Health insurance for a German visa or residence permit

This guide explains which health insurance you need for a visa or residence permit application.

For a Schengen visa

To apply for a Schengen visa (tourist visa), you need travel health insurance.¹

Your travel health insurance must…²

• Cover you for at least €30,000
• Be valid in all Schengen area countries, not just Germany
• Be valid during your whole trip in the Schengen area

HanseMerkur Visa Plus works well for a Schengen visa application.

If you can visit Germany without a visa, you don’t need travel insurance, but it’s still a good idea.

For a National Visa

To apply for a National Visa at the German embassy or consulate, you need expat health insurance. This temporary insurance covers you during your first few months in Germany. Feather’s expat insurance works well for a National Visa.

The requirements depend on the visa you apply for:

• Health insurance for a Blue Card
• Health insurance for a work visa
• Health insurance for a student visa
• Health insurance for a freelance visa
• Health insurance for a Working Holiday Visa
• Health insurance for a Youth Mobility Visa
• Health insurance for an opportunity card
• Health insurance for a job seeker visa

If you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States, you do not need a National Visa. You can come to Germany without a visa, and apply for a residence permit at the Ausländerbehörde. You do not need health insurance to come to Germany, but you need health insurance to apply for your residence permit.

When you arrive in Germany, you must usually switch to public or private health insurance. You must switch before you convert your National Visa to a residence permit. The best option depends on your situation.

Use my health insurance picker, or ask an expert to help you choose.

For a residence permit

When you arrive in Germany, you must convert your National Visa to a residence permit at the Ausländerbehörde.

To apply for a residence permit, you need…

• Public health insurance
  It’s always accepted. If you are unemployed, you can use your family’s health insurance for free.
• or private health insurance
  Full private health insurance is always accepted. It must fulfil the requirements of § 257 SGB V.
• or expat health insurance
  Expat health insurance is sometimes accepted when you apply for your first residence permit. It depends on which residence permit you apply for. Expat health insurance is rarely accepted when you change or renew your residence permit.

The exact requirements depend on your occupation:

• Health insurance for an employee
• Health insurance for a student
• Health insurance for a freelancer
• Health insurance for an apprentice

For permanent residence

To apply for permanent residence, you need public or private health insurance. Expat health insurance and travel insurance are not accepted.

How to apply for permanent residence

For citizenship

To apply for German citizenship, you need public or private health insurance. Expat health insurance and travel insurance are not accepted.

How to choose

Don’t choose health insurance yourself. You can make expensive mistakes. Choosing the wrong insurance can delay your visa application.

Ask my health insurance expert to help you choose. His help is free. It’s the best way to choose health insurance.

How to choose health insurance

Expat health insurance options

Insurance from these companies usually works for a National Visa application:

• Feather 
  It works really well.⁷ It’s a German company. They speak English, and they have excellent customer service. I work with them since 2018, and I trust them the most.
• Care Concept
  It’s usually accepted.⁴ It’s not the best insurance, but it works.
• Mawista
  It’s usually accepted, but it’s a bad insurance.⁶
• Dr Walter Educare24
  Usually accepted for an opportunity card.
• April International⁵
• Allianz Worldwide Care⁸
• Ottonova
  It works well too.³ They sell their own private and expat health insurance. They speak English. They are not the best long-term option.

Some blocked accounts include health insurance. It’s rarely the best option. Choose health insurance separately.

Sources and footnotes

1. Feather Insurance (2025) ⤴

2. schengenvisainfo.com, germany.info, visaguide.world ⤴

3. Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook ⤴

4. Reddit (May 2025), Reddit (May 2025), Facebook, reddit.com/r/berlin, Facebook, Facebook ⤴

5. Facebook ⤴

6. Thai Embassy employee (June 2025), Oliver Redsch (June 2025), Reddit (January 2025), Reddit (August 2023), Reddit (April 2023) ⤴

7. Reddit (February 2025), Facebook ⤴

8. Facebook ⤴