German health insurance for students

This guide helps you choose the best health insurance to study in Germany. All German residents need health insurance. You need it to apply for a student visa.

Your options

Use my health insurance calculator to see your options.

Under 30 years old

If you are under 30 years old, you have 3 options:

• Free health insurance 
  Your spouse’s public health insurance can cover you for free. If you are under 25 years old, your parents’ insurance can also cover you.
• Public health insurance 
  If you can’t get free health insurance, public is usually the best option.¹⁵ You pay the student tariff: around €140 per month. If you move from a non-EU, you might also need travel health insurance between the day you arrive and the day you start studying.
• Expat health insurance
  If you are under 30 years old, it’s rarely worth it.²¹ It can be cheaper, but the coverage is much worse. Public health insurance is a better option. Switch to public health insurance maximum 3 months after you start university.⁹ If you choose expat health insurance, you are stuck with it until you graduate.³

If you work less than 20 hours per week, you keep the cheaper student tariff. Your employer does not pay half of your health insurance.⁷

If you work more than 20 hours per week, you are treated like a normal employee.¹² You must switch to public health insurance. It costs a percentage of your income. Your employer pays half of your health insurance. You can’t get the student tariff, and you can’t get free health insurance.

Over 30 years old

If you are over 30 years old, your options change.

If you just moved from a non-EU country, you can’t get public health insurance.² Expat health insurance might be your only option.²³ It costs €72 to €111 per month. Feather and Ottonova sell expat health insurance. You can also ask my insurance expert to help you choose.

If you just moved from another EU country, you have more options:

• Insurance from your home country 
  Your EHIC covers you until you graduate or get a job. You might not need German health insurance.¹¹
• Public health insurance
  It costs around €230 per month, because you don’t get the student tariff.¹⁰ If you work, you are treated like a normal employee; public health insurance costs a percentage of your income.
• Private health insurance
  Usually, you can’t get private health insurance because your income is too low.²² Some insurers offer private health insurance for EU students, and it can be cheaper.²⁰ If you choose private health insurance, you are stuck with it until you graduate.³ Ask my insurance expert if it makes sense for your situation.

If you already live in Germany, you can choose public or private health insurance. The best option depends on your situation. Ask my insurance expert to help you choose.

Self-employment

If you are self-employed during your studies, you can keep your student health insurance. The price does not change; you still pay the student tariff.⁸

If you work more than 20 hours per week, you are treated like other self-employed people, and your public health insurance costs a percentage of your income. If you are young and healthy, private or expat health insurance usually make more sense.⁵

If your income is over €535 per month, you can’t get free health insurance.

Insurance for a student visa

To apply for a student visa, you have 2 options:

• Travel insurance + public health insurance 
  The travel insurance covers you before school starts.⁶ Public health insurance covers you until you graduate. If you are under 30 years old, this is the best option. You get great coverage for a low price. Barmer and Techniker Krankenkasse are English-speaking options.
• Expat health insurance
  If you are over 30 years old, public health insurance is more expensive. Expat health insurance is cheaper, but the coverage is worse. It covers you until you graduate. Feather and Ottonova sell expat health insurance. You can also ask an expert to help you choose. It’s a free service.

Feather sells valid insurance for a student visa. They offer both options, so you will get the best option for your situation. I work with them since 2018; you can trust them.

For an internship

If it’s a mandatory internship during your studies, you keep your student insurance. Your employer does not pay half of it.¹⁴

If it’s a mandatory internship before or after your studies:¹⁷

• If it’s unpaid
  You have the same options as other students.¹⁶
• It it pays up to €325 per month
  Your health insurance is free. Your employer pays for it.¹³
• If it pays more than €325 per month
  You have the same options as other employees.

If it’s a voluntary internship, it’s treated like a normal job. You have the same options as an employee.¹⁸ If you don’t get paid, you have the same options as an unemployed student, and you don’t get help from your employer.¹⁹

For an apprenticeship

Health insurance for Azubis

After you graduate

If you start working, you must usually get public health insurance. Finding a job is the best way to switch to public health insurance.

If you make more than €66,150 per year, you can also get private health insurance.

Health insurance for employees

If you are unemployed or self-employed, you might be stuck with your current private health insurance until you find a job.⁴

How to get insured

For students, Feather is one of the easiest way to get insured. They sell public and expat health insurance. They speak English, they have excellent customer service, and they have a lot of experience with foreign students.

If you want personalised advice, ask my health insurance expert. He will help you find the cheapest health insurance. He also gives you a proof of insurance for your visa application. This is a free service.

After you get insured, your insurer tells your university (the M10 Meldung). This is done digitally; you don’t need to do anything. It takes around 3 days.¹ You also get a Mitgliedsbescheinigung for your student visa application.

How to get insured

Sources and footnotes

1. Feather Insurance (May 2025), Uni Frankfurt (May 2025) ⤴

2. Seamus Wolf (June 2025) ⤴

3. Seamus Wolf (June 2025) ⤴

4. Seamus Wolf (June 2025), studierendenwerke.de (June 2025) ⤴

5. Seamus Wolf (April 2025), finanztip (February 2025), verbraucherzentrale.de (2024) ⤴

6. krankenkassen.de ⤴

7. tk.de (June 2025) ⤴

8. Techniker Krankenkasse (July 2025) ⤴

9. Feather Insurance (April 2025) ⤴

10. tk.de, krankenkassen.de ⤴

11. Feather Insurance (2023), Feather Insurance (May 2025), krankenkassen.de (May 2025) ⤴

12. Techniker Krankenkasse (January 2025), Techniker Krankenkasse (March 2025), meinpraktikum.de (March 2025) ⤴

13. Techniker Krankenkasse (March 2025), §20 Abs. 3 SGB IV, praktikum-guide.com (April 2025), haufe.de (April 2025) ⤴

14. student-kv.de (April 2023) ⤴

15. finanztip.de (January 2025), Feather Insurance (May 2025) ⤴

16. praktikum-guide.com (April 2025) ⤴

17. DAK (April 2025), check24.de (April 2025) ⤴

18. meinpraktikum.de (April 2025), student-kv.de (April 2025) ⤴

19. check24.de (April 2025) ⤴

20. krankenkassen.de (May 2025), krankenkassen.de (May 2025) ⤴

21. studierendenwerke.de (May 2025) ⤴

22. Feather Insurance (May 2025) ⤴

23. Feather Insurance (May 2025) ⤴