Health insurance for a German visa or residence permit

This guide explains which health insurance you need for a National 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, you need expat health insurance. It covers you during your first few months in Germany.

List of expat health insurance options

Expat health insurance is a temporary health insurance. When you arrive in Germany, you must usually switch to public or private health insurance. It depends on your 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 do not need health insurance to come to Germany, but you need it to apply for a residence permit.

For a family reunion visa

If your spouse has public health insurance, it might cover you for free.³ Otherwise, you can get expat health insurance or private health insurance.

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.

What is the best option?

The exact requirements depend on your occupation:

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

Do not 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

Sources and footnotes

Feather Insurance (2025) ⤴
schengenvisainfo.com, germany.info, visaguide.world ⤴
German embassy in Portugal (July 2025) ⤴