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Germany · visa health insurance

Health insurance for Germany’s freelance visa

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Germany’s freelance (self-employment) visa carries the hardest insurance logic of the big destinations: cover must include the benefits of §11(1–3) SGB V — Germany’s statutory system — and the contract must be open-ended, with no expiry or cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Travel insurance fails outright, and guidance tolerates a deductible only up to about €300 per year. A person verifies whether your case fits our partner’s arrangement before you buy.

Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.

The rule in writing

“For Germany’s national visa, health insurance must include the benefits statutory-insured persons are entitled to under §11(1–3) SGB V, and the contract must be open-ended — no expiry or cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Travel insurance is insufficient.”

Official source: German Federal Foreign Office — health insurance in the national visa procedure — Last verified:

The freelancer catch-22, honestly

New arrivals often can’t enrol in statutory cover (GKV) without a German address and income history — yet the visa requires statutory-equivalent cover first. That gap is exactly where the equivalence and open-ended rules bite, and where generic fixed-term international policies get rejected.

We review whether your case fits our partner’s arrangement (confirmed July 2026), and if a German “incoming”-style product suits your case better, we say so rather than force a fit.

What the Ausländerbehörde reads

The officer checks the benefit scope against §11 SGB V, the contract duration (open-ended, no age or status cancellation clauses), and the deductible. Certificates that state these points plainly clear the desk; brochure summaries do not.

After you’re established, most residents move into statutory GKV or approved German PKV — cover arranged for the visa carries you through the application and the bridge months.

Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.

Cover levels that meet the rule

Benefits shown are public. Premiums are quote-based — we never publish prices.

Standard

From $1,133/yearabout $94/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $853/yr

Adds everyday outpatient care — GP and specialist visits, prescriptions, and tests — to hospital cover.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • GP, specialist, medication & lab tests (US$750 each)
  • Outpatient surgical to US$25,000
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Pre- & post-hospitalisation cover

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Scope: No dental or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose StandardSee your price by age →

Fully Comprehensive

From $1,906/yearabout $159/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $1,439/yr

The highest level: full-cover room, uncapped surgeon fees, routine dental, and the largest limits.

  • US$2,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Full-cover private room & board
  • Full surgeon, professional & outpatient cover
  • Routine & major dental (after 6-month wait)
  • Wellbeing check-ups & vaccinations to US$500

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Choose Fully ComprehensiveSee your price by age →

See your exact price by age →

Budget options — limited cover

Essential Health

From $392/yearabout $33/mo billed annually

A budget plan for accident and emergency care in state hospitals only. Not full private health cover.

  • US$100,000 maximum plan limit per year
  • Unforeseen accident & emergency care only

Scope: State hospitals only, accident/emergency only. No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing cover. Not a substitute for full private health insurance on a visa application.

Choose Essential Health →

Major Medical

From $721/yearabout $60/mo billed annually

Hospital-focused cover: inpatient treatment, surgery, and emergencies, worldwide outside the US.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Theatre, ICU, and emergency-room cover (full)

Scope: No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose Major Medical →
  • Treatment is covered worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Pre-existing conditions are excluded — including conditions you did not know about.
  • Evacuation & repatriation is an optional benefit that costs an additional premium.
  • Prices are Regency’s 2026 rates for the EU region: per person, per year, billed annually, starting at adult age 18 — your exact price depends on age. Children 0–17 pay a flat rate on every plan.
  • Plans run in 12-month terms and renew at the anniversary; the age limits shown apply to new applicants.

Common questions

What insurance does Germany’s freelance visa require?

Cover including the benefits statutory-insured persons receive under §11(1–3) SGB V, on an open-ended contract with no expiry or cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Deductibles above roughly €300/year are refused; travel insurance is insufficient.

Why do fixed-term international policies fail?

The open-ended-contract rule: any policy with an end date or a clause cancelling cover on age, job loss, or residence change fails the standard regardless of benefits.

What happens once I’m settled?

Most residents enrol in statutory GKV (or approved PKV) once working. Visa-stage cover bridges the application and the months before enrolment.

Get a certificate that meets the published rule

Tell us your destination, visa, and who’s moving. Our team reviews it against the current requirement and calls you with a quote — no obligation.

Before you request a quote: cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States, and pre-existing conditions are not covered — including conditions you did not know about. We say this up front so a quote is worth your time.

Keep reading

Guides for this move