany. If your insurance company is approved by BaFin, it meets all the German health insurance requirements.

International health insurance companies like aLC^{1, 2, 3}, Mawista¹ and Care Concept¹, are usually accepted for your first visa application¹. They are not German health insurers, but their health insurance covers Germany. They are rarely accepted for visa renewals^{1, 2}. After moving to Germany, you are supposed to switch to a real German health insurance company as soon as possible^{1, 2, 3, 4}.

Some insurance brokers say that aLC is a valid German health insurance¹. This thread explains why this is false. Hospitals do not recognise aLC¹, so the reimbursement process is a bit different. aLC is only a valid insurance if you stay in Germany for less than 5 years. The Ausländerbehörde usually accepts aLC for visa applications, but you should switch to a real German health insurance company as soon as possible.

Ottonova is a valid German health insurance. It is accepted by the Ausländerbehörde. It's popular with expats because it offers support in English. See our overview of Ottonova for more details.

If you are an artist, the KSK is a very good option. It's very affordable, and it meets all the German health insurance requirements.

All public health insurance companies are also accepted by the Ausländerbehörde. TK and AOK are two well-known public health insurance companies.

If you need help choosing the right health insurance, you should ask a health insurance broker. Their help is free. They get paid by the insurance companies to bring them new customers.

List of BaFin-approved health insurance companies

Source: BaFin