German health insurance for students

By Nicolas Bouliane

If you study in Germany, you must have health insurance. You also need health insurance to apply for a student visa.

This guide helps you choose the best health insurance to study in Germany.

Your options

Use my health insurance picker 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.13 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. Switch to public health insurance maximum 3 months after you start university.9
  • Private or expat health insurance
    If you are under 30 years old, it’s rarely worth it.15 Public health insurance gives you better coverage for your money. If you choose private or expat health insurance, you are stuck with it until you graduate.3

What is the best option?

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.17 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:

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 earn more than €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

Health insurance for an internship

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

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

  15. studierendenwerke.de (May 2025) ⤴

  16. Feather Insurance (May 2025) ⤴

  17. Feather Insurance (May 2025) ⤴